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Fricker BA, Roshko VC, Jiang J, Kelly AM. Partner separation rescues pair bond-induced decreases in hypothalamic oxytocin neural densities. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4835. [PMID: 36964221 PMCID: PMC10037388 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32076-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) have shown that although formation of the pair bond is accompanied by a suite of behavioral changes, a bond between two voles can dissolve and individuals can form new pair bonds with other conspecifics. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this behavioral flexibility have not been well-studied. Here we examine plasticity of nonapeptide, vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT), neuronal populations in relation to bonding and the dissolution of bonds. Using adult male and female prairie voles, animals were either pair bonded, co-housed with a same-sex sibling, separated from their pair bond partner, or separated from their sibling. We examined neural densities of VP and OT cell groups and observed plasticity in the nonapeptide populations of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Voles that were pair bonded had fewer PVN OT neurons, suggesting that PVN OT neural densities decrease with pair bonding, but increase and return to a pre-pair bonded baseline after the dissolution of a pair bond. Our findings suggest that the PVN nonapeptide cell groups are particularly plastic in adulthood, providing a mechanism by which voles can exhibit context-appropriate behavior related to bond status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon A Fricker
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Venezia C Roshko
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Jinrun Jiang
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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A CRISPR perspective of the oxytocin receptor in prairie voles. Neuron 2023; 111:755-756. [PMID: 36924758 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
The oxytocin receptor has long been considered critical for social bonding and parenting in prairie voles. In this issue of Neuron, Berendzen et al.1 show that oxytocin receptor-null prairie voles display normal bonding and parental behaviors, thus challenging the prevailing understanding of the receptor's role in these behaviors.
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Berendzen KM, Sharma R, Mandujano MA, Wei Y, Rogers FD, Simmons TC, Seelke AMH, Bond JM, Larios R, Goodwin NL, Sherman M, Parthasarthy S, Espineda I, Knoedler JR, Beery A, Bales KL, Shah NM, Manoli DS. Oxytocin receptor is not required for social attachment in prairie voles. Neuron 2023; 111:787-796.e4. [PMID: 36708707 PMCID: PMC10150797 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Prairie voles are among a small group of mammals that display long-term social attachment between mating partners. Many pharmacological studies show that signaling via the oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) is critical for the display of social monogamy in these animals. We used CRISPR mutagenesis to generate three different Oxtr-null mutant prairie vole lines. Oxtr mutants displayed social attachment such that males and females showed a behavioral preference for their mating partners over a stranger of the opposite sex, even when assayed using different experimental setups. Mothers lacking Oxtr delivered viable pups, and parents displayed care for their young and raised them to the weanling stage. Together, our studies unexpectedly reveal that social attachment, parturition, and parental behavior can occur in the absence of Oxtr signaling in prairie voles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M Berendzen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ruchira Sharma
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Yichao Wei
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Forrest D Rogers
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Trenton C Simmons
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Adele M H Seelke
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Jessica M Bond
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Rose Larios
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 95158, USA
| | - Nastacia L Goodwin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael Sherman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Srinivas Parthasarthy
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Isidero Espineda
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Joseph R Knoedler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Annaliese Beery
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Karen L Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Nirao M Shah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Devanand S Manoli
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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Gigliucci V, Busnelli M, Santini F, Paolini C, Bertoni A, Schaller F, Muscatelli F, Chini B. Oxytocin receptors in the Magel2 mouse model of autism: Specific region, age, sex and oxytocin treatment effects. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1026939. [PMID: 36998737 PMCID: PMC10043208 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1026939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The neurohormone oxytocin (OXT) has been implicated in the regulation of social behavior and is intensively investigated as a potential therapeutic treatment in neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social deficits. In the Magel2-knockout (KO) mouse, a model of Schaaf-Yang Syndrome, an early postnatal administration of OXT rescued autistic-like behavior and cognition at adulthood, making this model relevant for understanding the actions of OXT in (re)programming postnatal brain development. The oxytocin receptor (OXTR), the main brain target of OXT, was dysregulated in the hippocampus of Magel2-KO adult males, and normalized upon OXT treatment at birth. Here we have analyzed male and female Magel2-KO brains at postnatal day 8 (P8) and at postnatal day 90 (P90), investigating age, genotype and OXT treatment effects on OXTR levels in several regions of the brain. We found that, at P8, male and female Magel2-KOs displayed a widespread, substantial, down-regulation of OXTR levels compared to wild type (WT) animals. Most intriguingly, the postnatal OXT treatment did not affect Magel2-KO OXTR levels at P8 and, consistently, did not rescue the ultrasonic vocalization deficits observed at this age. On the contrary, the postnatal OXT treatment reduced OXTR levels at P90 in male Magel2-KO in a region-specific way, restoring normal OXTR levels in regions where the Magel2-KO OXTR was upregulated (central amygdala, hippocampus and piriform cortex). Interestingly, Magel2-KO females, previously shown to lack the social deficits observed in Magel2-KO males, were characterized by a different trend in receptor expression compared to males; as a result, the dimorphic expression of OXTR observed in WT animals, with higher OXTR expression observed in females, was abolished in Magel2-KO mice. In conclusion, our data indicate that in Magel2-KO mice, OXTRs undergo region-specific modifications related to age, sex and postnatal OXT treatment. These results are instrumental to design precisely-timed OXT-based therapeutic strategies that, by acting at specific brain regions, could modify the outcome of social deficits in Schaaf-Yang Syndrome patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Gigliucci
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Vedano al Lambro, Italy
- NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Busnelli
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Vedano al Lambro, Italy
- NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Santini
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Vedano al Lambro, Italy
- NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Camilla Paolini
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Vedano al Lambro, Italy
- NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Bice Chini
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Vedano al Lambro, Italy
- NeuroMI Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Bice Chini,
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55
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Danhof HA, Lee J, Thapa A, Britton RA, Di Rienzi SC. Microbial stimulation of oxytocin release from the intestinal epithelium via secretin signaling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.09.531917. [PMID: 36945649 PMCID: PMC10028957 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.09.531917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Intestinal microbes impact the health of the intestine and organs distal to the gut. Limosilactobacillus reuteri is a human intestinal microbe that promotes normal gut transit 1 , the anti-inflammatory immune system 2-4 , wound healing 5-7 , normal social behavior in mice 8-10 , and prevents bone reabsorption 11-17 . Each of these functions is impacted by oxytocin 18-22 , and oxytocin signaling is required for L. reuteri- mediated wound healing 5 and social behavior 9 ; however, the initiating events in the gut that lead to oxytocin stimulation and related beneficial functions remain unknown. Here we found evolutionarily conserved oxytocin production in the intestinal epithelium through analysis of single-cell RNA-Seq datasets and imaging of human and mouse intestinal tissues. Moreover, human intestinal organoids produce oxytocin, demonstrating that the intestinal epithelium is sufficient to produce oxytocin. We subsequently found that L. reuteri facilitates oxytocin secretion directly from human intestinal tissue and human intestinal organoids. Finally, we demonstrate that stimulation of oxytocin secretion by L. reuteri is dependent on the gut hormone secretin, which is produced in enteroendocrine cells 23 , while oxytocin itself is produced in enterocytes. Altogether, this work demonstrates that oxytocin is produced and secreted from enterocytes in the intestinal epithelium in response to secretin stimulated by L. reuteri . This work thereby identifies oxytocin as an intestinal hormone and provides mechanistic insight into avenues by which gut microbes promote host health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather A. Danhof
- Department of Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jihwan Lee
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Aanchal Thapa
- Department of Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Robert A. Britton
- Department of Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Sara C. Di Rienzi
- Department of Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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56
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Powell JM, Inoue K, Wallace KJ, Seifert AW, Young LJ, Kelly AM. Distribution of vasopressin 1a and oxytocin receptor protein and mRNA in the basal forebrain and midbrain of the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus). Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:413-431. [PMID: 36271259 PMCID: PMC9974677 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02581-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The nonapeptide system modulates numerous social behaviors through oxytocin and vasopressin activation of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and vasopressin receptor (AVPR1A) in the brain. OXTRs and AVPR1As are widely distributed throughout the brain and binding densities exhibit substantial variation within and across species. Although OXTR and AVPR1A binding distributions have been mapped for several rodents, this system has yet to be characterized in the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus). Here we conducted receptor autoradiography and in situ hybridization to map distributions of OXTR and AVPR1A binding and Oxtr and Avpr1a mRNA expression throughout the basal forebrain and midbrain of male and female spiny mice. We found that nonapeptide receptor mRNA is diffuse throughout the forebrain and midbrain and does not always align with OXTR and AVPR1A binding. Analyses of sex differences in brain regions involved in social behavior and reward revealed that males exhibit higher OXTR binding densities in the lateral septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and anterior hypothalamus. However, no association with gonadal sex was observed for AVPR1A binding. Hierarchical clustering analysis further revealed that co-expression patterns of OXTR and AVPR1A binding across brain regions involved in social behavior and reward differ between males and females. These findings provide mapping distributions and sex differences in nonapeptide receptors in spiny mice. Spiny mice are an excellent organism for studying grouping behaviors such as cooperation and prosociality, and the nonapeptide receptor mapping here can inform the study of nonapeptide-mediated behavior in a highly social, large group-living rodent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne M Powell
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Kiyoshi Inoue
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Kelly J Wallace
