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Correia P, Demeter K, Varga J, Urbán E, Török B, Balázsfi D, Bakos N, Haller J, Zelena D. The effectiveness of extinction training in male rats: Temporal considerations and brain mechanisms. Behav Brain Res 2023; 441:114285. [PMID: 36610549 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114285] [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: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The extinction of conditioned fear is frequently used in laboratories as a model for human exposure therapy and is crucial for studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the efficacy of specific protocols can vary greatly, and the underlying brain mechanisms are not sufficiently clarified. To address this issue, variable starting time (one or twenty-eight days after fear conditioning) and extinction protocols were used, and the efficacy and durability of fear extinction were also studied. Changes in the behavior, stress hormone levels and neuronal activation patterns of stressed rats were analyzed. Conditioned fear was rapidly and efficiently extinguished by all the protocols investigated. However, when these extinction protocols were initiated one day after fear training, conditioned fear relapsed spontaneously four weeks later. In contrast, when extinction trials were started 28 days after conditioning, no relapse occurred. Hormone measurements taken by the end of extinction trials indicated that adrenocorticotropin, but not corticosterone responses reflected behavioral extinction without any sign of relapse. The last extinction training increased the activation of the medial prefrontal cortex and decreased the activation of the central and medial amygdala when extinction began one day after fear conditioning. By contrast, the activation of the basolateral amygdala and the entire hippocampus decreased by the last training session when extinction started 28 days after fear conditioning. Our findings show that extinction training can extinguish remote fear memories more effectively than recent ones, and that the brain mechanisms underlying remote and recent fear memory extinction differ. Laboratory models should also focus on a later time point to increase their translational value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Correia
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary; Janos Szentagothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Kornél Demeter
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary; Behavioral Studies Unit, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - János Varga
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Eszter Urbán
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bibiána Török
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary; Janos Szentagothai School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Diána Balázsfi
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nikoletta Bakos
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - József Haller
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dóra Zelena
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Pécs, Hungary.
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2
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Vasopressin as a Possible Link between Sleep-Disturbances and Memory Problems. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232415467. [PMID: 36555107 PMCID: PMC9778878 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415467] [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: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Normal biological rhythms, including sleep, are very important for a healthy life and their disturbance may induce-among other issues-memory impairment, which is a key problem of many psychiatric pathologies. The major brain center of circadian regulation is the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and vasopressin (AVP), which is one of its main neurotransmitters, also plays a key role in memory formation. In this review paper, we aimed to summarize our knowledge on the vasopressinergic connection between sleep and memory with the help of the AVP-deficient Brattleboro rat strain. These animals have EEG disturbances with reduced sleep and impaired memory-boosting theta oscillation and show memory impairment in parallel. Based upon human and animal data measuring AVP levels, haplotypes, and the administration of AVP or its agonist or antagonist via different routes (subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, intracerebroventricular, or intranasal), V1a receptors (especially of hippocampal origin) were implicated in the sleep-memory interaction. All in all, the presented data confirm the possible connective role of AVP between biological rhythms and memory formation, thus, supporting the importance of AVP in several psychopathological conditions.
