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Ryoke R, Hashimoto T, Kawashima R. Multiple Stressors Induce Amygdalohippocampal Volume Reduction in Adult Male Rats as Detected by Longitudinal Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:100334. [PMID: 38974933 PMCID: PMC11225185 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100334] [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: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Traumatic events can cause long-lasting and uncontrollable fear and anxiety. Posttraumatic stress disorder is an intractable mental disorder, and neurobiological mechanisms using animal models are expected to help development of posttraumatic stress disorder treatment. In this study, we combined multiple stress (MS) and longitudinal in vivo magnetic resonance imaging to reveal the effects of long-lasting anxiety-like behaviors on adult male rat brains. Methods Twelve male Wistar rats (8 weeks old) were exposed to the MS of 1-mA footshocks and forced swimming, while 12 control rats were placed in a plastic cage. Contextual fear conditioning with 0.1-mA footshocks in a context different from the MS was conducted 15 days after the MS for both groups. Three retention tests were administered after 24 hours and 9 and 16 days. Two magnetic resonance imaging scans were conducted, one on the day before MS induction and one the day after the third retention test, with a 32-day interval. Results The MS group showed greater freezing responses than the control group in all retention tests. Whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed reduced gray matter volume in the anterior amygdalohippocampal area in MS group rats compared with control rats. These volume changes were negatively associated with freezing time in the third retention test in the MS group. Conclusions These results suggest that individual variability in the amygdalohippocampal area may be related to long-lasting fear responses after severe stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rie Ryoke
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Teruo Hashimoto
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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Cao P, Li Y, Dong Y, Tang Y, Xu G, Si Q, Chen C, Yao Y, Li R, Sui Y. Different structural connectivity patterns in the subregions of the thalamus, hippocampus, and cingulate cortex between schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder. J Affect Disord 2024; 363:269-281. [PMID: 39053628 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.07.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Schizophrenia (SCZ) and psychotic bipolar disorder (PBD) are two major psychotic disorders with similar symptoms and tight associations on the psychopathological level, posing a clinical challenge for their differentiation. This study aimed to investigate and compare the structural connectivity patterns of the limbic system between SCZ and PBD, and to identify specific regional disruptions associated with psychiatric symptoms. METHODS Using sMRI data from 146 SCZ, 160 PBD, and 145 healthy control (HC) participants, we employed a data-driven approach to segment the hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and cingulate cortex into subregions. We then investigated the structural connectivity patterns between these subregions at the global and nodal levels. Additionally, we assessed psychotic symptoms by utilizing the subscales of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) to examine correlations between symptom severity and network metrics between groups. RESULTS Patients with SCZ and PBD had decreased global efficiency (Eglob) (SCZ: adjusted P<0.001; PBD: adjusted P = 0.003), local efficiency (Eloc) (SCZ and PBD: adjusted P<0.001), and clustering coefficient (Cp) (SCZ and PBD: adjusted P<0.001), and increased path length (Lp) (SCZ: adjusted P<0.001; PBD: adjusted P = 0.004) compared to HC. Patients with SCZ showed more pronounced decreases in Eglob (adjusted P<0.001), Eloc (adjusted P<0.001), and Cp (adjusted P = 0.029), and increased Lp (adjusted P = 0.024) compared to patients with PBD. The most notable structural disruptions were observed in the hippocampus and thalamus, which correlated with different psychotic symptoms, respectively. CONCLUSION This study provides evidence of distinct structural connectivity disruptions in the limbic system of patients with SCZ and PBD. These findings might contribute to our understanding of the neuropathological basis for distinguishing SCZ and PBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyu Cao
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuting Li
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China; Huzhou Third People's Hospital, Huzhou 313000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yingbo Dong
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yilin Tang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guoxin Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qi Si
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China; Huai'an No. 3 People's Hospital, Huai'an 223001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Congxin Chen
- Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ye Yao
- Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China
| | - Runda Li
- Vanderbilt University, Nashville 37240, TN, USA
| | - Yuxiu Sui
- Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China.
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Pennington ZT, LaBanca AR, Sompolpong P, Abdel-Raheim SD, Ko B, Christenson Wick Z, Feng Y, Dong Z, Francisco TR, Bacon ME, Chen L, Fulton SL, Maze I, Shuman T, Cai DJ. Dissociable contributions of the amygdala and ventral hippocampus to stress-induced changes in defensive behavior. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.02.27.530077. [PMID: 36945605 PMCID: PMC10028838 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.27.530077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe stress can produce multiple persistent changes in defensive behavior relevant to psychiatric illness. While much is known about the circuits supporting stress-induced associative fear, how stress-induced circuit plasticity supports non-associative changes in defensive behavior remains unclear. METHODS Mice were exposed to an acute severe stressor, and subsequently, both associative and non-associative defensive behavioral responses were assessed. A mixture of local protein synthesis inhibition, pan-neuronal chemogenetic inhibition, and projection-specific chemogenetic inhibition were utilized to isolate the roles of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and ventral hippocampus (vHC) to the induction and expression of associative and non-associative defensive behavioral changes. RESULTS Stress-induced protein synthesis in the BLA was necessary for enhancements in stress sensitivity but not enhancements in anxiety-related behaviors, whereas protein synthesis in the vHC was necessary for enhancements in anxiety-related behavior but not enhancements in stress sensitivity. Like protein synthesis, neuronal activity of the BLA and vHC were found to differentially support the expression of these same defensive behaviors. Additionally, projection-specific inhibition of BLA-vHC connections failed to alter these behaviors, indicating that these defensive behaviors are regulated by distinct BLA and vHC circuits. Lastly, contributions of the BLA and vHC to stress sensitivity and anxiety-related behavior were independent of their contributions to associative fear. CONCLUSIONS Stress-induced plasticity in the BLA and vHC were found to support dissociable non-associative behavioral changes, with BLA supporting enhancements in stress sensitivity and vHC supporting increased anxiety-related behavior. These findings demonstrate that independent BLA and vHC circuits are critical for stress-induced defensive behaviors, and that differential targeting of BLA and vHC circuits may be needed in disease treatment.
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Gu SY, Shi FC, Wang S, Wang CY, Yao XX, Sun YF, Hu JB, Chen F, Pan PL, Li WH. Altered volume of the amygdala subregions in patients with chronic low back pain. Front Neurol 2024; 15:1351335. [PMID: 38606278 PMCID: PMC11007205 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1351335] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Neuroimaging studies have suggested a pivotal role for the amygdala involvement in chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, the relationship between the amygdala subregions and CLBP has not yet been delineated. This study aimed to analyze whether the amygdala subregions were linked to the development of CLBP. Methods A total of 45 patients with CLBP and 45 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. All subjects were asked to complete a three-dimensional T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (3D-T1 MRI) scan. FreeSurfer 7.3.2 was applied to preprocess the structural MRI images and segment the amygdala into nine subregions. Afterwards, comparisons were made between the two groups in terms of the volumes of the amygdala subregions. Correlation analysis is utilized to examine the relationship between the amygdala subregion and the scale scores, as well as the pain duration in patients with CLBP. Additionally, logistic regression was used to explore the risk of the amygdala and its subregions for CLBP. Results In comparison to HCs, patients with CLBP exhibited a significant enlargement of the left central nucleus (Ce) and left cortical nucleus (Co). Furthermore, the increased volume of the left Ce was associated with a higher risk of CLBP. Conclusion Our study suggests that the left Ce and left Co may be involved in the pathophysiological processes of CLBP. Moreover, the volume of the left Ce may be a biomarker for detecting the risk of CLBP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Yu Gu
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Feng-Chao Shi
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Shu Wang
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Cheng-Yu Wang
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Xin-Xin Yao
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Yi-Fan Sun
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Jian-Bin Hu
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Fei Chen
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Ping-Lei Pan
- Department of Central Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Wen-Hui Li
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital 6 of Nantong University, Yancheng Third People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China
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Guo Z, Yin L, Diaz V, Dai B, Osakada T, Lischinsky JE, Chien J, Yamaguchi T, Urtecho A, Tong X, Chen ZS, Lin D. Neural dynamics in the limbic system during male social behaviors. Neuron 2023; 111:3288-3306.e4. [PMID: 37586365 PMCID: PMC10592239 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Sexual and aggressive behaviors are vital for species survival and individual reproductive success. Although many limbic regions have been found relevant to these behaviors, how social cues are represented across regions and how the network activity generates each behavior remains elusive. To answer these questions, we utilize multi-fiber photometry (MFP) to simultaneously record Ca2+ signals of estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1)-expressing cells from 13 limbic regions in male mice during mating and fighting. We find that conspecific sensory information and social action signals are widely distributed in the limbic system and can be decoded from the network activity. Cross-region correlation analysis reveals striking increases in the network functional connectivity during the social action initiation phase, whereas late copulation is accompanied by a "dissociated" network state. Based on the response patterns, we propose a mating-biased network (MBN) and an aggression-biased network (ABN) for mediating male sexual and aggressive behaviors, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Guo
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Luping Yin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Veronica Diaz
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Bing Dai
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Takuya Osakada
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Julieta E Lischinsky
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jonathan Chien
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Takashi Yamaguchi
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Ashley Urtecho
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Tong
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Zhe S Chen
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, New York, NY 11201, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Wang Z, Yueh H, Chau M, Veenstra-VanderWeele J, O'Reilly KC. Circuits underlying social function and dysfunction. Autism Res 2023; 16:1268-1288. [PMID: 37458578 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Substantial advances have been made toward understanding the genetic and environmental risk factors for autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder with social impairment as a core feature. In combination with optogenetic and chemogenetic tools to manipulate neural circuits in vivo, it is now possible to use model systems to test how specific neural circuits underlie social function and dysfunction. Here, we review the literature that has identified circuits associated with social interest (sociability), social reward, social memory, dominance, and aggression, and we outline a preliminary roadmap of the neural circuits driving these social behaviors. We highlight the neural circuitry underlying each behavioral domain, as well as develop an interactive map of how these circuits overlap across domains. We find that some of the circuits underlying social behavior are general and are involved in the control of multiple behavioral aspects, whereas other circuits appear to be specialized for specific aspects of social behavior. Our overlapping circuit map therefore helps to delineate the circuits involved in the various domains of social behavior and to identify gaps in knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziwen Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hannah Yueh