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Ashley W Seifert
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, 101 Morgan Building, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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57
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Sadino JM, Bradeen XG, Kelly CJ, Brusman LE, Walker DM, Donaldson ZR. Prolonged partner separation erodes nucleus accumbens transcriptional signatures of pair bonding in male prairie voles. eLife 2023; 12:e80517. [PMID: 36852906 PMCID: PMC10112888 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The loss of a spouse is often cited as the most traumatic event in a person's life. However, for most people, the severity of grief and its maladaptive effects subside over time via an understudied adaptive process. Like humans, socially monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) form opposite-sex pair bonds, and upon partner separation, show stress phenotypes that diminish over time. We test the hypothesis that extended partner separation diminishes pair bond-associated behaviors and causes pair bond transcriptional signatures to erode. Opposite-sex or same-sex paired males were cohoused for 2 weeks and then either remained paired or were separated for 48 hours or 4 weeks before collecting fresh nucleus accumbens tissue for RNAseq. In a separate cohort, we assessed partner-directed affiliation at these time points. We found that these behaviors persist despite prolonged separation in both same-sex and opposite-sex paired voles. Opposite-sex pair bonding led to changes in accumbal transcription that were stably maintained while animals remained paired but eroded following prolonged partner separation. Eroded genes are associated with gliogenesis and myelination, suggesting a previously undescribed role for glia in pair bonding and loss. Further, we pioneered neuron-specific translating ribosomal affinity purification in voles. Neuronally enriched transcriptional changes revealed dopaminergic-, mitochondrial-, and steroid hormone signaling-associated gene clusters sensitive to acute pair bond disruption and loss adaptation. Our results suggest that partner separation erodes transcriptomic signatures of pair bonding despite core behavioral features of the bond remaining intact, revealing potential molecular processes priming a vole to be able to form a new bond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M Sadino
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderUnited States
| | - Xander G Bradeen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderUnited States
- Department of Adult Hematology, University of Colorado- Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Conor J Kelly
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderUnited States
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderUnited States
| | - Liza E Brusman
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderUnited States
| | - Deena M Walker
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, School of MedicinePortlandUnited States
| | - Zoe R Donaldson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderUnited States
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado BoulderBoulderUnited States
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Heteromerization of Dopamine D2 and Oxytocin Receptor in Adult Striatal Astrocytes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054677. [PMID: 36902106 PMCID: PMC10002782 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of oxytocin (OT) to interact with the dopaminergic system through facilitatory D2-OT receptor (OTR) receptor-receptor interaction in the limbic system is increasingly considered to play roles in social or emotional behavior, and suggested to serve as a potential therapeutic target. Although roles of astrocytes in the modulatory effects of OT and dopamine in the central nervous system are well recognized, the possibility of D2-OTR receptor-receptor interaction in astrocytes has been neglected. In purified astrocyte processes from adult rat striatum, we assessed OTR and dopamine D2 receptor expression by confocal analysis. The effects of activation of these receptors were evaluated in the processes through a neurochemical study of glutamate release evoked by 4-aminopyridine; D2-OTR heteromerization was assessed by co-immunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assay (PLA). The structure of the possible D2-OTR heterodimer was estimated by a bioinformatic approach. We found that both D2 and OTR were expressed on the same astrocyte processes and controlled the release of glutamate, showing a facilitatory receptor-receptor interaction in the D2-OTR heteromers. Biochemical and biophysical evidence confirmed D2-OTR heterodimers on striatal astrocytes. The residues in the transmembrane domains four and five of both receptors are predicted to be mainly involved in the heteromerization. In conclusion, roles for astrocytic D2-OTR in the control of glutamatergic synapse functioning through modulation of astrocytic glutamate release should be taken into consideration when considering interactions between oxytocinergic and dopaminergic systems in striatum.
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Fu P, Luo S, Liu Z, Furuhara K, Tsuji T, Higashida H, Yokoyama S, Zhong J, Tsuji C. Oral Supplementation with Maca Improves Social Recognition Deficits in the Valproic Acid Animal Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020316. [PMID: 36831858 PMCID: PMC9954495 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a congenital, lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder whose main symptom is impaired social communication and interaction. However, no drug can treat social deficits in patients with ASD, and treatments to alleviate social behavioral deficits are sorely needed. Here, we examined the effect of oral supplementation of maca (Lepidium meyenii) on social deficits of in utero-exposed valproic acid (VPA) mice, widely used as an ASD model. Although maca is widely consumed as a fertility enhancer and aphrodisiac, it possesses multiple beneficial activities. Additionally, it benefits learning and memory in experimental animal models. Therefore, the effect of maca supplementation on the social behavioral deficit of VPA mice was assessed using a social interaction test, a three-stage open field test, and a five-trial social memory test. The oral supplementation of maca attenuated social interaction behavior deficit and social memory impairment. The number of c-Fos-positive cells and the percentage of c-Fos-positive oxytocin neurons increased in supraoptic and paraventricular neurons of maca-treated VPA mice. These results reveal for the first time that maca is beneficial to social memory and that it restores social recognition impairments by augmenting the oxytocinergic neuronal pathways, which play an essential role in diverse social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinyue Fu
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
- Division of Socio-Cognitive-Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Shuxin Luo
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
- Physiological Department, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530011, China
| | - Zhongyu Liu
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
- Physiological Department, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530011, China
| | - Kazumi Furuhara
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Takahiro Tsuji
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan
- Life Science Innovation Center, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan
| | - Haruhiro Higashida
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Shigeru Yokoyama
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
- Division of Socio-Cognitive-Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University and University of Fukui, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Jing Zhong
- Physiological Department, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning 530011, China
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); or (C.T.); Tel.: +81-(0)-76-265-2458 (C.T.)
| | - Chiharu Tsuji
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); or (C.T.); Tel.: +81-(0)-76-265-2458 (C.T.)
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60
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Kucerova B, Levit-Binnun N, Gordon I, Golland Y. From Oxytocin to Compassion: The Saliency of Distress. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12020183. [PMID: 36829462 PMCID: PMC9953150 DOI: 10.3390/biology12020183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Compassion is a warm response of care and concern for those who are suffering, which drives individuals to devote their resources for the sake of others. A prominent neuroevolutionary framework grounds compassion in the neurobiology of the mammalian caregiving system. Accordingly, it has been suggested that the oxytocinergic system, which plays a central role in parental caregiving and bonding, provides the neurobiological foundation for compassion towards strangers. Yet, the specific role of oxytocin in compassion is far from clear. The current paper aims to target this gap and offer a theoretical framework that integrates the state-of-the-art literature on oxytocin with research on compassion. We suggest that oxytocin mediates compassion by enhancing the saliency of cues of pain and distress and discuss the plausible underlying neurobiological substrates. We further demonstrate how the proposed framework can account for individual differences in compassion, focusing on the effects of attachment on caregiving and support. The proposed framework integrates the current scientific understanding of oxytocin function with compassion-related processes. It thus highlights the largely ignored attentional processes in compassion and taps into the vast variability of responses in social contexts involving pain and suffering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Kucerova
- Psychology Department, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Nava Levit-Binnun
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
| | - Ilanit Gordon
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Yulia Golland
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
- Correspondence:
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61
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Song M, Bai H, Zhang P, Zhou X, Ying B. Promising applications of human-derived saliva biomarker testing in clinical diagnostics. Int J Oral Sci 2023; 15:2. [PMID: 36596771 PMCID: PMC9810734 DOI: 10.1038/s41368-022-00209-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Saliva testing is a vital method for clinical applications, for its noninvasive features, richness in substances, and the huge amount. Due to its direct anatomical connection with oral, digestive, and endocrine systems, clinical usage of saliva testing for these diseases is promising. Furthermore, for other diseases that seeming to have no correlations with saliva, such as neurodegenerative diseases and psychological diseases, researchers also reckon saliva informative. Tremendous papers are being produced in this field. Updated summaries of recent literature give newcomers a shortcut to have a grasp of this topic. Here, we focused on recent research about saliva biomarkers that are derived from humans, not from other organisms. The review mostly addresses the proceedings from 2016 to 2022, to shed light on the promising usage of saliva testing in clinical diagnostics. We recap the recent advances following the category of different types of biomarkers, such as intracellular DNA, RNA, proteins and intercellular exosomes, cell-free DNA, to give a comprehensive impression of saliva biomarker testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyuan Song
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hao Bai
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ping Zhang
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & Human Saliva Laboratory & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xuedong Zhou
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & Human Saliva Laboratory & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Binwu Ying
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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Sailer LL, Park AH, Galvez A, Ophir AG. Lateral septum DREADD activation alters male prairie vole prosocial and antisocial behaviors, not partner preferences. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1299. [PMID: 36435943 PMCID: PMC9701193 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04274-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Although much has been written on the topic of social behavior, many terms referring to different aspects of social behavior have become inappropriately conflated and the specific mechanisms governing them remains unclear. It is therefore critical that we disentangle the prosocial and antisocial elements associated with different forms of social behavior to fully understand the social brain. The lateral septum (LS) mediates social behaviors, emotional processes, and stress responses necessary for individuals to navigate day-to-day social interactions. The LS is particularly important in general and selective prosocial behavior (monogamy) but its role in how these two behavioral domains intersect is unclear. Here, we investigate the effects of chemogenetic-mediated LS activation on social responses in male prairie voles when they are 1) sex-naïve and generally affiliative and 2) after they become pair-bonded and display selective aggression. Amplifying neural activity in the LS augments same-sex social approach behaviors. Despite partner preference formation remaining unaltered, LS activation in pair-bonded males leads to reduced selective aggression while increasing social affiliative behaviors. These results suggest that LS activation alters behavior within certain social contexts, by increasing sex-naïve affiliative behaviors and reducing pair bonding-induced selective aggression with same-sex conspecifics, but not altering bonding with opposite-sex individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay L. Sailer