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3
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Rigney N, de Vries GJ, Petrulis A, Young LJ. Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior: From Neural Circuits to Clinical Opportunities. Endocrinology 2022; 163:6648172. [PMID: 35863332 PMCID: PMC9337272 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqac111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin and vasopressin are peptide hormones secreted from the pituitary that are well known for their peripheral endocrine effects on childbirth/nursing and blood pressure/urine concentration, respectively. However, both peptides are also released in the brain, where they modulate several aspects of social behaviors. Oxytocin promotes maternal nurturing and bonding, enhances social reward, and increases the salience of social stimuli. Vasopressin modulates social communication, social investigation, territorial behavior, and aggression, predominantly in males. Both peptides facilitate social memory and pair bonding behaviors in monogamous species. Here we review the latest research delineating the neural circuitry of the brain oxytocin and vasopressin systems and summarize recent investigations into the circuit-based mechanisms modulating social behaviors. We highlight research using modern molecular genetic technologies to map, monitor activity of, or manipulate neuropeptide circuits. Species diversity in oxytocin and vasopressin effects on social behaviors are also discussed. We conclude with a discussion of the translational implications of oxytocin and vasopressin for improving social functioning in disorders with social impairments, such as autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Rigney
- Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
| | - Geert J de Vries
- Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
| | - Aras Petrulis
- Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Correspondence: Larry J. Young, PhD, Emory National Primate Center, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Rd, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
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4
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Putnam PT, Chang SWC. Interplay between the oxytocin and opioid systems in regulating social behaviour. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210050. [PMID: 35858101 PMCID: PMC9272147 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0050] [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: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The influence of neuromodulators on brain activity and behaviour is undeniably profound, yet our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms, or ability to reliably reproduce effects across varying conditions, is still lacking. Oxytocin, a hormone that acts as a neuromodulator in the brain, is an example of this quandary; it powerfully shapes behaviours across nearly all mammalian species, yet when manipulated exogenously can produce unreliable or sometimes unexpected behavioural results across varying contexts. While current research is rapidly expanding our understanding of oxytocin, interactions between oxytocin and other neuromodulatory systems remain underappreciated in the current literature. This review highlights interactions between oxytocin and the opioid system that serve to influence social behaviour and proposes a parallel-mechanism hypothesis to explain the supralinear effects of combinatorial neuropharmacological approaches. 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)
- Philip T. Putnam
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Steve W. C. Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
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5
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Medina C, Krawczyk MC, Millan J, Blake MG, Boccia MM. Oxytocin-Cholinergic Central Interaction: Implications for Non-Social Memory Formation. Neuroscience 2022; 497:73-85. [PMID: 35752429 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.06.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) are two closely related neuropeptides implicated in learning and memory processes, anxiety, nociception, addiction, feeding behavior and social information processing. Regarding learning and memory, OT has induced long-lasting impairment in different behaviors, while the opposite was observed with AVP. We have previously evaluated the effect of peripheral administration of OT or its antagonist (AOT) on the inhibitory avoidance response of mice and on the modulation of cholinergic mechanisms. Here, we replicate and validate those results, but this time through central administration of neuropeptides, considering their poor passage through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). When we delivered OT (0.10 ng/mouse) and its antagonist (0.10 ng/mouse) through intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections, the neuropeptide impaired and AOT enhanced the behavioral performance on an inhibitory avoidance response evaluated 48 h after training in a dose-dependent manner. On top of that, we investigated a possible central interaction between OT and the cholinergic system. Administration of anticholinesterases inhibitors with access to the central nervous system (CNS), the activation of muscarinic acetylcholine (Ach) receptors and the increase of evoked ACh release using linopirdine (Lino) (3-10 µg/kg, IP), reversed the impairment of retention performance induced by OT. Besides, either muscarinic or nicotinic antagonists with unrestricted access to the CNS reduced the magnitude of the performance-facilitating effect of AOT's central infusion. We suggest that OT might induce a cholinergic hypofunction state, resulting in an impairment of IA memory formation, a process for which the cholinergic system is crucially necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Medina
- Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología de los Procesos de Memoria, Cátedra de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M C Krawczyk
- Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología de los Procesos de Memoria, Cátedra de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - J Millan
- Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología de los Procesos de Memoria, Cátedra de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M G Blake
- Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica (IFIBIO UBA-CONICET), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M M Boccia
- Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología de los Procesos de Memoria, Cátedra de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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6
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Buijs RM, Hurtado-Alvarado G, Soto-Tinoco E. Vasopressin: An output signal from the suprachiasmatic nucleus to prepare physiology and behaviour for the resting phase. J Neuroendocrinol 2021; 33:e12998. [PMID: 34189788 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Vasopressin (VP) is an important hormone produced in the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) with antidiuretic and vasoconstrictor functions in the periphery. As one of the first discovered peptide hormones, VP was also shown to act as a neurotransmitter, where VP is produced and released under the influence of various stimuli. VP is one of the core signals via which the biological clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), imposes its rhythm on its target structures and its production and release is influenced by the rhythm of clock genes and the light/dark cycle. This is contrasted with VP production and release from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the medial amygdala, which is influenced by gonadal hormones, as well as with VP originating from the PVN and SON, which is released in the neural lobe and central targets. The release of VP from the SCN signals the near arrival of the resting phase in rodents and prepares their physiology accordingly by down-modulating corticosterone secretion, the reproductive cycle and locomotor activity. All these circadian variables are regulated within very narrow boundaries at a specific time of the day, where day-to-day variation is less than 5% at any particular hour. However, the circadian peak values can be at least ten times higher than the circadian trough values, indicating the need for an elaborate feedback system to inform the SCN and other participating nuclei about the actual levels reached during the circadian cycle. In short, the interplay between SCN circadian output and peripheral feedback to the SCN is essential for the adequate organisation of all circadian rhythms in physiology and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruud M Buijs
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
| | - Gabriela Hurtado-Alvarado
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
| | - Eva Soto-Tinoco
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
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Kreier F, Swaab DF. History of hypothalamic research: "The spring of primitive existence". HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2021; 179:7-43. [PMID: 34225985 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-819975-6.00031-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The central brain region of interest for neuroendocrinology is the hypothalamus, a name coined by Wilhelm His in 1893. Neuroendocrinology is the discipline that studies hormone production by neurons, the sensitivity of neurons for hormones, as well as the dynamic, bidirectional interactions between neurons and endocrine glands. These interactions do not only occur through hormones, but are also partly accomplished by the autonomic nervous system that is regulated by the hypothalamus and that innervates the endocrine glands. A special characteristic of the hypothalamus is that it contains neuroendocrine neurons projecting either to the neurohypophysis or to the portal vessels of the anterior lobe of the pituitary in the median eminence, where they release their neuropeptides or other neuroactive compounds into the bloodstream, which subsequently act as neurohormones. In the 1970s it was found that vasopressin and oxytocin not only are released as hormones in the circulation but that their neurons project to other neurons within and outside the hypothalamus and function as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators that regulate central functions, including the autonomic innervation of all our body organs. Recently magnocellular oxytocin neurons were shown to send not only an axon to the neurohypophysis, but also axon collaterals of the same neuroendocrine neuron to a multitude of brain areas. In this way, the hypothalamus acts as a central integrator for endocrine, autonomic, and higher brain functions. The history of neuroendocrinology is described in this chapter from the descriptions in De humani corporis fabrica by Vesalius (1537) to the present, with a timeline of the scientists and their findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Kreier