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mirabella Chau
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Kally C O'Reilly
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
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Kobayashi-Sakashita M, Kiyokawa Y, Takeuchi Y. Parallel Olfactory Systems Synergistically Activate the Posteroventral Part of the Medial Amygdala Upon Alarm Pheromone Detection in Rats. Neuroscience 2023; 521:123-133. [PMID: 37121380 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
In rats, a mixture of hexanal and 4-methylpentanal is a main component of the alarm pheromone. When detected by the main olfactory system (MOS) and the vomeronasal system, respectively, they activate the anterior part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTa). Therefore, the information from the two olfactory systems is expected to be integrated before being transmitted to the BNSTa. To specify the integration site, we examined Fos expression in 16 brain regions in response to water (n = 10), hexanal (n = 9), 4-methylpentanal (n = 9), the mixture (n = 9), or the alarm pheromone (n = 9) in male rats. The posteroventral part of the medial amygdala showed increased Fos expression to hexanal and 4-methylpentanal. The expression was further increased by the mixture. Therefore, this region is suggested as the integration site. In addition, the BNSTa, paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, and anteroventral, anterodorsal, and posterodorsal parts of the medial amygdala were suggested to be located downstream of the integrated site because only the mixture increased Fos expression. We suggest that the posterolateral part of the cortical amygdala is upstream of the integration site in the MOS because all stimuli increased Fos expression. The posterior part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and posteromedial part of the cortical amygdala were suggested as being located upstream in the vomeronasal system because 4-methylpentanal and the mixture increased Fos expression. These results provide information about the neural pathway underlying the alarm pheromone effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mao Kobayashi-Sakashita
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - Yasushi Kiyokawa
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
| | - Yukari Takeuchi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Ethology, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
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Sun Y, Zweifel LS, Holmes TC, Xu X. Whole-brain input mapping of the lateral versus medial anterodorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the mouse. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 23:100527. [PMID: 36861029 PMCID: PMC9969273 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The anterior portion of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) modulates fear and stress responses. The anterodorsal BNST (adBNST) can be anatomically subdivided further into the lateral and medial divisions. Although output projections of BNST subregions have been studied, the local and global input connections to these subregions remain poorly understood. To further understand BNST-centered circuit operations, we have applied new viral-genetic tracing and functional circuit mapping to determine detailed synaptic circuit inputs to lateral and medial subregions of adBNST in the mouse. Monosynaptic canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV2) and rabies virus-based retrograde tracers were injected in the adBNST subregions. The amygdalar complex, hypothalamus and hippocampal formation account for the majority of overall inputs to adBNST. However, lateral versus medial adBNST subregions have distinct patterns of long-range cortical and limbic brain inputs. The lateral adBNST has more input connections from prefrontal (prelimbic, infralimbic, cingulate) and insular cortices, anterior thalamus and ectorhinal/perirhinal cortices. In contrast, the medial adBNST received biased inputs from the medial amygdala, lateral septum, hypothalamus nuclei and ventral subiculum. We confirmed long-range functional inputs from the amydalohippocampal area and basolateral amygdala to the adBNST using ChR2-assisted circuit mapping. Selected novel BNST inputs are also validated with the AAV axonal tracing data from the Allen Institute Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas. Together, these results provide a comprehensive map of the differential afferent inputs to lateral and medial adBNST subregions, and offer new insight into the functional operations of BNST circuitry for stress and anxiety-related behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjun Sun
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-1275, USA
| | - Larry S. Zweifel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Todd C. Holmes
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-4560, USA
- Center for Neural Circuit Mapping, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-1275, USA
| | - Xiangmin Xu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-1275, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-2715, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-2715, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-3435, USA
- Center for Neural Circuit Mapping, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-1275, USA
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Cisneros-Larios B, Elias CF. Sex differences in the coexpression of prokineticin receptor 2 and gonadal steroids receptors in mice. Front Neuroanat 2023; 16:1057727. [PMID: 36686573 PMCID: PMC9853983 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.1057727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Loss-of-function mutations in prokineticin 2 (PROK2) and the cognate receptor prokineticin receptor 2 (PROKR2) genes have been implicated in reproductive deficits characteristic of Kallmann Syndrome (KS). Knock out of Prokr2 gene produces the KS-like phenotype in mice resulting in impaired migration of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, olfactory bulb dysgenesis, and infertility. Beyond a developmental role, pharmacological and genetic studies have implicated PROKR2 in the control of the estrous cycle in mice. However, PROKR2 is expressed in several reproductive control sites but the brain nuclei associated with reproductive control in adult mice have not been defined. We set out to determine if ProkR2 neurons in both male and female mouse brains directly sense changes in the gonadal steroids milieu. We focused on estrogen receptor α (ERα) and androgen receptor (AR) due to their well-described function in reproductive control via actions in the brain. We found that the ProkR2-Cre neurons in the posterior nucleus of the amygdala have the highest colocalization with ERα and AR in a sex-specific manner. Few colocalization was found in the lateral septum and in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and virtually no colocalization was observed in the medial amygdala. Our findings indicate that the posterior nucleus of the amygdala is the main site where PROKR2 neurons may regulate aspects of the reproductive function and social behavior in adult mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Cisneros-Larios
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Elizabeth W. Caswell Diabetes Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Carol Fuzeti Elias
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Elizabeth W. Caswell Diabetes Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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Elvira UKA, Seoane S, Janssen J, Janssen N. Contributions of human amygdala nuclei to resting-state networks. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0278962. [PMID: 36576924 PMCID: PMC9797096 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala is a brain region with a complex internal structure that is associated with psychiatric disease. Methodological limitations have complicated the study of the internal structure of the amygdala in humans. In the current study we examined the functional connectivity between nine amygdaloid nuclei and existing resting-state networks using a high spatial-resolution fMRI dataset. Using data-driven analysis techniques we found that there were three main clusters inside the amygdala that correlated with the somatomotor, ventral attention and default mode networks. In addition, we found that each resting-state networks depended on a specific configuration of amygdaloid nuclei. Finally, we found that co-activity in the cortical-nucleus increased with the severity of self-rated fear in participants. These results highlight the complex nature of amygdaloid connectivity that is not confined to traditional large-scale divisions, implicates specific configurations of nuclei with certain resting-state networks and highlights the potential clinical relevance of the cortical-nucleus in future studies of the human amygdala.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uriel K. A. Elvira
- Department of Psychology, Universidad de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, Universidad de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Sara Seoane
- Department of Psychology, Universidad de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, Universidad de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Joost Janssen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
- Ciber del Área de Salud Mental, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, UMCU Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Niels Janssen
- Department of Psychology, Universidad de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, Universidad de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Sedwick VM, Autry AE. Anatomical and molecular features of the amygdalohippocampal transition area and its role in social and emotional behavior processes. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104893. [PMID: 36179917 PMCID: PMC11106034 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The amygdalohippocampal transition area (AHi) has emerged as a critical nucleus of sociosexual behaviors such as mating, parenting, and aggression. The AHi has been overlooked in rodent and human amygdala studies until recently. The AHi is hypothesized to play a role in metabolic and cognitive functions as well as social behaviors based on its connectivity and molecular composition. The AHi is small nucleus rich in neuropeptide and hormone receptors and is contiguous with the ventral subiculum of the hippocampus-hence its designation as a "transition area". Literature focused on the AHi can be difficult to interpret because of changing nomenclature and conflation with neighboring nuclei. Here we summarize what is currently known about AHi structure and development, connections throughout the brain, molecular composition, and functional significance. We aim to delineate current knowledge regarding the AHi, identify potential functions with supporting evidence, and ultimately make clear the importance of the AHi in sociosexual function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria M Sedwick
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Anita E Autry
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
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12
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Rahy R, Asari H, Gross CT. Sensory-thresholded switch of neural firing states in a computational model of the ventromedial hypothalamus. Front Comput Neurosci 2022; 16:964634. [PMID: 36157840 PMCID: PMC9491323 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2022.964634] [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: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The mouse ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is both necessary and sufficient for defensive responses to predator and social threats. Defensive behaviors typically involve cautious approach toward potentially threatening stimuli aimed at obtaining information about the risk involved, followed by sudden avoidance and flight behavior to escape harm. In vivo neural recording studies in mice have identified two major populations of VMH neurons that either increase their firing activity as the animal approaches the threat (called Assessment+ cells) or increase their activity as the animal flees the threat (called Flight+ cells). Interestingly, Assessment+ and Flight+ cells abruptly decrease and increase their firing activity, respectively, at the decision point for flight, creating an escape-related “switch” in functional state. This suggests that the activity of the two cell types in VMH is coordinated and could result from local circuit interactions. Here, we used computational modeling to test if a local inhibitory feedback circuit could give rise to key features of the neural activity seen in VMH during the approach-to-flight transition. Starting from a simple dual-population inhibitory feedback circuit receiving repeated trains of monotonically increasing sensory input to mimic approach to threat, we tested the requirement for balanced sensory input, balanced feedback, short-term synaptic plasticity, rebound excitation, and inhibitory feedback exclusivity to reproduce an abrupt, sensory-thresholded reciprocal firing change that resembles Assessment+ and Flight+ cell activity seen in vivo. Our work demonstrates that a relatively simple local circuit architecture is sufficient for the emergence of firing patterns similar to those seen in vivo and suggests that a reiterative process of experimental and computational work may be a fruitful avenue for better understanding the functional organization of mammalian instinctive behaviors at the circuit level.