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Ashley H. Park
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Abigail Galvez
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Alexander G. Ophir
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
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Powell JM, Garvin MM, Lee NS, Kelly AM. Behavioral trajectories of aging prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster): Adapting behavior to social context wanes with advanced age. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276897. [PMCID: PMC9665403 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies using mice have examined the effects of aging on cognitive tasks, as well as sensory and motor functions. However, few studies have examined the influence of aging on social behavior. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are a socially monogamous and biparental rodent that live in small family groups and are now among the most popular rodent models for studies examining social behavior. Although the social behavioral trajectories of early-life development in prairie voles have been well-studied, how social behavior may change throughout adulthood remains unknown. Here we examined behavior in virgin male and female prairie voles in four different age groups: postnatal day (PND) 60–80, 140–160, 220–240, and 300–320. All animals underwent testing in a novel object task, a dominance test, a resident-intruder test, and several iterations of social approach and social interaction tests with varying types of social stimuli (i.e., novel same-sex conspecific, novel opposite-sex conspecific, familiar same-sex sibling/cagemate, small group of novel same-sex conspecifics). We found that age influenced neophobia and dominance, but not social approach behavior. Further, we found that young adult, but not older adult, prairie voles adapt prosocial and aggressive behavior relative to social context, and that selective aggression occurs in relation to age even in the absence of a pair bond. Our results suggest that prairie voles calibrate social phenotype in a context-dependent manner in young adulthood and stop adjusting behavior to social context in advanced age, demonstrating that social behavior is plastic not only throughout early development, but also well into adulthood. Together, this study provides insight into age-related changes in social behavior in prairie voles and shows that prairie voles may be a viable model for studying the cognitive and physiological benefits of social relationships and social engagement in advanced age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne M. Powell
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Madison M. Garvin
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Nicholas S. Lee
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Aubrey M. Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Inoue K, Ford CL, Horie K, Young LJ. Oxytocin receptors are widely distributed in the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) brain: Relation to social behavior, genetic polymorphisms, and the dopamine system. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:2881-2900. [PMID: 35763609 PMCID: PMC9474670 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin regulates social behavior via direct modulation of neurons, regulation of neural network activity, and interaction with other neurotransmitter systems. The behavioral effects of oxytocin signaling are determined by the species-specific distribution of brain oxytocin receptors. The socially monogamous prairie vole has been a useful model organism for elucidating the role of oxytocin in social behaviors, including pair bonding, response to social loss, and consoling. However, there has been no comprehensive mapping of oxytocin receptor-expressing cells throughout the prairie vole brain. Here, we employed a highly sensitive in situ hybridization, RNAscope, to construct an exhaustive, brain-wide map of oxytocin receptor mRNA-expressing cells. We found that oxytocin receptor mRNA expression was widespread and diffused throughout the brain, with specific areas displaying a particularly robust expression. Comparing receptor binding with mRNA revealed that regions of the hippocampus and substantia nigra contained oxytocin receptor protein but lacked mRNA, indicating that oxytocin receptors can be transported to distal neuronal processes, consistent with presynaptic oxytocin receptor functions. In the nucleus accumbens, a region involved in oxytocin-dependent social bonding, oxytocin receptor mRNA expression was detected in both the D1 and D2 dopamine receptor-expressing subtypes of cells. Furthermore, natural genetic polymorphisms robustly influenced oxytocin receptor expression in both D1 and D2 receptor cell types in the nucleus accumbens. Collectively, our findings further elucidate the extent to which oxytocin signaling is capable of influencing brain-wide neural activity, responses to social stimuli, and social behavior. KEY POINTS: Oxytocin receptor mRNA is diffusely expressed throughout the brain, with strong expression concentrated in certain areas involved in social behavior. Oxytocin receptor mRNA expression and protein localization are misaligned in some areas, indicating that the receptor protein may be transported to distal processes. In the nucleus accumbens, oxytocin receptors are expressed on cells expressing both D1 and D2 dopamine receptor subtypes, and the majority of variation in oxytocin receptor expression between animals is attributable to polymorphisms in the oxytocin receptor gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiyoshi Inoue
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30329, USA
| | - Charles L. Ford
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30329, USA
| | - Kengo Horie
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30329, USA
| | - Larry J. Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta GA 30329, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta GA 30322, USA
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López-Gutiérrez MF, Mejía-Chávez S, Alcauter S, Portillo W. The neural circuits of monogamous behavior. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:978344. [PMID: 36247729 PMCID: PMC9559370 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.978344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The interest in studying the neural circuits related to mating behavior and mate choice in monogamous species lies in the parallels found between human social structure and sexual behavior and that of other mammals that exhibit social monogamy, potentially expanding our understanding of human neurobiology and its underlying mechanisms. Extensive research has suggested that social monogamy, as opposed to non-monogamy in mammals, is a consequence of the neural encoding of sociosensory information from the sexual partner with an increased reward value. Thus, the reinforced value of the mate outweighs the reward value of mating with any other potential sexual partners. This mechanism reinforces the social relationship of a breeding pair, commonly defined as a pair bond. In addition to accentuated prosocial behaviors toward the partner, other characteristic behaviors may appear, such as territorial and partner guarding, selective aggression toward unfamiliar conspecifics, and biparental care. Concomitantly, social buffering and distress upon partner separation are also observed. The following work intends to overview and compare known neural and functional circuits that are related to mating and sexual behavior in monogamous mammals. We will particularly discuss reports on Cricetid rodents of the Microtus and Peromyscus genus, and New World primates (NWP), such as the Callicebinae subfamily of the titi monkey and the marmoset (Callithrix spp.). In addition, we will mention the main factors that modulate the neural circuits related to social monogamy and how that modulation may reflect phenotypic differences, ultimately creating the widely observed diversity in social behavior.
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Castro AE, Domínguez-Ordoñez R, Young LJ, Camacho FJ, Ávila-González D, Paredes RG, Díaz NF, Portillo W. Pair-bonding and social experience modulate new neurons survival in adult male and female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Front Neuroanat 2022; 16:987229. [PMID: 36189119 PMCID: PMC9520527 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.987229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Prairie voles are a socially monogamous species that, after cohabitation with mating, form enduring pair bonds. The plastic mechanisms involved in this social behavior are not well-understood. Neurogenesis in adult rodents is a plastic neural process induced in specific brain areas like the olfactory bulbs (OB) and dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. However, it is unknown how cell survival is modulated by social or sexual experience in prairie voles. This study aimed to evaluate if cohabitation with mating and/or social exposure to a vole of the opposite sex increased the survival of the new cells in the main and accessory OB and DG. To identify the new cells and evaluate their survival, voles were injected with the DNA synthesis marker 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine (BrdU) and were randomly distributed into one of the following groups: (A) Control (C), voles that did not receive any sexual stimulation and were placed alone during the behavioral test. (B) Social exposure (SE), voles were individually placed in a cage equally divided into two compartments by an acrylic screen with small holes. One male and one female were placed in opposite compartments. (C) Social cohabitation with mating (SCM), animals mated freely. Our findings demonstrated that SCM females had increases in the number of new cells (BrdU-positive cells) in the main olfactory bulb and new mature neurons (BrdU/NeuN-positive cells) in the glomerular layer (GlL). In contrast, these new cells decrease in males in the SE and SCM conditions. In the granular cell layer (GrL), SCM females had more new cells and neurons than the SE group. In the accessory olfactory bulb, in the anterior GlL, SCM decreased the number of new cells and neurons in females. On the other hand, in the DG, SCM and SE increase the number of new cells in the suprapyramidal blade in female voles. Males from SCM express more new cells and neurons in the infrapyramidal blade compared with SE group. Comparison between male and females showed that new cells/neurons survival was sex dependent. These results suggest that social interaction and sexual behavior modulate cell survival and influence the neuronal fate in a sex-dependent manner, in the OB and DG. This study will contribute to understand neural mechanisms of complex social and pair bond behaviors in the prairie voles; supporting adult neurogenesis as a plastic mechanism potentially involved in social monogamous strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Analía E. Castro
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Raymundo Domínguez-Ordoñez
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
- Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Complejo Regional Centro, Puebla, Mexico
| | - Larry J. Young
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Francisco J. Camacho
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Daniela Ávila-González
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Raúl G. Paredes
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Nestor F. Díaz
- Instituto Nacional de Perinatología Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes, Mexico City, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Nestor F. Díaz,
| | - Wendy Portillo
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
- Wendy Portillo,
