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Neural circuit control of innate behaviors. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2022; 65:466-499. [PMID: 34985643 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-021-2043-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
All animals possess a plethora of innate behaviors that do not require extensive learning and are fundamental for their survival and propagation. With the advent of newly-developed techniques such as viral tracing and optogenetic and chemogenetic tools, recent studies are gradually unraveling neural circuits underlying different innate behaviors. Here, we summarize current development in our understanding of the neural circuits controlling predation, feeding, male-typical mating, and urination, highlighting the role of genetically defined neurons and their connections in sensory triggering, sensory to motor/motivation transformation, motor/motivation encoding during these different behaviors. Along the way, we discuss possible mechanisms underlying binge-eating disorder and the pro-social effects of the neuropeptide oxytocin, elucidating the clinical relevance of studying neural circuits underlying essential innate functions. Finally, we discuss some exciting brain structures recurrently appearing in the regulation of different behaviors, which suggests both divergence and convergence in the neural encoding of specific innate behaviors. Going forward, we emphasize the importance of multi-angle and cross-species dissections in delineating neural circuits that control innate behaviors.
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2
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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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3
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Huijgens PT, Heijkoop R, Snoeren EMS. Silencing and stimulating the medial amygdala impairs ejaculation but not sexual incentive motivation in male rats. Behav Brain Res 2021; 405:113206. [PMID: 33639266 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The medial amygdala (MeA) is a sexually dimorphic brain region that integrates sensory information and hormonal signaling, and is involved in the regulation of social behaviors. Lesion studies have shown a role for the MeA in copulation, most prominently in the promotion of ejaculation. The role of the MeA in sexual motivation, but also in temporal patterning of copulation, has not been extensively studied in rats. Here, we investigated the effect of chemogenetic inhibition and stimulation of the MeA on sexual incentive motivation and copulation in sexually experienced male rats. AAV5-CaMKIIa viral vectors coding for Gi, Gq, or no DREADDs (sham) were bilaterally infused into the MeA. Rats were assessed in the sexual incentive motivation test and copulation test upon systemic clozapine N-oxide (CNO) or vehicle administration. We report that MeA stimulation and inhibition did not affect sexual incentive motivation. Moreover, both stimulation and inhibition of the MeA decreased the number of ejaculations in a 30 min copulation test and increased ejaculation latency and the number of mounts and intromissions preceding ejaculation, while leaving the temporal pattern of copulation intact. These results indicate that the MeA may be involved in the processing of sensory feedback required to reach ejaculation threshold. The convergence of the behavioral effects of stimulating as well as inhibiting the MeA may reflect opposing behavioral control of specific neuronal populations within the MeA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patty T Huijgens
- Department of Psychology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Roy Heijkoop
- Department of Psychology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Eelke M S Snoeren
- Department of Psychology, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
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4
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Abstract
Gonadal hormones contribute to the sexual differentiation of brain and behavior throughout the lifespan, from initial neural patterning to "activation" of adult circuits. Sexual behavior is an ideal system in which to investigate the mechanisms underlying hormonal activation of neural circuits. Sexual behavior is a hormonally regulated, innate social behavior found across species. Although both sexes seek out and engage in sexual behavior, the specific actions involved in mating are sexually dimorphic. Thus, the neural circuits mediating sexual motivation and behavior in males and females are overlapping yet distinct. Furthermore, sexual behavior is strongly dependent on circulating gonadal hormones in both sexes. There has been significant recent progress on elucidating how gonadal hormones modulate physiological properties within sexual behavior circuits with consequences for behavior. Therefore, in this mini-review we review the neural circuits of male and female sexual motivation and behavior, from initial sensory detection of pheromones to the extended amygdala and on to medial hypothalamic nuclei and reward systems. We also discuss how gonadal hormones impact the physiology and functioning of each node within these circuits. By better understanding the myriad of ways in which gonadal hormones impact sexual behavior circuits, we can gain a richer and more complete appreciation for the neural substrates of complex behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly J Jennings
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Luis de Lecea
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