- Department Pediatrics, OLVG Hospitals, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Dick F Swaab
- Department Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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8
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Leng G, Leng RI, Maclean S. The vasopressin−memory hypothesis: a citation network analysis of a debate. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1455:126-140. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gareth Leng
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciencesthe University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | - Rhodri Ivor Leng
- Department of Science Technology and Innovation Studiesthe University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | - Stewart Maclean
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciencesthe University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
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9
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Cilz NI, Cymerblit-Sabba A, Young WS. Oxytocin and vasopressin in the rodent hippocampus. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 18:e12535. [PMID: 30378258 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The role of the hippocampus in social memory and behavior is under intense investigation. Oxytocin (Oxt) and vasopressin (Avp) are two neuropeptides with many central actions related to social cognition. Oxt- and Avp-expressing fibers are abundant in the hippocampus and receptors for both peptides are seen throughout the different subfields, suggesting that Oxt and Avp modulate hippocampal-dependent processes. In this review, we first focus on the anatomical sources of Oxt and Avp input to the hippocampus and consider the distribution of their corresponding receptors in different hippocampal subfields and neuronal populations. We next discuss the behavioral outcomes related to social memory seen with perturbation of hippocampal Oxt and Avp signaling. Finally, we review Oxt and Avp modulatory mechanisms in the hippocampus that may underlie the behavioral roles for both peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas I Cilz
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Adi Cymerblit-Sabba
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - W Scott Young
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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10
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Koorneef LL, Bogaards M, Reinders MJT, Meijer OC, Mahfouz A. How Metabolic State May Regulate Fear: Presence of Metabolic Receptors in the Fear Circuitry. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:594. [PMID: 30210279 PMCID: PMC6119828 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic status impacts on the emotional brain to induce behavior that maintains energy balance. While hunger suppresses the fear circuitry to promote explorative food-seeking behavior, satiety or obesity may increase fear to prevent unnecessary risk-taking. Here we aimed to unravel which metabolic factors, that transfer information about the acute and the chronic metabolic status, are of primary importance to regulate fear, and to identify their sites of action within fear-related brain regions. We performed a de novo analysis of central and peripheral metabolic factors that can penetrate the blood–brain barrier using genome-wide expression data across the mouse brain from the Allen Brain Atlas (ABA). The central fear circuitry, as defined by subnuclei of the amygdala, the afferent hippocampus, the medial prefrontal cortex and the efferent periaqueductal gray, was enriched with metabolic receptors. Some of their corresponding ligands were known to modulate fear (e.g., estrogen and thyroid hormones) while others had not been associated with fear before (e.g., glucagon, ACTH). Additionally, several of these enriched metabolic receptors were coexpressed with well-described fear-modulating genes (Crh, Crhr1, or Crhr2). Co-expression analysis of monoamine markers and metabolic receptors suggested that monoaminergic nuclei have differential sensitivity to metabolic alterations. Serotonergic neurons expressed a large number of metabolic receptors (e.g., estrogen receptors, fatty acid receptors), suggesting a wide responsivity to metabolic changes. The noradrenergic system seemed to be specifically sensitive to hypocretin/orexin modulation. Taken together, we identified a number of novel metabolic factors (glucagon, ACTH) that have the potential to modulate the fear response. We additionally propose novel cerebral targets for metabolic factors (e.g., thyroid hormones) that modulate fear, but of which the sites of action are (largely) unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa L Koorneef
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Marit Bogaards
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Marcel J T Reinders
- Leiden Computational Biology Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Delft Bioinformatics Laboratory, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Onno C Meijer
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Einthoven Laboratory for Experimental Vascular Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Ahmed Mahfouz
- Leiden Computational Biology Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands.,Delft Bioinformatics Laboratory, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