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Wassum KM. Amygdala-cortical collaboration in reward learning and decision making. eLife 2022; 11:e80926. [PMID: 36062909 PMCID: PMC9444241 DOI: 10.7554/elife.80926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive reward-related decision making requires accurate prospective consideration of the specific outcome of each option and its current desirability. These mental simulations are informed by stored memories of the associative relationships that exist within an environment. In this review, I discuss recent investigations of the function of circuitry between the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and lateral (lOFC) and medial (mOFC) orbitofrontal cortex in the learning and use of associative reward memories. I draw conclusions from data collected using sophisticated behavioral approaches to diagnose the content of appetitive memory in combination with modern circuit dissection tools. I propose that, via their direct bidirectional connections, the BLA and OFC collaborate to help us encode detailed, outcome-specific, state-dependent reward memories and to use those memories to enable the predictions and inferences that support adaptive decision making. Whereas lOFC→BLA projections mediate the encoding of outcome-specific reward memories, mOFC→BLA projections regulate the ability to use these memories to inform reward pursuit decisions. BLA projections to lOFC and mOFC both contribute to using reward memories to guide decision making. The BLA→lOFC pathway mediates the ability to represent the identity of a specific predicted reward and the BLA→mOFC pathway facilitates understanding of the value of predicted events. Thus, I outline a neuronal circuit architecture for reward learning and decision making and provide new testable hypotheses as well as implications for both adaptive and maladaptive decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate M Wassum
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
- Integrative Center for Addictive Disorders, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
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Rigney N, de Vries GJ, Petrulis A, Young LJ. Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior: From Neural Circuits to Clinical Opportunities. Endocrinology 2022; 163:bqac111. [PMID: 35863332 PMCID: PMC9337272 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqac111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin and vasopressin are peptide hormones secreted from the pituitary that are well known for their peripheral endocrine effects on childbirth/nursing and blood pressure/urine concentration, respectively. However, both peptides are also released in the brain, where they modulate several aspects of social behaviors. Oxytocin promotes maternal nurturing and bonding, enhances social reward, and increases the salience of social stimuli. Vasopressin modulates social communication, social investigation, territorial behavior, and aggression, predominantly in males. Both peptides facilitate social memory and pair bonding behaviors in monogamous species. Here we review the latest research delineating the neural circuitry of the brain oxytocin and vasopressin systems and summarize recent investigations into the circuit-based mechanisms modulating social behaviors. We highlight research using modern molecular genetic technologies to map, monitor activity of, or manipulate neuropeptide circuits. Species diversity in oxytocin and vasopressin effects on social behaviors are also discussed. We conclude with a discussion of the translational implications of oxytocin and vasopressin for improving social functioning in disorders with social impairments, such as autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Rigney
- Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
| | - Geert J de Vries
- Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
| | - Aras Petrulis
- Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
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69
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Borie AM, Young LJ, Liu RC. Sex-specific and social experience-dependent oxytocin-endocannabinoid interactions in the nucleus accumbens: implications for social behaviour. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210057. [PMID: 35858094 PMCID: PMC9272148 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin modulates social behaviour across diverse vertebrate taxa, but the precise nature of its effects varies across species, individuals and lifetimes. Contributing to this variation is the fact that oxytocin's physiological effects are mediated through interaction with diverse neuromodulatory systems and can depend on the specifics of the local circuits it acts on. Furthermore, those effects can be influenced by both genetics and experience. Here we discuss this complexity through the lens of a specific neuromodulatory system, endocannabinoids, interacting with oxytocin in the nucleus accumbens to modulate prosocial behaviours in prairie voles. We provide a survey of current knowledge of oxytocin-endocannabinoid interactions in relation to social behaviour. We review in detail recent research in monogamous female prairie voles demonstrating that social experience, such as mating and pair bonding, can change how oxytocin modulates nucleus accumbens glutamatergic signalling through the recruitment of endocannabinoids to modulate prosocial behaviour toward the partner. We then discuss potential sex differences in experience-dependent modulation of the nucleus accumbens by oxytocin in voles based on new data in males. Finally, we propose that future oxytocin-based precision medicine therapies should consider how prior social experience interacts with sex and genetics to influence oxytocin actions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie M. Borie
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Larry J. Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Robert C. Liu
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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70
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Jang M, Jung T, Jeong Y, Byun Y, Noh J. Oxytocin modulation in the medial prefrontal cortex of pair-exposed rats during fear conditioning. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 141:105752. [PMID: 35367716 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Social buffering is the phenomenon, in which stress and fear reactions caused by exposure to stressful stimuli when animals are exposed to homogeneous relationships are attenuated. Social buffering reduces fear memory behavior such as escape, avoidance, and freezing behavior in rodents due to social existence. Here, we aimed to determine alterations of fear behavior and neural activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in response to the presence of another rat in fear-exposed conditions and to confirm the role of oxytocin in mPFC in regulating social buffering. METHODS We performed a passive avoidance test and determined positive c-Fos expression in single- and pair-exposed rats. Anisomycin (a protein synthesis inhibitor) and oxytocin receptor regulators (carbetocin; agonist and atosiban; antagonist) were microinjected into the mPFC to clarify the role of oxytocin in the mPFC. RESULTS While single-exposed rats showed a significant increase in both freezing and passive avoidance behaviors compared to control rats, pair-exposed rats showed significantly less fear behavior compared to single-exposed rats. The c-Fos expression in the prelimbic (PL) mPFC was significantly increased in pair-exposed rats compared to that in control and single-exposed rats. The pair-exposed effect was blocked by anisomycin injections into the PL mPFC of pair-exposed rats. Furthermore, when a carbetocin was injected into the PL mPFC in single-exposed rats, fear behavior was decreased, and these changes were blocked by atosiban. DISCUSSION Our findings suggest that reduction of fear-related behavior induced by acute pair-exposure is mediated by oxytocin receptors in the PL mPFC. Pair exposure with conspecifics during fear-inducing situations helps coping with fear by significantly increasing the role of oxytocin in the PL mPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minji Jang
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Taesub Jung
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Yujeong Jeong
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Younsoo Byun
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihyun Noh
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea.
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Finton CJ, Ophir AG. Developmental exposure to intranasal vasopressin impacts adult prairie vole spatial memory. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 141:105750. [PMID: 35397260 PMCID: PMC9149121 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Spatial memory is critical for many tasks necessary for survival (i.e., locating mates and food resources). The two mammalian nonapeptides arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) are mechanistically important in modulating memory ability, albeit in contrasting ways. In general, AVP facilitates memory consolidation and retrieval while OT is an amnesic. Although AVP and OT are known to have these memory effects, past work has focused on their impact in social memory with little research on their effects on spatial memory. In this experiment, we tested the impact of AVP and OT on spatial memory as determined by performance in the Morris water maze (MWM). We administered doses of AVP, OT, or saline (a control) intranasally to male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), a species whose spatial memory is hypothesized to impact their mating tactics. We also investigated if acute doses (given immediately prior to the memory trial in the MWM) and chronic doses (given daily during adolescence) had differing impacts on spatial cognition. We found that chronic intranasal administration of AVP during post-wean development improved spatial memory performance. In contrast, both chronic and acute administration of OT and acute administration of AVP had no impact on spatial memory. These results together suggest that 1) chronic exposure to AVP has organizational effects on spatial memory in the prairie vole, and 2) acute administration of nonapeptides does not impact the retrieval of spatial memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlyn J Finton
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Alexander G Ophir
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.
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72
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Ueda R. Neural Processing of Facial Attractiveness and Romantic Love: An Overview and Suggestions for Future Empirical Studies. Front Psychol 2022; 13:896514. [PMID: 35774950 PMCID: PMC9239166 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.896514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Romantic love is universally observed in human communities, and the manner in which a person chooses a long-term romantic partner has been a central question in studies on close relationships. Numerous empirical psychological studies have demonstrated that facial attractiveness greatly impacts initial romantic attraction. This close link was further investigated by neuroimaging studies showing that both viewing attractive faces and having romantic thoughts recruit the reward system. However, it remains unclear how our brains integrate perceived facial attractiveness into initial romantic attraction. In addition, it remains unclear how our brains shape a persistent attraction to a particular person through interactions; this persistent attraction is hypothesized to contribute to a long-term relationship. After reviewing related studies, I introduce methodologies that could help address these questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuhei Ueda
- Institute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka, Japan
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73
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Orikasa C. Social Network Plasticity of Mice Parental Behavior. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:882850. [PMID: 35747212 PMCID: PMC9209706 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.882850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural plasticity occurs during developmental stages and is essential for sexual differentiation of the brain and the ensuing sex-dependent behavioral changes in adults. Maternal behavior is primarily affected by sex-related differences in the brain; however, chronic social isolation even in mature male mice can induce maternal retrieving and crouching behavior when they are first exposed to pups. Social milieus influence the inherent behavior of adults and alter the molecular architecture in the brain, thereby allowing higher levels of associated gene expression and molecular activity. This review explores the possibility that although the development of neural circuits is closely associated with maternal behavior, the brain can still retain its neuroplasticity in adults from a neuromolecular perspective. In addition, neuronal machinery such as neurotransmitters and neuropeptides might influence sociobehavioral changes. This review also discusses that the neural circuits regulating behaviors such as parenting and infanticide (including neglect behavior), might be controlled by neural relay on melanin concentrating hormone (MCH)–oxytocin in the hypothalamus during the positive and negative mode of action in maternal behavior. Furthermore, MCH–oxytocin neural relay might contribute to the anxiolytic effect on maternal behavior, which is involved with reward circuits.