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13
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Savedchuk S, Raslan R, Nystrom S, Sparks MA. Emerging Viral Infections and the Potential Impact on Hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease, and Kidney Disease. Circ Res 2022; 130:1618-1641. [PMID: 35549373 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.122.320873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Viruses are ubiquitous in the environment and continue to have a profound impact on human health and disease. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this with impressive morbidity and mortality affecting the world's population. Importantly, the link between viruses and hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease has resulted in a renewed focus and attention on this potential relationship. The virus responsible for COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, has a direct link to one of the major enzymatic regulatory systems connected to blood pressure control and hypertension pathogenesis, the renin-angiotensin system. This is because the entry point for SARS-CoV-2 is the ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) protein. ACE2 is one of the main enzymes responsible for dampening the primary effector peptide Ang II (angiotensin II), metabolizing it to Ang-(1-7). A myriad of clinical questions has since emerged and are covered in this review. Several other viruses have been linked to hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and kidney health. Importantly, patients with high-risk apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) alleles are at risk for developing the kidney lesion of collapsing glomerulopathy after viral infection. This review will highlight several emerging viruses and their potential unique tropisms for the kidney and cardiovascular system. We focus on SARS-CoV-2 as this body of literature in regards to cardiovascular disease has advanced significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solomiia Savedchuk
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC (S.S., S.N., M.A.S.)
| | - Rasha Raslan
- Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (R.R.)
| | - Sarah Nystrom
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC (S.S., S.N., M.A.S.)
| | - Matthew A Sparks
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC (S.S., S.N., M.A.S.)
- Renal Section, Durham VA Health Care System, NC (M.A.S.)
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14
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Fukui K, Sato K, Murakawa S, Minami M, Amano T. Estrogen signaling modulates behavioral selection toward pups and amygdalohippocampal area in the rhomboid nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis circuit. Neuropharmacology 2022; 204:108879. [PMID: 34785164 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Gonadal steroid hormone influences behavioral choice of adult animals toward pups, parental or aggressive. We previously reported that long-term administration of 17β-estradiol (E2) to male mice during sexual maturation induces aggressive behavior toward conspecific pups, which is called "infanticide," and significantly enhanced excitatory synaptic transmission in the rhomboid nucleus of bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTrh), which is an important brain region for infanticide. However, it is unclear how estrogen receptor-dependent signaling after sexual maturity regulates neural circuits including the BSTrh. Here we revealed that E2 administration to gonadectomized mice in adulthood elicited infanticidal behavior and enhanced excitatory synaptic transmission in the BSTrh by increasing the probability of glutamate release from the presynaptic terminalis. Next, we performed whole-brain mapping of E2-sensitive brain regions projecting to the BSTrh and found that amygdalohippocampal area (AHi) neurons that project to the BSTrh densely express estrogen receptor 1 (Esr1). Moreover, E2 treatment enhanced synaptic connectivity in the AHi-BSTrh pathway. Together, these results suggest that reinforcement of excitatory inputs from AHi neurons into the BSTrh by estrogen receptor-dependent signaling may contribute to the expression of infanticide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiyoshiro Fukui
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, 060-0812, Japan
| | - Keiichiro Sato
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, 060-0812, Japan
| | - Shunsaku Murakawa
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, 060-0812, Japan
| | - Masabumi Minami
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, 060-0812, Japan
| | - Taiju Amano
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, 060-0812, Japan.
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15
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Understanding the Significance of the Hypothalamic Nature of the Subthalamic Nucleus. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0116-21.2021. [PMID: 34518367 PMCID: PMC8493884 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0116-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an essential component of the basal ganglia and has long been considered to be a part of the ventral thalamus. However, recent neurodevelopmental data indicated that this nucleus is of hypothalamic origin which is now commonly acknowledged. In this work, we aimed to verify whether the inclusion of the STN in the hypothalamus could influence the way we understand and conduct research on the organization of the whole ventral and posterior diencephalon. Developmental and neurochemical data indicate that the STN is part of a larger glutamatergic posterior hypothalamic region that includes the premammillary and mammillary nuclei. The main anatomic characteristic common to this region involves the convergent cortical and pallidal projections that it receives, which is based on the model of the hyperdirect and indirect pathways to the STN. This whole posterior hypothalamic region is then integrated into distinct functional networks that interact with the ventral mesencephalon to adjust behavior depending on external and internal contexts.
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16
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Yamaguchi T. Neural circuit mechanisms of sex and fighting in male mice. Neurosci Res 2021; 174:1-8. [PMID: 34175319 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Surviving in the animal kingdom hinges on the ability to fight competitors and to mate with partners. Dedicated neural circuits in the brain allow animals to mate and attack without any prior experience. Classical lesioning and stimulation studies demonstrated that medial hypothalamic and limbic areas are crucial for male sexual and aggressive behaviors. Moreover, recent functional manipulation tools have uncovered neural circuits critical for mating and aggression, and optical and electrophysiological recordings have revealed how socially relevant information (e.g. sex-specific sensory signals, action commands for specific behaviors, mating- and aggression-specific motivational states) is encoded in these circuits. A better understanding of the neural mechanisms of innate social behaviors will provide critical insights to how complex behavioral outputs are coordinated at the circuit level. In this paper, I review these recent studies and discuss the potential circuit logic of male sexual and aggressive behaviors in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Yamaguchi
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, United States.