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Salahinejad A, Naderi M, Attaran A, Meuthen D, Niyogi S, Chivers DP. Effects of chronic exposure to bisphenol-S on social behaviors in adult zebrafish: Disruption of the neuropeptide signaling pathways in the brain. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 262:113992. [PMID: 32126434 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.113992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol S (BPS), considered to be a safe alternative to Bisphenol A, is increasingly used in a wide variety of consumer and industrial products. However, mounting evidence suggests that BPS can act as a xenoestrogen targeting a wide range of neuro-endocrine functions in animals. At present, very little is known about the impacts of BPS on social behaviors and/or the potential underlying mechanisms. To this end, we exposed adult male and female zebrafish to environmentally relevant concentrations of BPS (0 (control), 1, 10, and 30 μg/L), as well as to 17β-estradiol (E2; 1 μg/L; as positive control) for 75 days. Subsequently, alterations in social behaviors were evaluated by measuring shoal cohesion, group preferences, and locomotor activity. Furthermore, to elucidate the possible molecular mechanism underlying the neuro-behavioral effects of BPS, we also quantified the changes in the mRNA abundance of arginine vasotocin (AVT), isotocin (IT), and their corresponding receptors in the zebrafish brain. The results showed that E2 and BPS (30 μg/L) decreased shoal cohesion in both males and females. Moreover, a marked decline in group preferences was observed in all treatment groups, while locomotor activity remained unaffected. Alterations in the social behaviors were associated with sex-specific changes in the mRNA expression of genes involved in IT and AVT signaling. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that chronic exposure to BPS can impair zebrafish social behaviors via disruption of isotocinergic and vasotocinergic neuro-endocrine systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Salahinejad
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada.
| | - Mohammad Naderi
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Anoosha Attaran
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Denis Meuthen
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada; Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, 53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Som Niyogi
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada; Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B3, Canada
| | - Douglas P Chivers
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
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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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Miranda RA, Searcy BT, Propper CR. Arginine vasotocin induces calling behavior with a female social stimulus and interacts with gonadotropins to affect sexual behaviors in male Xenopus tropicalis. Physiol Behav 2015; 151:72-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.06.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2015] [Revised: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Hofmann HA. The neuroendocrine action potential. Winner of the 2008 Frank Beach Award in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology. Horm Behav 2010; 58:555-62. [PMID: 20600047 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2009] [Revised: 06/15/2010] [Accepted: 06/17/2010] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Animals are remarkably well equipped to respond to changes in their environment across different time scales and levels of biological organization. Here, I introduce a novel perspective that incorporates the three main processes the nervous system uses to integrate and process information: electrophysiological, genomic, and neuroendocrine action potentials. After discussing several examples of neuroendocrine action potentials, I lay out the commonalities of these temporally organized responses and how they might be interrelated with electrophysiological activity and genomic responses. This framework provides a novel outlook on longstanding questions in behavioral neuroendocrinology and suggests exciting new avenues for further research that will integrate across disciplines and levels of biological organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans A Hofmann
- Section of Integrative Biology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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9
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Vignozzi L, Corona G, Forti G, Jannini EA, Maggi M. Clinical and therapeutic aspects of Klinefelter's syndrome: sexual function. Mol Hum Reprod 2010; 16:418-24. [PMID: 20348547 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gaq022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) is the most common sex chromosomal aberration among men, with estimated prevalence of about 1 in 500 newborn males. The classical phenotype of KS is widely recognized, but many affected subjects present only very mild signs. While the association between KS and infertility has been well documented, few studies have investigated sexual function in the KS patients. In the present paper we reviewed studies addressed to emotional processing and sexual function in KS. We searched the following databases Medline, Pubmed, Embase, for Klinefelter's syndrome, sexuality. We focus on the peculiar contribution of genetic and hormonal background, which characterizes sexual dysfunction in KS. Abnormal structure and function of the emotional brain circuits have been described in KS. These alterations were less pronounced when the patients underwent to testosterone replacement therapy suggesting that they were mediated by testosterone deficiency. Accordingly, clinical studies indicate that sexual dysfunctions, eventually present in KS, are not specifically associated with the syndrome but are related to the underlying hypogonadism. In conclusion, androgen deficiency more than chromosomal abnormality is the major pathogenic factor of sexual dysfunction in KS.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Vignozzi
- Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit, Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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10
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Tsitolovsky LE. Protection from neuronal damage evoked by a motivational excitation is a driving force of intentional actions. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 49:566-94. [PMID: 16269320 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresrev.2005.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2004] [Revised: 12/16/2004] [Accepted: 02/25/2005] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Motivation may be understood as an organism's subjective attitude to its current physiological state, which somehow modulates generation of actions until the organism attains an optimal state. How does this subjective attitude arise and how does it modulate generation of actions? Diverse lines of evidence suggest that elemental motivational states (hunger, thirst, fear, drug-dependence, etc.) arise as the result of metabolic disturbances and are related to transient injury, while rewards (food, water, avoidance, drugs, etc.) are associated with the recovery of specific neurons. Just as motivation and the very life of an organism depend on homeostasis, i.e., maintenance of optimum performance, so a neuron's behavior depends on neuronal (i.e., ion) homeostasis. During motivational excitation, the conventional properties of a neuron, such as maintenance of membrane potential and spike generation, are disturbed. Instrumental actions may originate as a consequence of the compensational recovery of neuronal excitability after the excitotoxic damage induced by a motivation. When the extent of neuronal actions is proportional to a metabolic disturbance, the neuron theoretically may choose a beneficial behavior even, if at each instant, it acts by chance. Homeostasis supposedly may be directed to anticipating compensation of the factors that lead to a disturbance of the homeostasis and, as a result, participates in the plasticity of motivational behavior. Following this line of thought, I suggest that voluntary actions arise from the interaction between endogenous compensational mechanisms and excitotoxic damage of specific neurons, and thus anticipate the exogenous compensation evoked by a reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lev E Tsitolovsky
- Department of Life Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel.
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11
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Stark CP. Behavioral Effects of Stimulation of the Medial Amygdala in the Male Rat Are Modified by Prior Sexual Experience. The Journal of General Psychology 2005; 132:207-24. [PMID: 15871301 DOI: 10.3200/genp.132.2.207-224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Researchers have found that stimulation of the medial nucleus of the amygdala (MeA) in male rats increases appetitive copulatory behavior directed toward an anestrous female but suppresses copulation with an estrous female (C. P. Stark et al., 1998). The objective in the present study was to determine if the behavioral change produced by stimulation of the MeA was dependent on chemical and/or visual cues from the conspecific. The author reports that electrical stimulation of the MeA in male rats increased the frequency of mounting and investigative behavior directed toward a male conspecific. However, these effects were limited to those subjects that had no prior sexual experience. Results are discussed in terms of possible experience-dependent alterations in neural response patterns within the MeA and related areas.
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12
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Baird AD, Wilson SJ, Bladin PF, Saling MM, Reutens DC. The amygdala and sexual drive: Insights from temporal lobe epilepsy surgery. Ann Neurol 2003; 55:87-96. [PMID: 14705116 DOI: 10.1002/ana.10997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the amygdala and human sex drive. We compared amygdalar volume in groups of patients with or without sexual changes after temporal lobe resection and in age-matched neurologically normal subjects. Forty-five patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy who underwent surgical resection in the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre completed a semistructured interview and questionnaire relating to sexual outcome after surgery. Volumetric analyses of both amygdalae were conducted on the patients' preoperative T(1)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans and those of 46 neurologically normal controls. Patients who reported a postoperative sexual increase had a significantly larger amygdalar volume contralateral to the site of their resective surgery than patients with a sexual decrease or no change than control subjects. There was a significant positive relationship between contralateral amygdalar volume and the maximum degree of sexual change. We have demonstrated a relationship between contralateral amygdalar volume and sexual outcome in patients undergoing temporal lobe resection. This finding provides evidence for an important role of the amygdala in regulating human sexual behavior. A larger contralateral amygdala may contribute to the expression of increased or improved sexuality after temporal lobe resection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amee D Baird