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74
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Triki Z, Daughters K, De Dreu CKW. Oxytocin has 'tend-and-defend' functionality in group conflict across social vertebrates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210137. [PMID: 35369742 PMCID: PMC8977669 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Across vertebrate species, intergroup conflict confronts individuals with a tension between group interests best served by participation in conflict and personal interest best served by not participating. Here, we identify the neurohormone oxytocin as pivotal to the neurobiological regulation of this tension in distinctly different group-living vertebrates, including fishes, birds, rodents, non-human primates and humans. In the context of intergroup conflict, a review of emerging work on pro-sociality suggests that oxytocin and its fish and birds homologues, isotocin and mesotocin, respectively, can elicit participation in group conflict and aggression. This is because it amplifies (i) concern for the interests of genetically related or culturally similar ‘in-group’ others and (ii) willingness to defend against outside intruders and enemy conspecifics. Across a range of social vertebrates, oxytocin can induce aggressive behaviour to ‘tend-and-defend’ the in-group during intergroup contests. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Intergroup conflict across taxa’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zegni Triki
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Carsten K W De Dreu
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Center for Research in Experimental Economics and Political Decision Making, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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75
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Jain S, Rana M. Alternative Sexual Orientation in Humans: What Is Known and What Needs to Be Known Further. JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 2022; 69:1004-1029. [PMID: 33788667 DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2021.1898805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Since the 20th century, multiple studies have linked the variations in human sexual orientation, from heterosexuality to bisexuality or homosexuality, to a wide range of biological factors. However, a clear mechanism that leads to the development of these variations has not been established yet. This review consolidates various comprehensive studies on the possible biological factors in the fields of genetics, epigenetics, uterine environment, hormones, neuroanatomy, and neurobiology that lead to these variations. One intriguing question that 'homosexuality phenotype' faces is its ability to avoid elimination by Darwinian selection. This review tries to explain why natural selection is not eliminating the genetic factors associated with homosexuality even at the cost of the evolutionary fitness of homosexual individuals. Studies supporting certain strong candidates for alternative sexual orientation (ASO) are highlighted, which can become new research avenues for investigators in this field. Further, a novel speculation is proposed that might be contributing to the development of variation in human sexuality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidhant Jain
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Meenakshi Rana
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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76
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Stendardo M, Renzi C, Pallavi R, Roda N, Gambino V, Casciaro F, Persico G, Giorgio M. The early-life stress induced by oxytocin inhibition in p53 knockout mouse dams increases adulthood tumorigenesis in first and second generations. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2022; 6:e1625. [PMID: 35546267 PMCID: PMC9875680 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early-life stress due to poor parental care has been suggested to increase cancer risk, though, so far, no experimental evidence established a link between defective parental behavior and spontaneous tumorigenesis in progeny. Essential maternal behavior is regulated, in particular, by the oxytocin (OT) hormonal circuit, which in turn responds to stimuli from the offspring and impinges on the central nervous systems. METHODS By providing L-368,899 OT receptor (OTR) inhibitor to lactating mothers, we set up a model of defective maternal care in p53 knockout mice. RESULTS The progeny of these dams showed, later in life, higher cortisol levels, shortened life span and increased tumorigenic potential of bone marrow cells (BMC). Notably, these phenotypes were transmitted to the following generation. CONCLUSIONS Therefore, the inhibition of OT function in mothers is a novel paradigm of early-life stress that is inherited across generations and increases cancer risk in tumor-prone mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Stendardo
- Experimental Oncology DepartmentIRCCS‐European Institute of OncologyMilanItaly
| | - Chiara Renzi
- University of Modena and Reggio EmiliaModenaItaly
| | - Rani Pallavi
- Experimental Oncology DepartmentIRCCS‐European Institute of OncologyMilanItaly
| | - Niccolò Roda
- Experimental Oncology DepartmentIRCCS‐European Institute of OncologyMilanItaly
| | - Valentina Gambino
- Experimental Oncology DepartmentIRCCS‐European Institute of OncologyMilanItaly
| | | | - Giuseppe Persico
- Experimental Oncology DepartmentIRCCS‐European Institute of OncologyMilanItaly
| | - Marco Giorgio
- Experimental Oncology DepartmentIRCCS‐European Institute of OncologyMilanItaly
- Department of Biomedical SciencesUniversity of PaduaPadovaItaly
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77
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Kelly AM. A consideration of brain networks modulating social behavior. Horm Behav 2022; 141:105138. [PMID: 35219166 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
A primary goal of the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology is to understand how the brain modulates complex behavior. Over the last 20 years we have proposed various brain networks to explain behavioral regulation, however, the parameters by which these networks are identified are often ill-defined and reflect our personal scientific biases based on our area of expertise. In this perspective article, I question our characterization of brain networks underlying behavior and their utility. Using the Social Behavior Network as a primary example, I outline issues with brain networks commonly discussed in the field of behavioral neuroendocrinology, argue that we reconsider how we identify brain networks underlying behavior, and urge the future use of analytical tools developed by the field of Network Neuroscience. With modern statistical/mathematical tools and state of the art technology for brain imaging, we can strive to minimize our bias and generate brain networks that may more accurately reflect how the brain produces behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States of America.
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78
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Liu B, Qiao L, Liu K, Liu J, Piccinni-Ash TJ, Chen ZF. Molecular and neural basis of pleasant touch sensation. Science 2022; 376:483-491. [PMID: 35482870 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn2479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Pleasant touch provides emotional and psychological support that helps mitigate social isolation and stress. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using a pleasant touch-conditioned place preference (PT-CPP) test, we show that genetic ablation of spinal excitatory interneurons expressing prokineticin receptor 2 (PROKR2), or its ligand PROK2 in sensory neurons, abolishes PT-CPP without impairing pain and itch behaviors in mice. Mutant mice display profound impairments in stress response and prosocial behaviors. Moreover, PROKR2 neurons respond most vigorously to gentle stroking and encode reward value. Collectively, we identify PROK2 as a long-sought neuropeptide that encodes and transmits pleasant touch to spinal PROKR2 neurons. These findings may have important implications for elucidating mechanisms by which pleasant touch deprivation contributes to social avoidance behavior and mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benlong Liu
- Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders and Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Lina Qiao
- Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders and Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Kun Liu
- Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders and Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Juan Liu
- Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders and Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Tyler J Piccinni-Ash
- Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders and Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Zhou-Feng Chen
- Center for the Study of Itch and Sensory Disorders and Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Departments of Medicine, Psychiatry, and Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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79
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Kitano K, Yamagishi A, Horie K, Nishimori K, Sato N. Helping behavior in prairie voles: A model of empathy and the importance of oxytocin. iScience 2022; 25:103991. [PMID: 35310938 PMCID: PMC8931361 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.103991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies suggest that rodents show empathic responses and helping behavior toward others. We examined whether prairie voles would help conspecifics who were soaked in water by opening a door to a safe area. Door-opening latency decreased as task sessions progressed. Female and male voles stayed close to the soaked voles' side at equal rates and opened the door with similar latencies. When the conspecific was not soaked in water, the door-opening latency did not decrease. This suggests that the distress of the conspecific is necessary for learning to open the door and that the door-opening performed by prairie voles corresponds to helping behavior. Additionally, we examined the helping behavior in prairie voles in which oxytocin receptors were genetically knocked out. Oxytocin receptor knockout voles demonstrated less learning of the door-opening behavior and less interest in soaked conspecifics. This suggests that oxytocin is important for the emergence of helping behavior. Prairie voles demonstrated helping behavior toward a cagemate in distress There was no difference in helping behavior depending on the helper’s sex Learning of the helping behavior was prevented when cagemates were not in distress Oxytocin receptor knockout prairie voles demonstrated less helping behavior
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Affiliation(s)
- Kota Kitano
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1-1-155, Uegahara, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 662-8501, Japan
| | - Atsuhito Yamagishi
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1-1-155, Uegahara, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 662-8501, Japan
| | - Kengo Horie
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Katsuhiko Nishimori
- Department of Obesity and Inflammation Research, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Nobuya Sato
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1-1-155, Uegahara, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 662-8501, Japan
- Corresponding author
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80
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John SR, Dagash W, Mohapatra AN, Netser S, Wagner S. Distinct dynamics of theta and gamma rhythmicity during social interaction suggest differential mode of action in the medial amygdala of SD rats and C57BL/6J mice. Neuroscience 2022; 493:69-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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81
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Wang X, Zhan Y. Regulation of Social Recognition Memory in the Hippocampal Circuits. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:839931. [PMID: 35431817 PMCID: PMC9006871 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.839931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Social recognition memory reflects the ability of the social animals to recognize and remember familiar individuals of the same species. The unique ability for mammals to recognize conspecifics is essential and beneficial when animals conduct daily social activities. This brief review summarizes a brain network underlying social recognition memory and explores the possible relationships between social isolation and social recognition memory. Finally, we introduce some possible related molecular mechanisms underlying social recognition memory. These findings help us explore potential targeting brain areas or circuits of social communication disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinnian Wang
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen, China
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Yang Zhan
- Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, China
- *Correspondence: Yang Zhan,
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82
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Borie AM, Agezo S, Lunsford P, Boender AJ, Guo JD, Zhu H, Berman GJ, Young LJ, Liu RC. Social experience alters oxytocinergic modulation in the nucleus accumbens of female prairie voles. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1026-1037.e4. [PMID: 35108521 PMCID: PMC8930613 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Social relationships are dynamic and evolve with shared and personal experiences. Whether the functional role of social neuromodulators also evolves with experience to shape the trajectory of relationships is unknown. We utilized pair bonding in the socially monogamous prairie vole as an example of socio-sexual experience that dramatically alters behaviors displayed toward other individuals. We investigated oxytocin-dependent modulation of excitatory synaptic transmission in the nucleus accumbens as a function of pair-bonding status. We found that an oxytocin receptor agonist decreases the amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) in sexually naive virgin, but not pair-bonded, female voles, while it increases the amplitude of electrically evoked EPSCs in paired voles, but not in virgins. This oxytocin-induced potentiation of synaptic transmission relies on the de novo coupling between oxytocin receptor signaling and endocannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) receptor signaling in pair-bonded voles. Blocking CB1 receptors after pair-bond formation increases the occurrence of a specific form of social rejection-defensive upright response-that is displayed toward the partner, but not toward a novel individual. Altogether, our results demonstrate that oxytocin's action in the nucleus accumbens is changed through social experience in a way that regulates the trajectory of social interactions as the relationship with the partner unfolds, potentially promoting the maintenance of a pair bond by inhibiting aggressive responses. These results provide a mechanism by which social experience and context shift oxytocinergic signaling to impact neural and behavioral responses to social cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie M Borie
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Sena Agezo
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Parker Lunsford
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Arjen J Boender
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Ji-Dong Guo
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Hong Zhu
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Gordon J Berman
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Center for Social Neural Networks, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8555, Japan.