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Jurek B, Neumann ID. The Oxytocin Receptor: From Intracellular Signaling to Behavior. Physiol Rev 2018; 98:1805-1908. [DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00031.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 408] [Impact Index Per Article: 68.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The many facets of the oxytocin (OXT) system of the brain and periphery elicited nearly 25,000 publications since 1930 (see FIGURE 1 , as listed in PubMed), which revealed central roles for OXT and its receptor (OXTR) in reproduction, and social and emotional behaviors in animal and human studies focusing on mental and physical health and disease. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of OXT expression and release, expression and binding of the OXTR in brain and periphery, OXTR-coupled signaling cascades, and their involvement in behavioral outcomes to assemble a comprehensive picture of the central and peripheral OXT system. Traditionally known for its role in milk let-down and uterine contraction during labor, OXT also has implications in physiological, and also behavioral, aspects of reproduction, such as sexual and maternal behaviors and pair bonding, but also anxiety, trust, sociability, food intake, or even drug abuse. The many facets of OXT are, on a molecular basis, brought about by a single receptor. The OXTR, a 7-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor capable of binding to either Gαior Gαqproteins, activates a set of signaling cascades, such as the MAPK, PKC, PLC, or CaMK pathways, which converge on transcription factors like CREB or MEF-2. The cellular response to OXT includes regulation of neurite outgrowth, cellular viability, and increased survival. OXTergic projections in the brain represent anxiety and stress-regulating circuits connecting the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or the medial prefrontal cortex. Which OXT-induced patterns finally alter the behavior of an animal or a human being is still poorly understood, and studying those OXTR-coupled signaling cascades is one initial step toward a better understanding of the molecular background of those behavioral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Jurek
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Inga D. Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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12
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Effect of Endogenous Arginine-Vasopressin Arising from the Paraventricular Nucleus on Learning and Memory Functions in Vascular Dementia Model Rats. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2017; 2017:3214918. [PMID: 29333438 PMCID: PMC5733123 DOI: 10.1155/2017/3214918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The hippocampus is a key structure for encoding and processing memory and for spatial orientation, which are among the cognitive functions most sensitive to cerebral ischemia, hypoxia, and vascular dementia (VD). Since hippocampal formation is one of the principle forebrain targets for arginine-vasopressin (AVP) innervations arising in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), we explored the contributions of AVP to VD pathogenesis. To this end, we randomly assigned pathogen-free, male Wistar rats to one of seven groups in a VD model and tested AVP treatment effects on spatial learning and memory using the Morris water maze. We also measured the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in brain samples and monitored the expression of AVP-positive neurons in the hippocampus by immunohistochemistry. The VD model with repeated cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury evoked impairment of cognitive function and reduced cerebral concentrations of the antioxidation markers. Lesioning the rat PVN showed a similar effect on learning and memory and reduced antioxidation markers in the brain tissue. However, AVP injection into the PVN improved cognitive performance in VD rats, while enhancing/rectifying the changes in antioxidation markers. We conclude that our VD model may decrease AVP secretion in the PVN and subsequently reduce antioxidant capacity in the hippocampus, leading to impaired cognitive function.
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Suchecki D, Elias CF. Editorial: Neuropeptides and Behavior: From Motivation to Psychopathology. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2017; 8:210. [PMID: 28890709 PMCID: PMC5574876 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Suchecki
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Deborah Suchecki,
| | - Carol F. Elias
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) has been revealed as a profound anxiolytic and antistress factor of the brain, besides its many prosocial and reproductive effects. Therefore, there is substantial scientific and medical interest in its potential therapeutic use for the treatment of psychopathologies associated with anxiety, fear, and social dysfunctions, such as generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder, as well as autism and schizophrenia, among others. Focusing on preclinical studies, we review the existing evidence for the regulatory capacity of OXT to fine-tune general and social anxiety-related behaviors, as well as cued and social fear conditioning from a translational perspective. The available evidence from animal and human studies substantiates the hypothesis of an imbalance of the endogenous brain OXT system in the etiology of anxiety disorders, particularly those with a social component such as social anxiety disorder. In addition, such an imbalance of the OXT system is also likely to be the consequence of chronic OXT treatment resulting in a dose-dependent reduction in OXT receptor availability and increased anxiety.