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17
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García-Díaz C, Gil-Miravet I, Albert-Gasco H, Mañas-Ojeda A, Ros-Bernal F, Castillo-Gómez E, Gundlach AL, Olucha-Bordonau FE. Relaxin-3 Innervation From the Nucleus Incertus to the Parahippocampal Cortex of the Rat. Front Neuroanat 2021; 15:674649. [PMID: 34239421 PMCID: PMC8258164 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2021.674649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial learning and memory processes depend on anatomical and functional interactions between the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex. A key neurophysiological component of these processes is hippocampal theta rhythm, which can be driven from subcortical areas including the pontine nucleus incertus (NI). The NI contains the largest population of neurons that produce and presumably release the neuropeptide, relaxin-3, which acts via the G i/o -protein-coupled receptor, relaxin-family peptide 3 receptor (RXFP3). NI activation induces general arousal including hippocampal theta, and inactivation induces impairment of spatial memory acquisition or retrieval. The primary aim of this study was to map the NI/relaxin-3 innervation of the parahippocampal cortex (PHC), including the medial and lateral entorhinal cortex, endopiriform cortex, perirhinal, postrhinal, and ectorhinal cortex, the amygdalohippocampal transition area and posteromedial cortical amygdala. Retrograde tracer injections were placed in different parts of the medial and lateral entorhinal cortex, which produced prominent retrograde labeling in the ipsilateral NI and some labeling in the contralateral NI. Anterograde tracer injections into the NI and immunostaining for relaxin-3 produced fiber labeling in deep layers of all parahippocampal areas and some dispersed fibers in superficial layers. Double-labeling studies revealed that both hippocampal projecting and calcium-binding protein-positive (presumed GABAergic) neurons received a relaxin-3 NI innervation. Some of these fibers also displayed synaptophysin (Syn) immunoreactivity, consistent with the presence of the peptide at synapses; and relaxin-3-positive fibers containing Syn bouton-like staining were frequently observed in contact with hippocampal-projecting or calcium-binding protein-positive neuronal somata and more distal elements. Finally, in situ hybridization studies revealed that entorhinal neurons in the superficial layers, and to a lesser extent in deep layers, contain RXFP3 mRNA. Together, our data support functional actions of the NI/relaxin-3-parahippocampal innervation on processes related to memory, spatial navigation and contextual analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina García-Díaz
- Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | - Isis Gil-Miravet
- Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | - Hector Albert-Gasco
- Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain.,UK Dementia Research Institute, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Aroa Mañas-Ojeda
- Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | - Francisco Ros-Bernal
- Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | - Esther Castillo-Gómez
- Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrew L Gundlach
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Francisco E Olucha-Bordonau
- Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
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18
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Raam T, Hong W. Organization of neural circuits underlying social behavior: A consideration of the medial amygdala. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 68:124-136. [PMID: 33940499 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The medial amygdala (MeA) is critical for the expression of a broad range of social behaviors, and is also connected to many other brain regions that mediate those same behaviors. Here, we summarize recent advances toward elucidating mechanisms that enable the MeA to regulate a diversity of social behaviors, and also consider what role the MeA plays within the broader network of regions that orchestrate social sensorimotor transformations. We outline the molecular, anatomical, and electrophysiological features of the MeA that segregate distinct social behaviors, propose experimental strategies to disambiguate sensory representations from behavioral function in the context of a social interaction, and consider to what extent MeA function may overlap with other regions mediating similar behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Raam
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Weizhe Hong
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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19
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Wei D, Talwar V, Lin D. Neural circuits of social behaviors: Innate yet flexible. Neuron 2021; 109:1600-1620. [PMID: 33705708 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Social behaviors, such as mating, fighting, and parenting, are fundamental for survival of any vertebrate species. All members of a species express social behaviors in a stereotypical and species-specific way without training because of developmentally hardwired neural circuits dedicated to these behaviors. Despite being innate, social behaviors are flexible. The readiness to interact with a social target or engage in specific social acts can vary widely based on reproductive state, social experience, and many other internal and external factors. Such high flexibility gives vertebrates the ability to release the relevant behavior at the right moment and toward the right target. This maximizes reproductive success while minimizing the cost and risk associated with behavioral expression. Decades of research have revealed the basic neural circuits underlying each innate social behavior. The neural mechanisms that support behavioral plasticity have also started to emerge. Here we provide an overview of these social behaviors and their underlying neural circuits and then discuss in detail recent findings regarding the neural processes that support the flexibility of innate social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongyu Wei
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vaishali Talwar
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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20
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Yamaguchi T, Wei D, Song SC, Lim B, Tritsch NX, Lin D. Posterior amygdala regulates sexual and aggressive behaviors in male mice. Nat Neurosci 2020; 23:1111-1124. [PMID: 32719562 PMCID: PMC7483354 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-0675-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Sexual and aggressive behaviors are fundamental to animals’ survival and reproduction. The medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) and ventrolateral part of ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl) are essential regions for male sexual and aggressive behaviors, respectively. While key inhibitory inputs to VMHvl and MPN are identified, the extra-hypothalamic excitatory inputs essential for the social behaviors remain elusive. Here we identify estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1) expressing cells in posterior amygdala (PA) as a main source of excitatory inputs to hypothalamus and key mediators for mating and fighting in male mice. We find two largely distinct PA subpopulations that differ in connectivity, gene expression, in vivo responses and social behavior relevance. MPN projecting PAEsr1+ cells are activated during mating and necessary and sufficient for male sexual behaviors, while VMHvl projecting PAEsr1+ are excited during inter-male aggression and promote attacks. These findings place PA as a key node in both male aggression and reproduction circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Yamaguchi
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Dongyu Wei
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Soomin C Song
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Byungkook Lim
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Nicolas X Tritsch
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. .,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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21
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Zha X, Wang L, Jiao ZL, Yang RR, Xu C, Xu XH. VMHvl-Projecting Vglut1+ Neurons in the Posterior Amygdala Gate Territorial Aggression. Cell Rep 2020; 31:107517. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.03.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
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22
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Comparing vasopressin and oxytocin fiber and receptor density patterns in the social behavior neural network: Implications for cross-system signaling. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 53:100737. [PMID: 30753840 PMCID: PMC7469073 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) regulate social behavior by binding to their canonical receptors, the vasopressin V1a receptor (V1aR) and oxytocin receptor (OTR), respectively. Recent studies suggest that these neuropeptides may also signal via each other's receptors. The extent to which such cross-system signaling occurs likely depends on anatomical overlap between AVP/OXT fibers and V1aR/OTR expression. By comparing AVP/OXT fiber densities with V1aR/OTR binding densities throughout the rat social behavior neural network (SBNN), we propose the potential for cross-system signaling in four regions: the medial amygdala (MeA), bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTp), medial preoptic area, and periaqueductal grey. We also discuss possible implications of corresponding sex (higher in males versus females) and age (higher in adults versus juveniles) differences in AVP fiber and OTR binding densities in the MeA and BNSTp. Overall, this review reveals the need to unravel the consequences of potential cross-system signaling between AVP and OXT systems in the SBNN for the regulation of social behavior.
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23
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Ahmed-Leitao F, Rosenstein D, Marx M, Young S, Korte K, Seedat S. Posttraumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder and childhood trauma: Differences in hippocampal subfield volume. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2019; 284:45-52. [PMID: 30684895 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2018.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Volume-based hippocampal findings in Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have been inconsistent, with very little investigation of hippocampal subfields. We assessed the effects of early childhood trauma on hippocampal subfields in participants with SAD with and without early childhood trauma and PTSD, compared to healthy controls. The sample comprised 26 participants SAD with early childhood trauma, 22 participants with SAD without early childhood trauma, 17 with PTSD secondary to early childhood trauma and 25 control participants. We used Freesurfer version 6 to determine hippocampal subfield volumes. Findings included significant reduction in right parasubiculum volume between the PTSD group secondary to early childhood trauma and the SAD group without early childhood trauma, as well as a significant reduction in left HATA (Hippocampal Amygdala Transition Area) volume between PTSD with early childhood trauma compared to controls, as well as compared to SAD with early childhood trauma. These findings did withstand correction for multiple resting using the false discovery rate. Our findings of an association of reduced volumes in the parasubiculum and HATA regions with PTSD secondary to childhood trauma are interesting. Further work should investigate whether parasubiculum and HATA regional volume reductions in PTSD are a specific effect of early childhood trauma or a specific manifestation of PTSD pathology. Further work should also be undertaken to determine if hippocampal subfield atrophy is associated with SAD in the setting of early childhood maltreatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Ahmed-Leitao
- South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Tygerberg 8000, South Africa.
