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Ferrara NC, Trask S, Padival M, Rosenkranz JA. Maturation of a cortical-amygdala circuit limits sociability in male rats. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:8391-8404. [PMID: 37032624 PMCID: PMC10321102 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Prefrontal cortical maturation coincides with adolescent transitions in social engagement, suggesting that it influences social development. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is important for social interaction, including ACC outputs to the basolateral amygdala (BLA). However, little is known about ACC-BLA sensitivity to the social environment and if this changes during maturation. Here, we used brief (2-hour) isolation to test the immediate impact of changing the social environment on the ACC-BLA circuit and subsequent shifts in social behavior of adolescent and adult rats. We found that optogenetic inhibition of the ACC during brief isolation reduced isolation-driven facilitation of social interaction across ages. Isolation increased activity of ACC-BLA neurons across ages, but altered the influence of ACC on BLA activity in an age-dependent manner. Isolation reduced the inhibitory impact of ACC stimulation on BLA neurons in a frequency-dependent manner in adults, but uniformly suppressed ACC-driven BLA activity in adolescents. This work identifies isolation-driven alterations in an ACC-BLA circuit, and the ACC itself as an essential region sensitive to social environment and regulates its impact on social behavior in both adults and adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C Ferrara
- Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
| | - Sydney Trask
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 3rd Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States
| | - Mallika Padival
- Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
| | - Jeremy Amiel Rosenkranz
- Department of Foundational Sciences and Humanities, Discipline of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL, 60064, United States
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Borie AM, Young LJ, Liu RC. Sex-specific and social experience-dependent oxytocin-endocannabinoid interactions in the nucleus accumbens: implications for social behaviour. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210057. [PMID: 35858094 PMCID: PMC9272148 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin modulates social behaviour across diverse vertebrate taxa, but the precise nature of its effects varies across species, individuals and lifetimes. Contributing to this variation is the fact that oxytocin's physiological effects are mediated through interaction with diverse neuromodulatory systems and can depend on the specifics of the local circuits it acts on. Furthermore, those effects can be influenced by both genetics and experience. Here we discuss this complexity through the lens of a specific neuromodulatory system, endocannabinoids, interacting with oxytocin in the nucleus accumbens to modulate prosocial behaviours in prairie voles. We provide a survey of current knowledge of oxytocin-endocannabinoid interactions in relation to social behaviour. We review in detail recent research in monogamous female prairie voles demonstrating that social experience, such as mating and pair bonding, can change how oxytocin modulates nucleus accumbens glutamatergic signalling through the recruitment of endocannabinoids to modulate prosocial behaviour toward the partner. We then discuss potential sex differences in experience-dependent modulation of the nucleus accumbens by oxytocin in voles based on new data in males. Finally, we propose that future oxytocin-based precision medicine therapies should consider how prior social experience interacts with sex and genetics to influence oxytocin actions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie M. Borie
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Larry J. Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Robert C. Liu
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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Simone JJ, Green MR, McCormick CM. Endocannabinoid system contributions to sex-specific adolescent neurodevelopment. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 113:110438. [PMID: 34534603 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
With an increasing number of countries and states adopting legislation permitting the use of cannabis for medical purposes, there is a growing interest among health and research professionals into the system through which cannabinoids principally act, the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Much of the seminal research into the ECS dates back only 30 years and, although there has been tremendous development within the field during this time, many questions remain. More recently, investigations have emerged examining the contributions of the ECS to normative development and the effect of altering this system during important critical periods. One such period is adolescence, a unique period during which brain and behaviours are maturing and reorganizing in preparation for adulthood, including shifts in endocannabinoid biology. The purpose of this review is to discuss findings to date regarding the maturation of the ECS during adolescence and the consequences of manipulations of the ECS during this period to normative neurodevelopmental processes, as well as highlight sex differences in ECS function, important technical considerations, and future directions. Because most of what we know is derived from preclinical studies on rodents, we provide relevant background of this model and some commentary on the translational relevance of the research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J Simone
- Department of Biological Sciences, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada; Centre for Neuroscience, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada; Huxley Health Inc., 8820 Jane St., Concord, ON, L4K 2M9, Canada; eCB Consulting Inc., PO Box 652, 3 Cameron St. W., Cannington, ON L0E 1E0, Canada; Medical Cannabis Canada, 601-3500 Lakeshore Rd. W., Oakville, ON L6L 0B4, Canada.
| | - Matthew R Green
- eCB Consulting Inc., PO Box 652, 3 Cameron St. W., Cannington, ON L0E 1E0, Canada; Medical Cannabis Canada, 601-3500 Lakeshore Rd. W., Oakville, ON L6L 0B4, Canada.
| | - Cheryl M McCormick
- Department of Biological Sciences, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada; Centre for Neuroscience, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada; Department of Psychology, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada.
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Social Instability Stress in Adolescence and Social Interaction in Female Rats. Neuroscience 2021; 477:1-13. [PMID: 34619317 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical time of brain development for regions governing social behaviour and social learning. Social experiences influence the ongoing maturation of the neural structures and ultimately modify the social behaviour of adults in response to social cues. Social instability stress in adolescence (SS; daily 1-hour isolation + change of cage partner in postnatal days [PND] 30-45) leads to a long-lasting reduction in social interaction in SS rats compared with non-stressed (CTL) rats in males; here we investigate females. In a first experiment, we found that female rats exposed to adolescent SS also showed the decrement in social interaction irrespective of age at which tested, and replicated the effects previously found in males. In experiment 2, which involved females only, SS and CTL rats did not differ in anxiety-like behaviour in the elevated plus maze (EPM) and the reduction in social interaction was not significant. Nevertheless, when tested in adolescence at P47 (and not at P71), SS female rats had higher corticosterone release during the social interaction test than did CTL rats, and they exhibited a different pattern of neural activation as measured by immunoreactivity to the protein products of zif268 and c-fos (SS < CTL in medial prefrontal cortex and SS > CTL in hippocampus), and reduced oxytocin immunoreactivity in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus than did CTL rats. These results extend our previous findings of effects of SS in adolescent female rats on behavioural responses to psychostimulants to social behaviour, and point to directions for investigations of the neural mechanisms involved.
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