| | - Robert C Liu
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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83
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Lee NS, Beery AK. Selectivity and Sociality: Aggression and Affiliation Shape Vole Social Relationships. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:826831. [PMID: 35330842 PMCID: PMC8940285 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.826831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of selective social relationships is not a requirement of group living; sociality can be supported by motivation for social interaction in the absence of preferences for specific individuals, and by tolerance in place of social motivation. For species that form selective social relationships, these can be maintained by preference for familiar partners, as well as by avoidance of or aggression toward individuals outside of the social bond. In this review, we explore the roles that aggression, motivation, and tolerance play in the maintenance of selective affiliation. We focus on prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) as rodent species that both exhibit the unusual tendency to form selective social relationships, but differ with regard to mating system. These species provide an opportunity to investigate the mechanisms that underlie social relationships, and to compare mechanisms supporting pair bonds with mates and same-sex peer relationships. We then relate this to the role of aggression in group composition in a comparative context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole S. Lee
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, United States
| | - Annaliese K. Beery
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Annaliese K. Beery,
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84
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Kobayashi A, Hamada M, Yoshida MA, Kobayashi Y, Tsutsui N, Sekiguchi T, Matsukawa Y, Maejima S, Gingell JJ, Sekiguchi S, Hamamoto A, Hay DL, Morris JF, Sakamoto T, Sakamoto H. Vasopressin-oxytocin-type signaling is ancient and has a conserved water homeostasis role in euryhaline marine planarians. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabk0331. [PMID: 35245108 PMCID: PMC8896804 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk0331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Vasopressin/oxytocin (VP/OT)-related peptides are essential for mammalian antidiuresis, sociosexual behavior, and reproduction. However, the evolutionary origin of this peptide system is still uncertain. Here, we identify orthologous genes to those for VP/OT in Platyhelminthes, intertidal planarians that have a simple bilaterian body structure but lack a coelom and body-fluid circulatory system. We report a comprehensive characterization of the neuropeptide derived from this VP/OT-type gene, identifying its functional receptor, and name it the "platytocin" system. Our experiments with these euryhaline planarians, living where environmental salinities fluctuate due to evaporation and rainfall, suggest that platytocin functions as an "antidiuretic hormone" and also organizes diverse actions including reproduction and chemosensory-associated behavior. We propose that bilaterians acquired physiological adaptations to amphibious lives by such regulation of the body fluids. This neuropeptide-secreting system clearly became indispensable for life even without the development of a vascular circulatory system or relevant synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoshi Kobayashi
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama 701-4303, Japan
| | - Mayuko Hamada
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama 701-4303, Japan
| | - Masa-aki Yoshida
- Oki Marine Biological Station, Shimane University, 194 Kamo, Okinoshima, Oki, Shimane 685-0024, Japan
| | - Yasuhisa Kobayashi
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama 701-4303, Japan
- Laboratory for Aquatic Biology, Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture, Kindai University, Nakamachi, Nara, Japan
| | - Naoaki Tsutsui
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama 701-4303, Japan
- Department of Marine Bioresources, Faculty of Bioresources, Mie University, Tsu, Mie 514-8507, Japan
| | - Toshio Sekiguchi
- Noto Marine Laboratory, Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Division of Marine Environmental Studies, Kanazawa University, Ogi, Noto-cho, Ishikawa 927-0553, Japan
- School of Biological Sciences and Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Yuta Matsukawa
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama 701-4303, Japan
| | - Sho Maejima
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama 701-4303, Japan
| | - Joseph J. Gingell
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Europe) Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon OX11 4RW, UK
| | - Shoko Sekiguchi
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama 701-4303, Japan
| | - Ayumu Hamamoto
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama 701-4303, Japan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, 3-1-1 Kita-ku, Tsushimanaka, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Debbie L. Hay
- School of Biological Sciences and Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Otago, New Zealand
| | - John F. Morris
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetic, Le Gros Clark Building, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Tatsuya Sakamoto
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama 701-4303, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Sakamoto
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Ushimado, Setouchi, Okayama 701-4303, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetic, Le Gros Clark Building, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
- Corresponding author.
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Choe KY, Bethlehem RAI, Safrin M, Dong H, Salman E, Li Y, Grinevich V, Golshani P, DeNardo LA, Peñagarikano O, Harris NG, Geschwind DH. Oxytocin normalizes altered circuit connectivity for social rescue of the Cntnap2 knockout mouse. Neuron 2022; 110:795-808.e6. [PMID: 34932941 PMCID: PMC8944915 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.11.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The neural basis of abnormal social behavior in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) remains incompletely understood. Here we used two complementary but independent brain-wide mapping approaches, mouse resting-state fMRI and c-Fos-iDISCO+ imaging, to construct brain-wide activity and connectivity maps of the Cntnap2 knockout (KO) mouse model of ASD. At the macroscale level, we detected reduced functional coupling across social brain regions despite general patterns of hyperconnectivity across major brain structures. Oxytocin administration, which rescues social deficits in KO mice, strongly stimulated many brain areas and normalized connectivity patterns. Notably, chemogenetically triggered release of endogenous oxytocin strongly stimulated the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a forebrain nucleus implicated in social reward. Furthermore, NAc-targeted approaches to activate local oxytocin receptors sufficiently rescued their social deficits. Our findings establish circuit- and systems-level mechanisms of social deficits in Cntnap2 KO mice and reveal the NAc as a region that can be modulated by oxytocin to promote social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Y Choe
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
| | - Richard A I Bethlehem
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - Martin Safrin
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Hongmei Dong
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Elena Salman
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ying Li
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Valery Grinevich
- Department of Neuropeptide Research for Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim 68159, Germany
| | - Peyman Golshani
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Laura A DeNardo
- Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Olga Peñagarikano
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vizcaya 48940, Spain
| | - Neil G Harris
- Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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86
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Neural circuit control of innate behaviors. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2022; 65:466-499. [PMID: 34985643 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-021-2043-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
All animals possess a plethora of innate behaviors that do not require extensive learning and are fundamental for their survival and propagation. With the advent of newly-developed techniques such as viral tracing and optogenetic and chemogenetic tools, recent studies are gradually unraveling neural circuits underlying different innate behaviors. Here, we summarize current development in our understanding of the neural circuits controlling predation, feeding, male-typical mating, and urination, highlighting the role of genetically defined neurons and their connections in sensory triggering, sensory to motor/motivation transformation, motor/motivation encoding during these different behaviors. Along the way, we discuss possible mechanisms underlying binge-eating disorder and the pro-social effects of the neuropeptide oxytocin, elucidating the clinical relevance of studying neural circuits underlying essential innate functions. Finally, we discuss some exciting brain structures recurrently appearing in the regulation of different behaviors, which suggests both divergence and convergence in the neural encoding of specific innate behaviors. Going forward, we emphasize the importance of multi-angle and cross-species dissections in delineating neural circuits that control innate behaviors.
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87
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Social neuroscience: Staying bonded over oxytocin and endocannabinoids. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R228-R231. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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88
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Uvnäs Moberg K, Petersson M. Physiological effects induced by stimulation of cutaneous sensory nerves, with a focus on oxytocin. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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89
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Abstract
A recent clinical trial found no effect of chronic intranasal oxytocin on social behaviour in children with autism spectrum disorders. The result is not surprising, as oxytocin facilitates social learning but does not directly cause prosocial behaviour. In future trials, oxytocin should be paired with behavioural therapy to enhance learning and improve social behaviour.
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90
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Yamasue H, Kojima M, Kuwabara H, Kuroda M, Matsumoto K, Kanai C, Inada N, Owada K, Ochi K, Ono N, Benner S, Wakuda T, Kameno Y, Inoue J, Harada T, Tsuchiya K, Umemura K, Yamauchi A, Ogawa N, Kushima I, Ozaki N, Suyama S, Saito T, Uemura Y, Hamada J, Kano Y, Honda N, Kikuchi S, Seto M, Tomita H, Miyoshi N, Matsumoto M, Kawaguchi Y, Kanai K, Ikeda M, Nakamura I, Isomura S, Hirano Y, Onitsuka T, Kosaka H, Okada T. Effect of a novel nasal oxytocin spray with enhanced bioavailability on autism: a randomized trial. Brain 2022; 145:490-499. [DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Although intranasal oxytocin is expected to be a novel therapy for the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, which has currently no approved medication, the efficacy of repeated administrations was inconsistent, suggesting that the optimal dose for a single administration of oxytocin is not optimal for repeated administration.
The current double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, crossover trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03466671) was aimed to test the effect of TTA-121, a new formulation of intranasal oxytocin spray with an enhanced bioavailability (3.6 times higher than Syntocinon® spray, as assessed by area under the concentration–time curve in rabbit brains), which enabled us to test a wide range of multiple doses, on autism spectrum disorder core symptoms and to determine the dose–response relationship. Four-week administrations of TTA-121, at low dose once per day (3 U/day), low dose twice per day (6 U/day), high dose once per day (10 U/day), or high dose twice per day (20 U/day), and 4-week placebo were administered in a crossover manner. The primary outcome was the mean difference in the reciprocity score (range: 0–14, higher values represent worse outcomes) on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule between the baseline and end point of each administration period. This trial with two administration periods and eight groups was conducted at seven university hospitals in Japan, enrolling adult males with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Enrolment began from June 2018 and ended December 2019. Follow-up ended March 2020.