| | - David Rosenstein
- South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Tygerberg 8000, South Africa
| | - Melanie Marx
- South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Tygerberg 8000, South Africa
| | - Susanne Young
- South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Tygerberg 8000, South Africa
| | - Kristina Korte
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States
| | - Soraya Seedat
- South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 241, Tygerberg 8000, South Africa
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24
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Rosinger ZJ, Jacobskind JS, Bulanchuk N, Malone M, Fico D, Justice NJ, Zuloaga DG. Characterization and gonadal hormone regulation of a sexually dimorphic corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 cell group. J Comp Neurol 2018; 527:1056-1069. [PMID: 30499109 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Corticotropin-releasing factor binds with high affinity to CRF receptor 1 (CRFR1) and is implicated in stress-related mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Using a validated CRFR1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter mouse, our laboratory recently discovered a nucleus of CRFR1 expressing cells that is prominent in the female rostral anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV/PeN), but largely absent in males. This sex difference is present in the early postnatal period and remains dimorphic into adulthood. The present investigation sought to characterize the chemical composition and gonadal hormone regulation of these sexually dimorphic CRFR1 cells using immunohistochemical procedures. We report that CRFR1-GFP-ir cells within the female AVPV/PeN are largely distinct from other dimorphic cell populations (kisspeptin, tyrosine hydroxylase). However, CRFR1-GFP-ir cells within the AVPV/PeN highly co-express estrogen receptor alpha as well as glucocorticoid receptor. A single injection of testosterone propionate or estradiol benzoate on the day of birth completely eliminates the AVPV/PeN sex difference, whereas adult gonadectomy has no effect on CRFR1-GFP cell number. These results indicate that the AVPV/PeN CRFR1 is regulated by perinatal but not adult gonadal hormones. Finally, female AVPV/PeN CRFR1-GFP-ir cells are activated following an acute 30-min restraint stress, as assessed by co-localization of CRFR1-GFP cells with phosphorylated (p) CREB. CRFR1-GFP/pCREB cells were largely absent in the male AVPV/PeN. Together, these data indicate a stress and gonadal hormone responsive nucleus that is unique to females and may contribute to sex-specific stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nicole Bulanchuk
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, Albany, New York
| | - Margaret Malone
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, Albany, New York
| | - Danielle Fico
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, Albany, New York
| | - Nicholas J Justice
- Center for Metabolic and Degenerative Diseases, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Damian G Zuloaga
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, Albany, New York
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25
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Gibson GD, Millan EZ, McNally GP. The nucleus accumbens shell in reinstatement and extinction of drug seeking. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 50:2014-2022. [PMID: 30044017 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Revised: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The contexts where drugs are self-administered have important control over relapse and extinction of drug-seeking behavior. The nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) is essential to this contextual control over drug-seeking behavior. It has been consistently implicated in both the expression of context-induced reinstatement and the expression of extinction, across a variety of drug classes and other rewards. Here, we review the evidence linking AcbSh to the extinction and reinstatement of drug seeking. We consider whether this dual role can be linked to known heterogeneities in AcbSh cell types, their major afferents, and their major efferents. We show that although these heterogeneities are each important and can determine extinction vs. reinstatement, they do not seem adequate to explain the body of findings from the behavioral literature. Rather, we suggest that this functional specialization of AcbSh may be more profitably viewed in terms of the segregation and compartmentalization of AcbSh channels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - E Zayra Millan
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia
| | - Gavan P McNally
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, 2052, NSW, Australia
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26
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Swanson LW. Brain maps 4.0-Structure of the rat brain: An open access atlas with global nervous system nomenclature ontology and flatmaps. J Comp Neurol 2018; 526:935-943. [PMID: 29277900 PMCID: PMC5851017 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The fourth edition (following editions in 1992, 1998, 2004) of Brain maps: structure of the rat brain is presented here as an open access internet resource for the neuroscience community. One new feature is a set of 10 hierarchical nomenclature tables that define and describe all parts of the rat nervous system within the framework of a strictly topographic system devised previously for the human nervous system. These tables constitute a global ontology for knowledge management systems dealing with neural circuitry. A second new feature is an aligned atlas of bilateral flatmaps illustrating rat nervous system development from the neural plate stage to the adult stage, where most gray matter regions, white matter tracts, ganglia, and nerves listed in the nomenclature tables are illustrated schematically. These flatmaps are convenient for future development of online applications analogous to "Google Maps" for systems neuroscience. The third new feature is a completely revised Atlas of the rat brain in spatially aligned transverse sections that can serve as a framework for 3-D modeling. Atlas parcellation is little changed from the preceding edition, but the nomenclature for rat is now aligned with an emerging panmammalian neuroanatomical nomenclature. All figures are presented in Adobe Illustrator vector graphics format that can be manipulated, modified, and resized as desired, and freely used with a Creative Commons license.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry W. Swanson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCalifornia
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27
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Hashikawa Y, Hashikawa K, Falkner AL, Lin D. Ventromedial Hypothalamus and the Generation of Aggression. Front Syst Neurosci 2017; 11:94. [PMID: 29375329 PMCID: PMC5770748 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2017.00094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggression is a costly behavior, sometimes with severe consequences including death. Yet aggression is prevalent across animal species ranging from insects to humans, demonstrating its essential role in the survival of individuals and groups. The question of how the brain decides when to generate this costly behavior has intrigued neuroscientists for over a century and has led to the identification of relevant neural substrates. Various lesion and electric stimulation experiments have revealed that the hypothalamus, an ancient structure situated deep in the brain, is essential for expressing aggressive behaviors. More recently, studies using precise circuit manipulation tools have identified a small subnucleus in the medial hypothalamus, the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl), as a key structure for driving both aggression and aggression-seeking behaviors. Here, we provide an updated summary of the evidence that supports a role of the VMHvl in aggressive behaviors. We will consider our recent findings detailing the physiological response properties of populations of VMHvl cells during aggressive behaviors and provide new understanding regarding the role of the VMHvl embedded within the larger whole-brain circuit for social sensation and action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiko Hashikawa
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Koichi Hashikawa
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Annegret L Falkner
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
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28
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Wu MV, Tollkuhn J. Estrogen receptor alpha is required in GABAergic, but not glutamatergic, neurons to masculinize behavior. Horm Behav 2017; 95:3-12. [PMID: 28734725 PMCID: PMC7011612 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Revised: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Masculinization of the altricial rodent brain is driven by estrogen signaling during a perinatal critical period. Genetic deletion of estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1/ERα) results in altered hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis signaling and a dramatic reduction of male sexual and territorial behaviors. However, the role of ERα in masculinizing distinct classes of neurons remains unexplored. We deleted ERα in excitatory or inhibitory neurons using either a Vglut2 or Vgat driver and assessed male behaviors. We find that Vglut2-Cre;Esr1lox/lox mutant males lack ERα in the ventrolateral region of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl) and posterior ventral portion of the medial amygdala (MePV). These mutants recapitulate the increased serum testosterone levels seen with constitutive ERα deletion, but have none of the behavioral deficits. In contrast, Vgat-Cre;Esr1lox/lox males with substantial ERα deletion in inhibitory neurons, including those of the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTpr), posterior dorsal MeA (MePD), and medial preoptic area (MPOA) have normal testosterone levels, but display alterations in mating and territorial behaviors. These mutants also show dysmasculinized expression of androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptor beta (Esr2). Our results demonstrate that ERα masculinizes GABAergic neurons that gate the display of male-typical behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melody V Wu
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Jessica Tollkuhn
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
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29
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Cádiz-Moretti B, Abellán-Álvaro M, Pardo-Bellver C, Martínez-García F, Lanuza E. Afferent and efferent projections of the anterior cortical amygdaloid nucleus in the mouse. J Comp Neurol 2017; 525:2929-2954. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Revised: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bernardita Cádiz-Moretti
- Unitat Mixta de Neuroanatomia Funcional UV-UJI - Dept. de Biologia Cel·lular i Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València; Burjassot 46100 València Spain
| | - María Abellán-Álvaro
- Unitat Mixta de Neuroanatomia Funcional UV-UJI - Dept. de Biologia Cel·lular i Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València; Burjassot 46100 València Spain
| | - Cecília Pardo-Bellver
- Unitat Mixta de Neuroanatomia Funcional UV-UJI - Dept. de Biologia Cel·lular i Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València; Burjassot 46100 València Spain
| | - Fernando Martínez-García
- Unitat Mixta de Neuroanatomia Funcional UV-UJI - Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Fac. Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I; Castelló de la Plana Spain
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Unitat Mixta de Neuroanatomia Funcional UV-UJI - Dept. de Biologia Cel·lular i Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València; Burjassot 46100 València Spain
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30
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Ko J. Neuroanatomical Substrates of Rodent Social Behavior: The Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Its Projection Patterns. Front Neural Circuits 2017; 11:41. [PMID: 28659766 PMCID: PMC5468389 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Social behavior encompasses a number of distinctive and complex constructs that form the core elements of human imitative culture, mainly represented as either affiliative or antagonistic interactions with conspecifics. Traditionally considered in the realm of psychology, social behavior research has benefited from recent advancements in neuroscience that have accelerated identification of the neural systems, circuits, causative genes and molecular mechanisms that underlie distinct social cognitive traits. In this review article, I summarize recent findings regarding the neuroanatomical substrates of key social behaviors, focusing on results from experiments conducted in rodent models. In particular, I will review the role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and downstream subcortical structures in controlling social behavior, and discuss pertinent future research perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaewon Ko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST)Daegu, South Korea
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31
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Parasubthalamic and calbindin nuclei in the posterior lateral hypothalamus are the major hypothalamic targets for projections from the central and anterior basomedial nuclei of the amygdala. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:2961-2991. [PMID: 28258483 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1379-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The parasubthalamic nucleus (PSTN) and the ventrally adjacent calbindin nucleus (CbN) form a nuclear complex in the posterior lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), recently characterized as connected with the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA). The aim of the present work is to analyze in detail the projections from the amygdala into the PSTN/CbN, also focusing on pathways into the LHA. After fluorogold injections into the PSTN/CbN, the medial part of the CEA (CEAm) appears to be the main supplier of projections from the CEA. Other amygdalar nuclei contribute to the innervation of the PSTN/CbN complex, including the anterior part of the basomedial nucleus (BMAa). Injections of the anterograde tracer, Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHAL), into the CEAm and BMAa revealed that projections from the CEAm follow two pathways into the LHA: a dorsal pathway formed by axons that also innervate the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, the anterior perifornical LHA and the PSTN, and a ventral pathway that runs laterally adjacent to the ventrolateral hypothalamic tract (vlt) and ends in the CbN. By contrast, the BMAa and other telencephalic structures, such as the fundus striatum project to the CbN via the ventral pathway. Confirming the microscopic observation, a semi-quantitative analysis of the density of these projections showed that the PSTN and the CbN are the major hypothalamic targets for the projections from the CEAm and the BMAa, respectively. PSTN and CbN receive these projections through distinct dorsal and ventral routes in the LHA. The ventral pathway forms a differentiated tract, named here the ventrolateral amygdalo-hypothalamic tract (vlah), that is distinct from, but runs adjacent to, the vlt. Both the vlt and the vlah had been previously described as forming an olfactory path into the LHA. These results help to better characterize the CbN within the PSTN/CbN complex and are discussed in terms of the functional organization of the network involving the PSTN and the CbN as well as the CEA and the BMAa.