- School of Behavioural Science, Department of Psychology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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13
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Goodson JL, Bass AH. Social behavior functions and related anatomical characteristics of vasotocin/vasopressin systems in vertebrates. BRAIN RESEARCH. BRAIN RESEARCH REVIEWS 2001; 35:246-65. [PMID: 11423156 DOI: 10.1016/s0165-0173(01)00043-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 430] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The neuropeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT; non-mammals) and its mammalian homologue, arginine vasopressin (AVP) influence a variety of sex-typical and species-specific behaviors, and provide an integrational neural substrate for the dynamic modulation of those behaviors by endocrine and sensory stimuli. Although AVT/AVP behavioral functions and related anatomical features are increasingly well-known for individual species, ubiquitous species-specificity presents ever increasing challenges for identifying consistent structure-function patterns that are broadly meaningful. Towards this end, we provide a comprehensive review of the available literature on social behavior functions of AVT/AVP and related anatomical characteristics, inclusive of seasonal plasticity, sexual dimorphism, and steroid sensitivity. Based on this foundation, we then advance three major questions which are fundamental to a broad conceptualization of AVT/AVP social behavior functions: (1) Are there sufficient data to suggest that certain peptide functions or anatomical characteristics (neuron, fiber, and receptor distributions) are conserved across the vertebrate classes? (2) Are independently-evolved but similar behavior patterns (e.g. similar social structures) supported by convergent modifications of neuropeptide mechanisms, and if so, what mechanisms? (3) How does AVT/AVP influence behavior - by modulation of sensorimotor processes, motivational processes, or both? Hypotheses based upon these questions, rather than those based on individual organisms, should generate comparative data that will foster cross-class comparisons which are at present underrepresented in the available literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Goodson
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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14
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Koolhaas JM, Everts H, de Ruiter AJ, de Boer SF, Bohus B. Coping with stress in rats and mice: differential peptidergic modulation of the amygdala-lateral septum complex. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 1999; 119:437-48. [PMID: 10074805 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(08)61586-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the parvicellular vasopressin (VP) system originating from the medial nucleus of the amygdala (MeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). The vasopressinergic fibers of these nuclei innervate a number of limbic brain areas including the septum-hippocampal complex. Interestingly, this VP system is sexually dimorphic and the VP synthesis in this system depends on circulating gonadal steroids. Studies in rats and mice show that the variation in the lateral septal VP network within the male gender is as large as the variation between the sexes as reported in the literature. Non-aggressive males are characterized by a far more extensive VP network and a higher VP content in the lateral septal area than aggressive males. A review of the literature on the function of lateral septal VP in the organization of behavior reveals not only a modulatory role of behavior in a social context, but also of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors. It is argued that these seemingly diverse functions might be explained by the concept of coping style. Extensive behavioral and physiological analyses in a variety of animal species show that males may be characterized by the way in which they cope with environmental challenges in general. Aggressive males tend to cope actively with their environment whereas non-aggressive males seem to accept the situation as it is more easily. In several tests, we determined the effects of chronic infusion of the V1 receptor antagonist locally into the lateral septal area in male rats. The main conclusion from these experiments is that LS VP does not modulate coping style in general. However, the experiments confirm the idea that LS VP has a certain degree of functional specificity in social behavior and social learning tasks. Together with the observation that the size and distribution of the vasopressinergic system may be highly variable between individual males in relation to their coping style, this suggests that the lateral septal vasopressinergic system is involved in the differential capacity of individuals to cope behaviorally with challenges of a social nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Koolhaas
- Department of Animal Physiology, Haren, The Netherlands