Of 109 males with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder who were randomized, 103 completed the trial. The smallest P-value, judged as the dose–response relationship, was the contrast with the peak at TTA-121 6 U/day, with inverted U-shape for both the full analysis set (P = 0.182) and per protocol set (P = 0.073). The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule reciprocity score, the primary outcome, was reduced in the TTA-121 6 U/day administration period compared with the placebo (full analysis set: P = 0.118, mean difference = −0.5; 95% CI: −1.1 to 0.1; per protocol set: P = 0.012, mean difference = −0.8; 95% CI: −1.3 to −0.2). The per protocol set was the analysis target population, consisting of all full analysis set participants except those who deviated from the protocol. Most dropouts from the full analysis set to the per protocol set occurred because of poor adherence to the test drug (9 of 12 in the first period and 8 of 15 in the second period). None of the secondary clinical and behavioural outcomes were significantly improved with the TTA-121 compared with the placebo in the full analysis set.
A novel intranasal spray of oxytocin with enhanced bioavailability enabled us to test a wide range of multiple doses, revealing an inverted U-shape dose–response curve, with the peak at a dose that was lower than expected from previous studies. The efficacy of TTA-121 shown in the current exploratory study should be verified in a future large-scale, parallel-group trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidenori Yamasue
- Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu City 431-3192, Japan
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development at Hamamatsu, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
| | - Masaki Kojima
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Kuwabara
- Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu City 431-3192, Japan
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development at Hamamatsu, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
| | - Miho Kuroda
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kaori Matsumoto
- Graduate School of Psychology, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 7-1 Ohgigaoka, Nonoichi 921-8054, Japan
| | - Chieko Kanai
- Child Development and Education, Faculty of Humanities, Wayo Women’s University, Konodai 2-3-1, Ichikawa, Chiba 272-0827, Japan
| | - Naoko Inada
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keiho Owada
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
| | - Keiko Ochi
- School of Media Science, Tokyo University of Technology, Hachioji, Japan
| | - Nobutaka Ono
- Department of Computer Science, Graduate School of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hino, Japan
| | - Seico Benner
- Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu City 431-3192, Japan
| | - Tomoyasu Wakuda
- Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu City 431-3192, Japan
| | - Yosuke Kameno
- Department of Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu City 431-3192, Japan
| | - Jun Inoue
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu City 431-3192, Japan
| | - Taeko Harada
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development at Hamamatsu, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
| | - Kenji Tsuchiya
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development at Hamamatsu, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
| | - Kazuo Umemura
- Department of Pharmacology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashiku, Hamamatsu City 431-3192, Japan
| | - Aya Yamauchi
- Department of Medical Technique, Nagoya University Hospital, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8560, Japan
| | - Nanayo Ogawa
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
| | - Itaru Kushima
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
| | - Norio Ozaki
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
| | - Satoshi Suyama
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takuya Saito
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yukari Uemura
- Biostatistics Section, Department of Data Science, Center for Clinical Science, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Shinjyu-ku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
| | - Junko Hamada
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
| | - Yukiko Kano
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan
| | - Nami Honda
- Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Saya Kikuchi
- Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Moe Seto
- Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Tomita
- Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Noriko Miyoshi
- Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Megumi Matsumoto
- Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuko Kawaguchi
- Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Koji Kanai
- Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Manabu Ikeda
- Department of Psychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Itta Nakamura
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Shuichi Isomura
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoji Hirano
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Onitsuka
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Kosaka
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Eiheiji, Fukui 910-1193, Japan
| | - Takashi Okada
- Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
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91
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Rosenthal GG, Ryan MJ. Sexual selection and the ascent of women: Mate choice research since Darwin. Science 2022; 375:eabi6308. [PMID: 35050648 DOI: 10.1126/science.abi6308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Darwin's theory of sexual selection fundamentally changed how we think about sex and evolution. The struggle over mating and fertilization is a powerful driver of diversification within and among species. Contemporaries dismissed Darwin's conjecture of a "taste for the beautiful" as favoring particular mates over others, but there is now overwhelming evidence for a primary role of both male and female mate choice in sexual selection. Darwin's misogyny precluded much analysis of the "taste"; an increasing focus on mate choice mechanisms before, during, and after mating reveals that these often evolve in response to selection pressures that have little to do with sexual selection on chosen traits. Where traits and preferences do coevolve, they can do so whether fitness effects on choosers are positive, neutral, or negative. The spectrum of selection on traits and preferences, and how traits and preferences respond to social effects, determine how sexual selection and mate choice influence broader-scale processes like reproductive isolation and population responses to environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gil G Rosenthal
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas "Aguazarca," Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Michael J Ryan
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
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92
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Yu H, Miao W, Ji E, Huang S, Jin S, Zhu X, Liu MZ, Sun YG, Xu F, Yu X. Social touch-like tactile stimulation activates a tachykinin 1-oxytocin pathway to promote social interactions. Neuron 2022; 110:1051-1067.e7. [PMID: 35045339 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that affective and pleasant touch promotes individual well-being and facilitates affiliative social communication, although the neural circuit that mediates this process is largely unknown. Here, we show that social-touch-like tactile stimulation (ST) enhances firing of oxytocin neurons in the mouse paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) and promotes social interactions and positively reinforcing place preference. These results link pleasant somatosensory stimulation to increased social interactions and positive affective valence. We further show that tachykinin 1 (Tac1+) neurons in the lateral and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (l/vlPAG) send monosynaptic excitatory projections to PVH oxytocin neurons. Functionally, activation of PVH-projecting Tac1+ neurons increases firing of oxytocin neurons, promotes social interactions, and increases preference for the social touch context, whereas reducing activity of Tac1+ neurons abolishes ST-induced oxytocin neuronal firing. Together, these results identify a dipeptidergic pathway from l/vlPAG Tac1+ neurons to PVH oxytocin neurons, through which pleasant sensory experience promotes social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wanying Miao
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - En Ji
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shajin Huang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Sen Jin
- Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xutao Zhu
- Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ming-Zhe Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yan-Gang Sun
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Fuqiang Xu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xiang Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, and Peking University McGovern Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Autism Research Center of Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China.
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93
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Warren MR, Campbell D, Borie AM, Ford CL, Dharani AM, Young LJ, Liu RC. Maturation of Social-Vocal Communication in Prairie Vole ( Microtus ochrogaster) Pups. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:814200. [PMID: 35087387 PMCID: PMC8787284 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.814200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Impairments in social communication are common among neurodevelopmental disorders. While traditional animal models have advanced our understanding of the physiological and pathological development of social behavior, they do not recapitulate some aspects where social communication is essential, such as biparental care and the ability to form long-lasting social bonds. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) have emerged as a valuable rodent model in social neuroscience because they naturally display these behaviors. Nonetheless, the role of vocalizations in prairie vole social communication remains unclear. Here, we studied the ontogeny [from postnatal days (P) 8-16] of prairie vole pup ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), both when isolated and when the mother was present but physically unattainable. In contrast to other similarly sized rodents such as mice, prairie vole pups of all ages produced isolation USVs with a relatively low fundamental frequency between 22 and 50 kHz, often with strong harmonic structure. Males consistently emitted vocalizations with a lower frequency than females. With age, pups vocalized less, and the acoustic features of vocalizations (e.g., duration and bandwidth) became more stereotyped. Manipulating an isolated pup's social environment by introducing its mother significantly increased vocal production at older (P12-16) but not younger ages, when pups were likely unable to hear or see her. Our data provide the first indication of a maturation in social context-dependent vocal emission, which may facilitate more active acoustic communication. These results help lay a foundation for the use of prairie voles as a model organism to probe the role of early life experience in the development of social-vocal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan R. Warren
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Drayson Campbell
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Amélie M. Borie
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Charles L. Ford
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Ammar M. Dharani
- Summer Opportunities of Academic Research Program, James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Larry J. Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Robert C. Liu
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
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94
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Tao K, Chung M, Watarai A, Huang Z, Wang MY, Okuyama T. Disrupted social memory ensembles in the ventral hippocampus underlie social amnesia in autism-associated Shank3 mutant mice. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2095-2105. [PMID: 35115700 PMCID: PMC9126818 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01430-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The ability to remember conspecifics is critical for adaptive cognitive functioning and social communication, and impairments of this ability are hallmarks of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Although hippocampal ventral CA1 (vCA1) neurons are known to store social memories, how their activities are coordinated remains unclear. Here we show that vCA1 social memory neurons, characterized by enhanced activity in response to memorized individuals, were preferentially reactivated during sharp-wave ripples (SPW-Rs). Spike sequences of these social replays reflected the temporal orders of neuronal activities within theta cycles during social experiences. In ASD model Shank3 knockout mice, the proportion of social memory neurons was reduced, and neuronal ensemble spike sequences during SPW-Rs were disrupted, which correlated with impaired discriminatory social behavior. These results suggest that SPW-R-mediated sequential reactivation of neuronal ensembles is a canonical mechanism for coordinating hippocampus-dependent social memories and its disruption underlie the pathophysiology of social memory defects associated with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Tao
- grid.26999.3d0000 0001 2151 536XLaboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0032 Japan
| | - Myung Chung
- grid.26999.3d0000 0001 2151 536XLaboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0032 Japan
| | - Akiyuki Watarai
- grid.26999.3d0000 0001 2151 536XLaboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0032 Japan
| | - Ziyan Huang
- grid.26999.3d0000 0001 2151 536XLaboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0032 Japan
| | - Mu-Yun Wang
- grid.26999.3d0000 0001 2151 536XLaboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0032 Japan
| | - Teruhiro Okuyama
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (IQB), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan. .,PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan.