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32
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Cádiz-Moretti B, Abellán-Álvaro M, Pardo-Bellver C, Martínez-García F, Lanuza E. Afferent and Efferent Connections of the Cortex-Amygdala Transition Zone in Mice. Front Neuroanat 2016; 10:125. [PMID: 28066196 PMCID: PMC5179517 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2016.00125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The transitional zone between the ventral part of the piriform cortex and the anterior cortical nucleus of the amygdala, named the cortex-amygdala transition zone (CxA), shows two differential features that allow its identification as a particular structure. First, it receives dense cholinergic and dopaminergic innervations as compared to the adjacent piriform cortex and amygdala, and second, it receives projections from the main and accessory olfactory bulbs. In this work we have studied the pattern of afferent and efferent projections of the CxA, which are mainly unknown, by using the retrograde tracer Fluorogold and the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextranamine. The results show that the CxA receives a relatively restricted set of intratelencephalic connections, originated mainly by the olfactory system and basal forebrain, with minor afferents from the amygdala. The only relevant extratelencephalic afference originates in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The efferent projections of the CxA reciprocate the inputs from the piriform cortex and olfactory amygdala. In addition, the CxA projects densely to the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus and the olfactory tubercle. The extratelencephalic projections of the CxA are very scarce, and target mainly hypothalamic structures. The pattern of connections of the CxA suggests that it is indeed a transitional area between the piriform cortex and the cortical amygdala. Double labeling with choline acetyltransferase indicates that the afferent projection from the basal forebrain is the origin of its distinctive cholinergic innervation, and double labeling with dopamine transporter shows that the projection from the VTA is the source of dopaminergic innervation. These connectivity and neurochemical features, together with the fact that it receives vomeronasal in addition to olfactory information, suggest that the CxA may be involved in processing olfactory information endowed with relevant biological meaning, such as odors related to reproductive or defensive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardita Cádiz-Moretti
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departament de Biologia Cel⋅lular i Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València València, Spain
| | - María Abellán-Álvaro
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departament de Biologia Cel⋅lular i Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València València, Spain
| | - Cecília Pardo-Bellver
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departament de Biologia Cel⋅lular i Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València València, Spain
| | - Fernando Martínez-García
- Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Laboratori de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departament de Biologia Cel⋅lular i Biologia Funcional, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València València, Spain
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33
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Rangel MJ, Baldo MVC, Canteras NS, Hahn JD. Evidence of a Role for the Lateral Hypothalamic Area Juxtadorsomedial Region (LHAjd) in Defensive Behaviors Associated with Social Defeat. Front Syst Neurosci 2016; 10:92. [PMID: 27895561 PMCID: PMC5107582 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the extrinsic connections of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) has deepened in recent years. In particular, a series of studies using neural pathway-tracing methods to investigate the macroconnections of histologically differentiated LHA regions, have revealed that the neural connections of these regions are substantially distinct, and have robust connections with neural circuits controlling survival behaviors. To begin testing functional associations suggested by the distinct LHA region neural connections, the present study has investigated the role of the LHA juxtadorsomedial region (LHAjd) in the control of social defeat (a socially-relevant defensive behavior). Male rats received bilateral cytotoxic lesions targeted to the LHAjd. A resident-intruder paradigm was then employed to investigate the effect of these lesions on defensive behavioral responses. Behavioral data were collected during three phases of testing: (1) pre-encounter habituation to testing context; (2) encounter with a dominant conspecific in the testing context; and (3) post-encounter context. Statistical analysis of behavioral measures revealed a significant decrease in risk assessment behaviors during post-encounter context testing in lesioned intruders compared to sham-lesioned and intact rats. However, changes in defensive behavioral measures during the habituation, or during resident-intruder encounters, did not reach significance. We discuss these data in relation to LHAjd (and neighboring LHA region) neural connections, and in relation to current advances in understanding of the neural control of defensive behaviors. A refined model for the neural circuits that are central to the control of socially-relevant defensive behaviors is outlined. We also consider possible broader implications of these data for disorders of behavioral control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel J Rangel
- Department of Anatomy, University of São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcus V C Baldo
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Joel D Hahn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, USA
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34
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry W. Swanson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089;
| | - Jeff W. Lichtman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138;
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35
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Tomás Pereira I, Agster KL, Burwell RD. Subcortical connections of the perirhinal, postrhinal, and entorhinal cortices of the rat. I. afferents. Hippocampus 2016; 26:1189-212. [PMID: 27119220 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2015] [Revised: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In this study the subcortical afferents for the rat PER areas 35 and 36, POR, and the lateral and medial entorhinal areas (LEA and MEA) were characterized. We analyzed 33 retrograde tract-tracing experiments distributed across the five regions. For each experiment, we estimated the total numbers, percentages, and densities of labeled cells in 36 subcortical structures and nuclei distributed across septum, basal ganglia, claustrum, amygdala, olfactory structures, thalamus, and hypothalamus. We found that the complement of subcortical inputs differs across the five regions, especially the PER and POR. The PER receives input from the reuniens, suprageniculate, and medial geniculate thalamic nuclei as well as the amygdala. Overall, the subcortical inputs to the PER were consistent with a role in perception, multimodal processing, and the formation of associations that include the motivational significance of individual items and objects. Subcortical inputs to the POR were dominated by the dorsal thalamus, particularly the lateral posterior nucleus, a region implicated in visuospatial attention. The complement of subcortical inputs to the POR is consistent with a role in representing and monitoring the local spatial context. We also report that, in addition to the PER, the LEA and the medial band of the MEA also receive strong amygdala input. In contrast, subcortical input to the POR and the MEA lateral band includes much less amygdala input and is dominated by dorsal thalamic nuclei, particularly nuclei involved in spatial information processing. Thus, some subcortical inputs are consistent with the view that there is functional differentiation along the septotemporal axis of the hippocampus, but others provide considerable integration. Overall, we conclude that the patterns of subcortical inputs to the PER, POR, and the entorhinal LEA and MEA provide further evidence for functional differentiation in the medial temporal lobe. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês Tomás Pereira
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912
| | - Kara L Agster
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912
| | - Rebecca D Burwell
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912.,Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912
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36
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McDonald AJ, Mott DD. Functional neuroanatomy of amygdalohippocampal interconnections and their role in learning and memory. J Neurosci Res 2016; 95:797-820. [PMID: 26876924 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Revised: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The amygdalar nuclear complex and hippocampal/parahippocampal region are key components of the limbic system that play a critical role in emotional learning and memory. This Review discusses what is currently known about the neuroanatomy and neurotransmitters involved in amygdalo-hippocampal interconnections, their functional roles in learning and memory, and their involvement in mnemonic dysfunctions associated with neuropsychiatric and neurological diseases. Tract tracing studies have shown that the interconnections between discrete amygdalar nuclei and distinct layers of individual hippocampal/parahippocampal regions are robust and complex. Although it is well established that glutamatergic pyramidal cells in the amygdala and hippocampal region are the major players mediating interconnections between these regions, recent studies suggest that long-range GABAergic projection neurons are also involved. Whereas neuroanatomical studies indicate that the amygdala only has direct interconnections with the ventral hippocampal region, electrophysiological studies and behavioral studies investigating fear conditioning and extinction, as well as amygdalar modulation of hippocampal-dependent mnemonic functions, suggest that the amygdala interacts with dorsal hippocampal regions via relays in the parahippocampal cortices. Possible pathways for these indirect interconnections, based on evidence from previous tract tracing studies, are discussed in this Review. Finally, memory disorders associated with dysfunction or damage to the amygdala, hippocampal region, and/or their interconnections are discussed in relation to Alzheimer's disease, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and temporal lobe epilepsy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J McDonald
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina
| | - David D Mott
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina
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37
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Hashikawa K, Hashikawa Y, Falkner A, Lin D. The neural circuits of mating and fighting in male mice. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2016; 38:27-37. [PMID: 26849838 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2016.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Tinbergen proposed that instinctive behaviors can be divided into appetitive and consummatory phases. During mating and aggression, the appetitive phase contains various actions to bring an animal to a social target and the consummatory phase allows stereotyped actions to take place. Here, we summarize recent advances in elucidating the neural circuits underlying the appetitive and consummatory phases of sexual and aggressive behaviors with a focus on male mice. We outline the role of the main olfactory inputs in the initiation of social approach; the engagement of the accessory olfactory system during social investigation, and the role of the hypothalamus and its downstream pathways in orchestrating social behaviors through a suite of motor actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Hashikawa
- Institute of Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Yoshiko Hashikawa
- Institute of Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Annegret Falkner
- Institute of Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Institute of Neuroscience, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