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Smock T, Albeck D, Stark P. A peptidergic basis for sexual behavior in mammals. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 1999; 119:467-81. [PMID: 10074807 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(08)61588-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Vasopressin (VP) is a peptide neurotransmitter in the limbic system of rats. It is synthesized in the medial amygdaloid nucleus in the presence of sex steroids, transported to other limbic structures such as the hippocampus and septum and secreted there by a calcium-dependent process. In the hippocampus, VP acts on cerebral microvessels and local circuit interneurons. Its excitatory action on the inhibitory interneurons produces near-total shutdown of electrical activity of the efferent fibers of pyramidal cells, the projection neurons of the hippocampus. Stimulation of the medial amygdala and release of the endogenous VP duplicates these effects and, since they are blocked by ventricular application of a VP antagonist, the effects are almost certainly mediated by endogenous VP. Recording from the VP-containing cell bodies or of the hippocampal action of the peptide indicates that the system is selectively involved with the early stages of sexual behavior, specifically those appetitive behaviors that anticipate coitus. Stimulation of the VP cells produces alterations in sexual behavior in a manner consistent with the hypothesis that the medial amygdala organizes the appetitive phase of recognition of an appropriate partner and sexual arousal. This role for the medial amygdala complements the proposed role of nearby structures in the consummatory, reward and learned aspects of sexual behavior. Association between VP, oxytocin (OT) and homologs with sexual behavior is very widespread among vertebrates, including amphibians, reptiles, primates and humans. Humans and other primates display a phenomenon called 'concealed ovulation' that may have played a role in the evolution of social structures. The review concludes with a discussion of possible experimental strategies for evaluating the possible role of VP in concealed ovulation and other conditions in which sexual behavior occurs outside of estrus.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Smock
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, USA
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16
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Stark CP, Alpern HP, Fuhrer J, Trowbridge MG, Wimbish H, Smock T. The medial amygdaloid nucleus modifies social behavior in male rats. Physiol Behav 1998; 63:253-9. [PMID: 9423967 DOI: 10.1016/s0031-9384(97)00438-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Electrical stimulation of the medial amygdaloid nucleus (AME) produces a behavioral state in male rats that resembles the postejaculatory interval, but electrical recording from cells in the AME shows that they become active earlier in sexual behavior, around the time that the male first appears to become aware of estrus in the female. In an attempt to resolve which feature of sexual behavior was mediated by the AME, we stimulated the structure bilaterally in freely behaving males using voltage levels too low to produce the postejaculatory interval. We found that electrical activation of this kind facilitated sexual behavior when it would not otherwise occur (i.e., in the presence of a nonestrous female). However, the stimuli suppressed sexual behavior when it would normally occur (i.e., in the presence of a nonestrous female). We discuss alternative interpretations of the results in the context of a general model for the central organization of sexual behavior in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- C P Stark
- Howard Hughes Undergraduate Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, USA
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17
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Kondo Y, Sachs BD, Sakuma Y. Importance of the medial amygdala in rat penile erection evoked by remote stimuli from estrous females. Behav Brain Res 1997; 88:153-60. [PMID: 9404624 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4328(97)02287-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Effects of medial amygdala lesions (MAL) were examined on rat penile erection in three different experimental situations. Only sexually vigorous males, as identified by preoperative mating tests, were used. Bilateral radiofrequency lesions were confined to the posterior medial amygdala, with little systematic damage to anterior medial amygdala or to adjacent structures. Lesion electrodes were withdrawn without current application in sham-operated animals (SHAM). After recovery for brain surgery, males were tested for (1) noncontact erection (NCE) that occurs when males were placed in proximity to inaccessible estrous females, (2) reflexive erection evoked in supine males by retraction of the penile sheath, and (3) copulatory behaviour with receptive females. In the NCE test, none of the MAL males showed penile erection during the 20 min observation, whereas 70% of the SHAM males showed it (P < 0.001). In contrast, no erectile dysfunction in the MAL males was detected in the other two tests. MAL males displayed more penile-body erections (flips) than SHAM males in the reflexive-erection test (P < 0.05). In the copulation test, most of the MAL males achieved intromission, but their intromission ratio, a partial measure of erectile function, was marginally lower than that of SHAM males (P = 0.051). MAL males had longer intervals between intromissions (P < 0.001); as a result, none of them ejaculated during the 20 min period that followed the first intromission. The results suggest that the posterior medial amygdala plays an essential role in the regulation of NCE, and it may also contribute to the regulation of erection in other contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Kondo
- Department of Physiology 1, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
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18