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Shamay-Tsoory S, Young LJ. Understanding the Oxytocin System and Its Relevance to Psychiatry. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 79:150-2. [PMID: 26723107 PMCID: PMC4718566 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Mairesse J, Gatta E, Reynaert ML, Marrocco J, Morley-Fletcher S, Soichot M, Deruyter L, Camp GV, Bouwalerh H, Fagioli F, Pittaluga A, Allorge D, Nicoletti F, Maccari S. Activation of presynaptic oxytocin receptors enhances glutamate release in the ventral hippocampus of prenatally restraint stressed rats. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2015; 62:36-46. [PMID: 26231445 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Revised: 07/03/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin receptors are known to modulate synaptic transmission and network activity in the hippocampus, but their precise function has been only partially elucidated. Here, we have found that activation of presynaptic oxytocin receptor with the potent agonist, carbetocin, enhanced depolarization-evoked glutamate release in the ventral hippocampus with no effect on GABA release. This evidence paved the way for examining the effect of carbetocin treatment in "prenatally restraint stressed" (PRS) rats, i.e., the offspring of dams exposed to repeated episodes of restraint stress during pregnancy. Adult PRS rats exhibit an anxious/depressive-like phenotype associated with an abnormal glucocorticoid feedback regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and, remarkably, with a reduced depolarization-evoked glutamate release in the ventral hippocampus. Chronic systemic treatment with carbetocin (1mg/kg, i.p., once a day for 2-3 weeks) in PRS rats corrected the defect in glutamate release, anxiety- and depressive-like behavior, and abnormalities in social behavior, in the HPA response to stress, and in the expression of stress-related genes in the hippocampus and amygdala. Of note, carbetocin treatment had no effect on these behavioral and neuroendocrine parameters in prenatally unstressed (control) rats, with the exception of a reduced expression of the oxytocin receptor gene in the amygdala. These findings disclose a novel function of oxytocin receptors in the hippocampus, and encourage the use of oxytocin receptor agonists in the treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders in adult life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Mairesse
- Univ.Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; LIA France/Italy (International Associated Laboratory "Prenatal Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Glycobiology of Stress-related Diseases team, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; Neuromed, 86077-Pozzilli, Italy and Sapienza University of Rome, 00185-Rome, Italy
| | - Eleonora Gatta
- Univ.Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; LIA France/Italy (International Associated Laboratory "Prenatal Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Glycobiology of Stress-related Diseases team, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; Neuromed, 86077-Pozzilli, Italy and Sapienza University of Rome, 00185-Rome, Italy
| | - Marie-Line Reynaert
- Univ.Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; LIA France/Italy (International Associated Laboratory "Prenatal Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Glycobiology of Stress-related Diseases team, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; Neuromed, 86077-Pozzilli, Italy and Sapienza University of Rome, 00185-Rome, Italy
| | - Jordan Marrocco
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University, 10065 New York, NY, USA; LIA France/Italy (International Associated Laboratory "Prenatal Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Glycobiology of Stress-related Diseases team, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; Neuromed, 86077-Pozzilli, Italy and Sapienza University of Rome, 00185-Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Morley-Fletcher
- Univ.Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; LIA France/Italy (International Associated Laboratory "Prenatal Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Glycobiology of Stress-related Diseases team, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; Neuromed, 86077-Pozzilli, Italy and Sapienza University of Rome, 00185-Rome, Italy
| | | | - Lucie Deruyter
- Univ.Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; LIA France/Italy (International Associated Laboratory "Prenatal Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Glycobiology of Stress-related Diseases team, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; Neuromed, 86077-Pozzilli, Italy and Sapienza University of Rome, 00185-Rome, Italy
| | - Gilles Van Camp
- Univ.Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; LIA France/Italy (International Associated Laboratory "Prenatal Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Glycobiology of Stress-related Diseases team, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; Neuromed, 86077-Pozzilli, Italy and Sapienza University of Rome, 00185-Rome, Italy
| | - Hammou Bouwalerh
- Univ.Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; LIA France/Italy (International Associated Laboratory "Prenatal Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Glycobiology of Stress-related Diseases team, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; Neuromed, 86077-Pozzilli, Italy and Sapienza University of Rome, 00185-Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Fagioli
- Azienda Sanitaria Locale, RM.E. Unità Operativa Complessa Adolescent, 00100 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Univ.Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy; LIA France/Italy (International Associated Laboratory "Prenatal Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Glycobiology of Stress-related Diseases team, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; Neuromed, 86077-Pozzilli, Italy and Sapienza University of Rome, 00185-Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Maccari
- Univ.Lille, CNRS, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; LIA France/Italy (International Associated Laboratory "Prenatal Stress and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Glycobiology of Stress-related Diseases team, UMR 8576, UGSF, Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, 59000 Lille, France; Neuromed, 86077-Pozzilli, Italy and Sapienza University of Rome, 00185-Rome, Italy.