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38
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Zha X, Xu X. Dissecting the hypothalamic pathways that underlie innate behaviors. Neurosci Bull 2015; 31:629-48. [PMID: 26552801 PMCID: PMC5563731 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-015-1564-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many complex behaviors that do not require learning are displayed and are termed innate. Although traditionally the subject matter of ethology, innate behaviors offer a unique entry point for neuroscientists to dissect the physiological mechanisms governing complex behaviors. Since the last century, converging evidence has implicated the hypothalamus as the central brain area that controls innate behaviors. Recent studies using cutting-edge tools have revealed that genetically-defined populations of neurons residing in distinct hypothalamic nuclei and their associated neural pathways regulate the initiation and maintenance of diverse behaviors including feeding, sleep, aggression, and parental care. Here, we review the newly-defined hypothalamic pathways that regulate each innate behavior. In addition, emerging general principles of the neural control of complex behaviors are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Zha
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaohong Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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39
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Millan EZ, Reese RM, Grossman CD, Chaudhri N, Janak PH. Nucleus Accumbens and Posterior Amygdala Mediate Cue-Triggered Alcohol Seeking and Suppress Behavior During the Omission of Alcohol-Predictive Cues. Neuropsychopharmacology 2015; 40:2555-65. [PMID: 25872917 PMCID: PMC4569945 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Neurobiological mechanisms that influence behavior in the presence of alcohol-associated stimuli involve processes that organize behavior during the presence of these cues, and separately, regulation of behavior in their absence. However, little is known about anatomical structures that might mediate this regulation. Here we examined nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) as a possible neural substrate mediating behavior modulation triggered by the presence and absence of alcohol-associated environmental cues and contexts. We also examined subregions of basal amygdala nuclei- rostral basolateral (BLA) and basal posterior (BAP)- as they provide a major source of glutamatergic input to the AcbSh. Animals were trained to associate an auditory conditioning stimulus with alcohol in a discriminative context and then subsequently tested for conditioned port-entries across contexts either previously associated or not associated with alcohol. We found that, on test to the alcohol cue alone, AcbSh inactivation prevented conditioned port-entries in contexts that either were associated with alcohol or were novel, while also increasing unconditioned port-entries during the intertrial intervals. When tested to alcohol-reinforced cues, AcbSh inactivation produced more cue-trial omissions and elevated unconditioned port-entries. Interestingly, BLA and BAP inactivation produced dissociable effects. BAP but not BLA increased unconditioned port-entries, while both manipulations prevented conditioned port-entries during the alcohol-cue. We conclude that AcbSh is necessary for modulating control over behavior otherwise guided by the presence of alcohol-predictive environmental stimuli and contexts. Moreover, this role may involve integration of functionally segregated inputs from rostral and posterior portions of basal amygdala nuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Zayra Millan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles Street, Dunning Hall, room 224, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA, Tel: +1 707 400 3135, Fax: +1 410 516 0494, E-mail:
| | - Rebecca M Reese
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Cooper D Grossman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nadia Chaudhri
- Center for Studies in Behavioural Neurobiology/Groupe de recherche en neurobiologie comportementale, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Patricia H Janak
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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GABAergic somatostatin-immunoreactive neurons in the amygdala project to the entorhinal cortex. Neuroscience 2015; 290:227-42. [PMID: 25637800 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.01.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Revised: 01/14/2015] [Accepted: 01/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The entorhinal cortex and other hippocampal and parahippocampal cortices are interconnected by a small number of GABAergic nonpyramidal neurons in addition to glutamatergic pyramidal cells. Since the cortical and basolateral amygdalar nuclei have cortex-like cell types and have robust projections to the entorhinal cortex, we hypothesized that a small number of amygdalar GABAergic nonpyramidal neurons might participate in amygdalo-entorhinal projections. To test this hypothesis we combined Fluorogold (FG) retrograde tract tracing with immunohistochemistry for the amygdalar nonpyramidal cell markers glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), parvalbumin (PV), somatostatin (SOM), neuropeptide Y (NPY), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and the m2 muscarinic cholinergic receptor (M2R). Injections of FG into the rat entorhinal cortex labeled numerous neurons that were mainly located in the cortical and basolateral nuclei of the amygdala. Although most of these amygdalar FG+ neurons labeled by entorhinal injections were large pyramidal cells, 1-5% were smaller long-range nonpyramidal neurons (LRNP neurons) that expressed SOM, or both SOM and NPY. No amygdalar FG+ neurons in these cases were PV+ or VIP+. Cell counts revealed that LRNP neurons labeled by injections into the entorhinal cortex constituted about 10-20% of the total SOM+ population, and 20-40% of the total NPY population in portions of the lateral amygdalar nucleus that exhibited a high density of FG+ neurons. Sixty-two percent of amygdalar FG+/SOM+ neurons were GAD+, and 51% were M2R+. Since GABAergic projection neurons typically have low perikaryal levels of GABAergic markers, it is actually possible that most or all of the amygdalar LRNP neurons are GABAergic. Like GABAergic LRNP neurons in hippocampal/parahippocampal regions, amygdalar LRNP neurons that project to the entorhinal cortex are most likely involved in synchronizing oscillatory activity between the two regions. These oscillations could entrain synchronous firing of amygdalar and entorhinal pyramidal neurons, thus facilitating functional interactions between them, including synaptic plasticity.
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Afferent projections to the different medial amygdala subdivisions: a retrograde tracing study in the mouse. Brain Struct Funct 2014; 221:1033-65. [PMID: 25503449 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0954-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/30/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The medial amygdaloid nucleus (Me) is a key node in the socio-sexual brain, composed of anterior (MeA), posteroventral (MePV) and posterodorsal (MePD) subdivisions. These subdivisions have been suggested to play a different role in reproductive and defensive behaviours. In the present work we analyse the afferents of the three Me subdivisions using restricted injections of fluorogold in female outbred CD1 mice. The results reveal that the MeA, MePV and MePD share a common pattern of afferents, with some differences in the density of retrograde labelling in several nuclei. Common afferents to Me subdivisions include: the accessory olfactory bulbs, piriform cortex and endopiriform nucleus, chemosensory amygdala (receiving direct inputs from the olfactory bulbs), posterior part of the medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTM), CA1 in the ventral hippocampus and posterior intralaminar thalamus. Minor projections originate from the basolateral amygdala and amygdalo-hippocampal area, septum, ventral striatum, several allocortical and periallocortical areas, claustrum, several hypothalamic structures, raphe and parabrachial complex. MeA and MePV share minor inputs from the frontal cortex (medial orbital, prelimbic, infralimbic and dorsal peduncular cortices), but differ in the lack of main olfactory projections to the MePV. By contrast, the MePD receives preferential projections from the rostral accessory olfactory bulb, the posteromedial BSTM and the ventral premammillary nucleus. In summary, the common pattern of afferents to the Me subdivisions and their interconnections suggest that they play cooperative instead of differential roles in the various behaviours (e.g., sociosexual, defensive) in which the Me has been shown to be involved.
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Weathington JM, Hamki A, Cooke BM. Sex- and region-specific pubertal maturation of the corticotropin-releasing factor receptor system in the rat. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:1284-98. [PMID: 24115088 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2013] [Revised: 09/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
One of the most reliable findings in psychiatry is in the incidence of anxiety and depression. Beginning at puberty, women develop mood disorders twice as often as men. Because corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors are implicated, we compared CRF receptor binding in pre- and postpubertal rats. In each brain area, CRF receptor binding was sexually dimorphic, but no two areas were alike in the way the sexes differed. In the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle, CRF1 binding was initially the same in juveniles, but became greater in adult females. In piriform cortex, CRF1 binding increased in females and decreased in males, again becoming sexually dimorphic. CRF1 binding in the anterior cingulate was greater in females than in males at both ages. In CA3, CRF1 binding was greater in males before puberty but decreased during puberty, abolishing the sex difference. CRF2 binding in the posterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis was greater in males irrespective of age. In contrast, in each of three subdivisions of the lateral septum, females had greater CRF2 binding than males as juveniles, or, as juveniles and as adults. CRF2 binding in the ventromedial hypothalamus was the same in juveniles, but binding levels increased in males, leading to an adult sex difference. Thus, eight CRF receptor-expressing areas displayed eight distinct sex differences. These results show that sex differences pervade the CRF receptor system in juvenile and adult rats, and the mechanisms that control them are likely to be sex-, region-, and subtype-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill M Weathington
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303
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Domínguez L, González A, Moreno N. Characterization of the hypothalamus of Xenopus laevis during development. II. The basal regions. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:1102-31. [PMID: 24122702 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2013] [Revised: 07/25/2013] [Accepted: 09/13/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The expression patterns of conserved developmental regulatory transcription factors and neuronal markers were analyzed in the basal hypothalamus of Xenopus laevis throughout development by means of combined immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization techniques. The connectivity of the main subdivisions was investigated by in vitro tracing techniques with dextran amines. The basal hypothalamic region is topologically rostral to the basal diencephalon and is composed of the tuberal (rostral) and mammillary (caudal) subdivisions, according to the prosomeric model. It is dorsally bounded by the optic chiasm and the alar hypothalamus, and caudally by the diencephalic prosomere p3. The tuberal hypothalamus is defined by the expression of Nkx2.1, xShh, and Isl1, and rostral and caudal portions can be distinguished by the distinct expression of Otp rostrally and Nkx2.2 caudally. In the mammillary region the xShh/Nkx2.1 combination defined the rostral mammillary area, expressing Nkx2.1, and the caudal retromammillary area, expressing xShh. The expression of xLhx1, xDll4, and Otp in the mammillary area and Isl1 in the tuberal region highlights the boundary between the two basal hypothalamic territories. Both regions are strongly connected with subpallial regions, especially those conveying olfactory/vomeronasal information, and also possess abundant intrahypothalamic connections. They show reciprocal connections with the diencephalon (mainly the thalamus), project to the midbrain tectum, and are bidirectionally related to the rhombencephalon. These results illustrate that the basal hypothalamus of anurans shares many features of specification, regionalization, and hodology with amniotes, reinforcing the idea of a basic bauplan in the organization of this prosencephalic region in all tetrapods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Domínguez