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Chronic social stress alters levels of corticotropin-releasing factor and arginine vasopressin mRNA in rat brain. J Neurosci 1997. [PMID: 9169547 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.17-12-04895.1997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the visible burrow system model of chronic social stress, male rats housed in mixed-sex groups quickly form a dominance hierarchy in which the subordinates appear to be severely stressed. A subgroup of subordinates have an impaired corticosterone response after presentation of a novel restraint stressor, leading to their designation as nonresponsive subordinates. To examine the mechanism underlying the blunted corticosterone response in these animals, in situ hybridization histochemistry was used to quantify corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) mRNA expression in the brain. In two separate visible burrow system experiments, the nonresponsive subordinates expressed a significantly lower average number of CRF mRNA grains per cell in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus compared with stress-responsive subordinates, dominants (DOM), or cage-housed control (CON) rats. The number of CRF mRNA labeled cells was also significantly lower in nonresponders than in responsive subordinates or DOM. In the central amygdala, CRF mRNA levels were increased in both groups of subordinates compared with CON rats, whereas responsive subordinates exhibited higher levels than the DOM rats as well. AVP mRNA levels did not vary with behavioral rank in any subdivision of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus. In the medial amygdala, the number of cells expressing AVP mRNA was significantly greater in CON rats compared with both groups of subordinates, although the average number of AVP mRNA grains per cell did not vary with rank. In addition, the number of AVP-positive cells significantly correlated with plasma testosterone level.
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Abstract
The role of the medial, and cortical nuclei of amygdala was studied in 54 Möll-Wistar rats under two modes of foot-shock analgesia. In all but control animals bilateral electrolytic lesions were performed. Pre- and post-stress pain reactivity were measured in the hot-plate and the tail-flick tests. The damage of the medial nucleus decreases animals' primordial pain reactivity. Four minutes of continuous foot-shock produced post-stress analgesia in all control and lesioned rats, but 20 min of regularly intermittent foot-shock failed to evoke analgesia in the lesioned rats, especially in subjects with the dorsal part of the medial nucleus injuries. The results indicate that the medial and cortical nuclei are important in regulation of the post-stress antinociceptive processes evoked only by prolonged intermittent shock action. It has been previously shown that the behaviour evoked by this stressor is related to opioid mechanisms, and modulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system. Present finding is in agreement with our concept of the dorsomedial amygdala involvement in painful and stressful stimuli processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Werka
- Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland.
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Abstract
Electrical recordings from vasopressin-containing cells in the medial amygdala were obtained. Electrical stimulation of one major afferent structure, the accessory olfactory bulb, invariably elicited single unit discharge in the peptidergic cells and set up a field potential indicating widespread excitation in the structure. Pheromonal stimuli, normally borne into the brain by the accessory olfactory bulb, were ineffective in activating the medial amygdala. These results in combination with preexisting research suggest that the accessory olfactory bulb is an important influence, but not the only influence, on the activity of the peptidergic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Murphy
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, USA
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Shipley MT, Murphy AZ, Rizvi TA, Ennis M, Behbehani MM. Olfaction and brainstem circuits of reproductive behavior in the rat. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 1996; 107:355-77. [PMID: 8782531 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(08)61876-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M T Shipley
- Department of Anatomy, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201-1559, USA
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Ward TC, Intemann P, Brittin L, Carder S, Kelley S, Tran V, Smock T. Interaction between long-term potentiation and the action of a peptide transmitter. Peptides 1995; 16:917-9. [PMID: 7479335 DOI: 10.1016/0196-9781(95)00056-p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The interaction between long-term potentiation (LTP) and the action of a peptide transmitter was examined with evoked field potential recording in the CA1 region of the hippocampus in anesthetized male rats. The peptide transmitter transiently reversed and opposed the effects of LTP, and LTP reversed the action of the peptide transmitter. Because the peptide transmitter is released and has action particularly during sexual behaviors, the results are interpreted to mean that any memory trace encoded by potentiating mechanisms in the rat hippocampus is probably not accessible in the 20-30-min period of time surrounding reproductive activity in male rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- T C Ward
- Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309, USA
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