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95
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Abstract
Humans are an unusually prosocial species, who engage in social behaviors that include altruism-whereby an individual engages in costly or risky acts to improve the welfare of another person-care, and cooperation. Current perspectives on the neurobiology of human prosociality suggest that it is deeply rooted in the neuroendocrine architecture of the social brain and emphasize the modulatory role of the neuropeptide hormone oxytocin. In this review, we provide a conceptual overview of the neurobiology of prosocial behavior with a focus on oxytocin's modulatory role in human prosociality. Specifically, we aim to encourage a better understanding of the peptide's susceptibility to diverse factors that produce heterogeneity in outcomes and the resulting methodological implications for measuring the behavioral effects of oxytocin in humans. After providing an overview of the state-of-the-art research on oxytocin's exogenous use, we elaborate on the peptide's modulatory role in the context of care-based altruism, cooperation, and conflict and discuss its potential for therapeutic interventions in psychiatric disorders characterized by social dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Marsh
- Department of Psychiatry, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Abigail A. Marsh
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Mary R. Lee
- Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, USA
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - René Hurlemann
- Department of Psychiatry, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany
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96
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Ueda R, Abe N. Neural Representations of the Committed Romantic Partner in the Nucleus Accumbens. Psychol Sci 2021; 32:1884-1895. [PMID: 34822306 DOI: 10.1177/09567976211021854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Having an intimate romantic relationship is an important aspect of life. Dopamine-rich reward regions, including the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), have been identified as neural correlates for both emotional bonding with the partner and interest in unfamiliar attractive nonpartners. Here, we aimed to disentangle the overlapping functions of the NAcc using multivoxel pattern analysis, which can decode the cognitive processes encoded in particular neural activity. During functional MRI scanning, 46 romantically involved men performed the social-incentive-delay task, in which a successful response resulted in the presentation of a dynamic and positive facial expression from their partner and unfamiliar women. Multivoxel pattern analysis revealed that the spatial patterns of NAcc activity could successfully discriminate between romantic partners and unfamiliar women during the period in which participants anticipated the target presentation. We speculate that neural activity patterns within the NAcc represent the relationship partner, which might be a key neural mechanism for committed romantic relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuhei Ueda
- Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University.,Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka, Japan
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97
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Xu S, Jiang M, Liu X, Sun Y, Yang L, Yang Q, Bai Z. Neural Circuits for Social Interactions: From Microcircuits to Input-Output Circuits. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:768294. [PMID: 34776877 PMCID: PMC8585935 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.768294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Social behaviors entail responses to social information and requires the perception and integration of social cues through a complex cognition process that involves attention, memory, motivation, and emotion. Neurobiological and molecular mechanisms underlying social behavior are highly conserved across species, and inter- and intra-specific variability observed in social behavior can be explained to large extent by differential activity of a conserved neural network. However, neural microcircuits and precise networks involved in social behavior remain mysterious. In this review, we summarize the microcircuits and input-output circuits on the molecular, cellular, and network levels of different social interactions, such as social exploration, social hierarchy, social memory, and social preference. This review provides a broad view of how multiple microcircuits and input-output circuits converge on the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala to regulate complex social behaviors, as well as a potential novel view for better control over pathological development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Xu
- Shaanxi Engineering and Technological Research Center for Conversation and Utilization of Regional Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences and Research Center for Resource Peptide Drugs, Yanan University, Yanan, China
| | - Ming Jiang
- Shaanxi Engineering and Technological Research Center for Conversation and Utilization of Regional Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences and Research Center for Resource Peptide Drugs, Yanan University, Yanan, China
| | - Xia Liu
- Shaanxi Engineering and Technological Research Center for Conversation and Utilization of Regional Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences and Research Center for Resource Peptide Drugs, Yanan University, Yanan, China
| | - Yahan Sun
- Shaanxi Engineering and Technological Research Center for Conversation and Utilization of Regional Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences and Research Center for Resource Peptide Drugs, Yanan University, Yanan, China
| | - Liang Yang
- Shaanxi Engineering and Technological Research Center for Conversation and Utilization of Regional Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences and Research Center for Resource Peptide Drugs, Yanan University, Yanan, China
| | - Qinghu Yang
- Shaanxi Engineering and Technological Research Center for Conversation and Utilization of Regional Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences and Research Center for Resource Peptide Drugs, Yanan University, Yanan, China
| | - Zhantao Bai
- Shaanxi Engineering and Technological Research Center for Conversation and Utilization of Regional Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences and Research Center for Resource Peptide Drugs, Yanan University, Yanan, China
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98
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Karaskiewicz CL, Witczak LR, Lau AR, Dufek ME, Bales KL. Parenting costs time: Changes in pair bond maintenance across pregnancy and infant rearing in a monogamous primate (Plecturocebus cupreus). New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2021; 2021:21-42. [PMID: 34766710 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Relationships support social animals' health, but maintaining relationships is challenging. When transitioning to parenthood, new parents balance pair-bond maintenance with infant care. We studied pair-bond maintenance via affiliation in 22 adult titi monkey pairs (Plecturocebus cupreus) for 16 months centered around their first offspring's birth. Pair affiliation peaked during pregnancy, decreased across the postpartum period, and rose after reaching minimum affiliation 32.6 weeks postpartum. Pairs in which fathers carry infants more than average had lower affiliation at the infant's birth and return to an increase in affiliation sooner. Parents of infants who were slow to independence had higher rates of affiliation. Titi monkey infants actively prefer their fathers; mothers may avoid their infant-carrying mate, suggesting infants play an active role in parental affiliative decline. Our data supports previous findings that affiliation between partners declines following an infant's birth, but demonstrates new knowledge about the extent and duration of affiliative decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe L Karaskiewicz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.,California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Lynea R Witczak
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.,California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Allison R Lau
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.,Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Madison E Dufek
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Karen L Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.,California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.,Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
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99
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Nine Levels of Explanation : A Proposed Expansion of Tinbergen's Four-Level Framework for Understanding the Causes of Behavior. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2021; 32:748-793. [PMID: 34739657 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-021-09414-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Tinbergen's classic "On Aims and Methods of Ethology" (Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie, 20, 1963) proposed four levels of explanation of behavior, which he thought would soon apply to humans. This paper discusses the need for multilevel explanation; Huxley and Mayr's prior models, and others that followed; Tinbergen's differences with Lorenz on "the innate"; and Mayr's ultimate/proximate distinction. It synthesizes these approaches with nine levels of explanation in three categories: phylogeny, natural selection, and genomics (ultimate causes); maturation, sensitive period effects, and routine environmental effects (intermediate causes); and hormonal/metabolic processes, neural circuitry, and eliciting stimuli (proximate causes), as a respectful extension of Tinbergen's levels. The proposed classification supports and builds on Tinbergen's multilevel model and Mayr's ultimate/proximate continuum, adding intermediate causes in accord with Tinbergen's emphasis on ontogeny. It requires no modification of Standard Evolutionary Theory or The Modern Synthesis, but shows that much that critics claim was missing was in fact part of Neo-Darwinian theory (so named by J. Mark Baldwin in The American Naturalist in 1896) all along, notably reciprocal causation in ontogeny, niche construction, cultural evolution, and multilevel selection. Updates of classical examples in ethology are offered at each of the nine levels, including the neuroethological and genomic findings Tinbergen foresaw. Finally, human examples are supplied at each level, fulfilling his hope of human applications as part of the biology of behavior. This broad ethological framework empowers us to explain human behavior-eventually completely-and vindicates the idea of human nature, and of humans as a part of nature.
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100
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Okuda T, Osako Y, Hidaka C, Nishihara M, Young LJ, Mitsui S, Yuri K. Separation from a bonded partner alters neural response to inflammatory pain in monogamous rodents. Behav Brain Res 2021; 418:113650. [PMID: 34748865 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Pain experience is known to be modified by social factors, but the brain mechanisms remain unspecified. We recently established an animal model of social stress-induced hyperalgesia (SSIH) using a socially monogamous rodent, the prairie vole, in which males separated from their female partners (loss males) became anxious and displayed exacerbated inflammatory pain behaviors compared to males with partners (paired males). In the present study, to explore the neural pathways involved in SSIH, a difference in neuronal activation in pain-related brain regions, or "pain matrix", during inflammatory pain between paired and loss males was detected using Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-ir). Males were paired with a female and pair bonding was confirmed in all subjects using a partner preference test. During formalin-induced inflammatory pain, both paired and loss males showed a significant induction of Fos-ir throughout the analyzed pain matrix components compared to basal condition (without injection), and no group differences in immunoreactivity were found among the injected males in many brain regions. However, the loss males had significantly lower Fos-ir following inflammatory pain in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens shell than the paired males, even though base Fos-ir levels were comparable between groups. Notably, both regions with different Fos-ir are major components of the dopamine and oxytocin systems, which play critical roles in both pair bonding and pain regulation. The present results suggest the possibility that pain exacerbation by social stress emerges through alteration of signaling in social brain circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Okuda
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Oko-cho, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan; Department of Physical Therapy, Tosa Rehabilitation College, Otsu, Ohtsu, Kochi 781-5103, Japan.
| | - Yoji Osako
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Oko-cho, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Chiharu Hidaka
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Oko-cho, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Makoto Nishihara
- Multidisciplinary Pain Centre, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, 21 Karimata, Nagakute, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan
| | - Larry J Young
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Center, Emory University School of Medicine, 954 Gatewood Rd. Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Center for Social Neural Networks, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan
| | - Shinichi Mitsui
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8514, Japan
| | - Kazunari Yuri
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Oko-cho, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
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