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Cell Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Bota M, Talpalaru Ş, Hintiryan H, Dong HW, Swanson LW. BAMS2 workspace: a comprehensive and versatile neuroinformatic platform for collating and processing neuroanatomical connections. J Comp Neurol 2014; 522:3160-76. [PMID: 24668342 PMCID: PMC4107155 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2013] [Revised: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
We describe a novel neuroinformatic platform, the BAMS2 Workspace (http://brancusi1.usc.edu), designed for storing and processing information on gray matter region axonal connections. This de novo constructed module allows registered users to collate their data directly by using a simple and versatile visual interface. It also allows construction and analysis of sets of connections associated with gray matter region nomenclatures from any designated species. The Workspace includes a set of tools allowing the display of data in matrix and networks formats and the uploading of processed information in visual, PDF, CSV, and Excel formats. Finally, the Workspace can be accessed anonymously by third-party systems to create individualized connectivity networks. All features of the BAMS2 Workspace are described in detail and are demonstrated with connectivity reports collated in BAMS and associated with the rat sensory-motor cortex, medial frontal cortex, and amygdalar regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihail Bota
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | | | - Houri Hintiryan
- Department of Neurology and Institute for Imaging and Informatics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Hong-Wei Dong
- Department of Neurology and Institute for Imaging and Informatics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Larry W. Swanson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
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Distribution of the neuronal inputs to the ventral premammillary nucleus of male and female rats. Brain Res 2014; 1582:77-90. [PMID: 25084037 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.07.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2014] [Revised: 07/17/2014] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The ventral premammillary nucleus (PMV) expresses dense collections of sex steroid receptors and receptors for metabolic cues, including leptin, insulin and ghrelin. The PMV responds to opposite sex odor stimulation and projects to areas involved in reproductive control, including direct innervation of gonadotropin releasing hormone neurons. Thus, the PMV is well positioned to integrate metabolic and reproductive cues, and control downstream targets that mediate reproductive function. In fact, lesions of PMV neurons blunt female reproductive function and maternal aggression. However, although the projections of PMV neurons have been well documented, little is known about the neuronal inputs received by PMV neurons. To fill this gap, we performed a systematic evaluation of the brain sites innervating the PMV neurons of male and female rats using the retrograde tracer subunit B of the cholera toxin (CTb). In general, we observed that males and females show a similar pattern of afferents. We also noticed that the PMV is preferentially innervated by neurons located in the forebrain, with very few projections coming from brainstem nuclei. The majority of inputs originated from the medial nucleus of the amygdala, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the medial preoptic nucleus. A moderate to high density of afferents was also observed in the ventral subiculum, the arcuate nucleus and the ventrolateral subdivision of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus. Our findings strengthen the concept that the PMV is part of the vomeronasal system and integrates the brain circuitry controlling reproductive functions.
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Abstract
The ventromedial hypothalamus, ventrolateral area (VMHvl) was identified recently as a critical locus for inter-male aggression. Optogenetic stimulation of VMHvl in male mice evokes attack toward conspecifics and inactivation of the region inhibits natural aggression, yet very little is known about its underlying neural activity. To understand its role in promoting aggression, we recorded and analyzed neural activity in the VMHvl in response to a wide range of social and nonsocial stimuli. Although response profiles of VMHvl neurons are complex and heterogeneous, we identified a subpopulation of neurons that respond maximally during investigation and attack of male conspecific mice and during investigation of a source of male mouse urine. These "male responsive" neurons in the VMHvl are tuned to both the inter-male distance and the animal's velocity during attack. Additionally, VMHvl activity predicts several parameters of future aggressive action, including the latency and duration of the next attack. Linear regression analysis further demonstrates that aggression-specific parameters, such as distance, movement velocity, and attack latency, can model ongoing VMHvl activity fluctuation during inter-male encounters. These results represent the first effort to understand the hypothalamic neural activity during social behaviors using quantitative tools and suggest an important role for the VMHvl in encoding movement, sensory, and motivation-related signals.
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deCampo DM, Fudge JL. Amygdala projections to the lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the macaque: comparison with ventral striatal afferents. J Comp Neurol 2014; 521:3191-216. [PMID: 23696521 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2013] [Revised: 03/22/2013] [Accepted: 03/29/2013] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTL) is involved in mediating anxiety-related behaviors to sustained aversive stimuli. The BSTL forms part of the central extended amygdala, a continuum composed of the BSTL, the amygdala central nucleus, and cell columns running between the two. The central subdivision (BSTLcn) and the juxtacapsular subdivision (BSTLJ) are two BSTL regions that lie above the anterior commissure, near the ventral striatum. The amygdala, a heterogeneous structure that encodes emotional salience, projects to both the BSTL and ventral striatum. We placed small injections of retrograde tracers into the BSTL, focusing on the BSTLcn and BSTLJ, and analyzed the distribution of labeled cells in amygdala subregions. We compared this to the pattern of labeled cells following injections into the ventral striatum. All retrograde results were confirmed by anterograde studies. We found that the BSTLcn receives stronger amygdala inputs relative to the BSTLJ. Furthermore, the BSTLcn is defined by inputs from the corticoamygdaloid transition area and central nucleus, while the BSTLJ receives inputs mainly from the magnocellular accessory basal and basal nucleus. In the ventral striatum, the dorsomedial shell receives inputs that are similar, but not identical, to inputs to the BSTLcn. In contrast, amygdala projections to the ventral shell/core are similar to projections to the BSTLJ. These findings indicate that the BSTLcn and BSTLJ receive distinct amygdala afferent inputs and that the dorsomedial shell is a transition zone with the BSTLcn, while the ventral shell/core are transition zones with the BSTLJ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle M deCampo
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
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Di Giorgio NP, Semaan SJ, Kim J, López PV, Bettler B, Libertun C, Lux-Lantos VA, Kauffman AS. Impaired GABAB receptor signaling dramatically up-regulates Kiss1 expression selectively in nonhypothalamic brain regions of adult but not prepubertal mice. Endocrinology 2014; 155:1033-44. [PMID: 24424047 PMCID: PMC3929734 DOI: 10.1210/en.2013-1573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Kisspeptin, encoded by Kiss1, stimulates reproduction and is synthesized in the hypothalamic anteroventral periventricular and arcuate nuclei. Kiss1 is also expressed at lower levels in the medial amygdala (MeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), but the regulation and function of Kiss1 there is poorly understood. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) also regulates reproduction, and female GABAB1 receptor knockout (KO) mice have compromised fertility. However, the interaction between GABAB receptors and Kiss1 neurons is unknown. Here, using double-label in situ hybridization, we first demonstrated that a majority of hypothalamic Kiss1 neurons coexpress GABAB1 subunit, a finding also confirmed for most MeA Kiss1 neurons. Yet, despite known reproductive impairments in GABAB1KO mice, Kiss1 expression in the anteroventral periventricular and arcuate nuclei, assessed by both in situ hybridization and real-time PCR, was identical between adult wild-type and GABAB1KO mice. Surprisingly, however, Kiss1 levels in the BNST and MeA, as well as the lateral septum (a region normally lacking Kiss1 expression), were dramatically increased in both GABAB1KO males and females. The increased Kiss1 levels in extrahypothalamic regions were not caused by elevated sex steroids (which can increase Kiss1 expression), because circulating estradiol and testosterone were equivalent between genotypes. Interestingly, increased Kiss1 expression was not detected in the MeA or BNST in prepubertal KO mice of either sex, indicating that the enhancements in extrahypothalamic Kiss1 levels initiate during/after puberty. These findings suggest that GABAB signaling may normally directly or indirectly inhibit Kiss1 expression, particularly in the BNST and MeA, and highlight the importance of studying kisspeptin populations outside the hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia P Di Giorgio
- Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine-CONICET (N.P.D.G., P.V.L., C.L., V.A.L-L.), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Department of Reproductive Medicine (S.J.S., J.K., A.S.K.), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California; Department of Biomedicine (B.B.), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; and Department of Physiology (C.L.), University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Fujii T, Saito DN, Yanaka HT, Kosaka H, Okazawa H. Depressive mood modulates the anterior lateral CA1 and DG/CA3 during a pattern separation task in cognitively intact individuals: A functional MRI study. Hippocampus 2013; 24:214-24. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2012] [Revised: 09/25/2013] [Accepted: 09/25/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Fujii
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
- Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
- Research and Education Program for Life Science, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
| | - Daisuke N. Saito
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
- Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
- Research and Education Program for Life Science, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
| | - Hisakazu T. Yanaka
- Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
- Research and Education Program for Life Science, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
- Faculty of Regional Sciences, Tottori University, Tottori, Tottori Prefecture; Japan
| | - Hirotaka Kosaka
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
- Department of Neuropsychiatry; Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
| | - Hidehiko Okazawa
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
- Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
- Research and Education Program for Life Science, University of Fukui, Yoshida-gun, Fukui Prefecture; Japan
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