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Belyakova AS, Sinjushin AA, Voskresenskaya OG, Kamensky AA, Golubovich VP. The analog of arginine-vasopressin (6-9) fragment, Ac-D-SPRG, exhibits antidepressant action in rats in case of intranasal injection. NEUROCHEM J+ 2015. [DOI: 10.1134/s1819712415030034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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19
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The effects of neonatal injections of α-MSH on the open-field behavior of juvenile and adult rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.3758/bf03335334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Lukas M, Neumann ID. Oxytocin and vasopressin in rodent behaviors related to social dysfunctions in autism spectrum disorders. Behav Brain Res 2012; 251:85-94. [PMID: 22981649 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Revised: 08/06/2012] [Accepted: 08/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and social anxiety disorder involve various forms of social deficits like impaired affiliative behavior, social cognition and social approach. Although the neurobiological underpinnings of these disorders are largely unknown, rodent and human studies suggest an involvement of the evolutionary highly conserved oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (AVP), as these neuropeptides modulate various aspects of mammalian social behaviors. In this review we summarize the current knowledge regarding the involvement of brain OXT and AVP in rodent social behaviors related to social dysfunctions in ASD. Starting with an introduction into the neurobiology of the central OXT and AVP systems (neuroanatomy, central release, receptor distribution) we describe the distinct roles OXT and AVP play in basic social behaviors in rodents, i.e. affiliative behavior (pair-bonding and maternal behavior), social cognition (social memory), and social approach (social preference or social avoidance). The regulatory capacity of OXT and AVP to modulate social behaviors in various rodent species implies a high translational potential, in particular that dys-regulations in the brain neuropeptide systems may underlie social dysfunctions in ASD. It also suggests that the brain OXT and AVP systems are promising pharmacotherapeutic targets to improve social behaviors and to reverse social deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lukas
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
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Albers HE. The regulation of social recognition, social communication and aggression: vasopressin in the social behavior neural network. Horm Behav 2012; 61:283-92. [PMID: 22079778 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 205] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2011] [Revised: 10/28/2011] [Accepted: 10/29/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Neuropeptides in the arginine vasotocin/arginine vasopressin (AVT/AVP) family play a major role in the regulation of social behavior by their actions in the brain. In mammals, AVP is found within a circuit of recriprocally connected limbic structures that form the social behavior neural network. This review examines the role played by AVP within this network in controlling social processes that are critical for the formation and maintenance of social relationships: social recognition, social communication and aggression. Studies in a number of mammalian species indicate that AVP and AVP V1a receptors are ideally suited to regulate the expression of social processes because of their plasticity in response to factors that influence social behavior. The pattern of AVP innervation and V1a receptors across the social behavior neural network may determine the potential range and intensity of social responses that individuals display in different social situations. Although fundamental information on how social behavior is wired in the brain is still lacking, it is clear that different social behaviors can be influenced by the actions of AVP in the same region of the network and that AVP can act within multiple regions of this network to regulate the expression of individual social behaviors. The existing data suggest that AVP can influence social behavior by modulating the interpretation of sensory information, by influencing decision making and by triggering complex motor outputs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Elliott Albers
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
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Young LJ, Flanagan-Cato LM. Editorial comment: oxytocin, vasopressin and social behavior. Horm Behav 2012; 61:227-9. [PMID: 22443808 PMCID: PMC4005251 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2011] [Revised: 03/18/2011] [Accepted: 03/30/2011] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Larry J. Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, USA
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25
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Johnson SC, Chen FS. Socioemotional Information Processing in Human Infants: From Genes to Subjective Construals. EMOTION REVIEW 2011. [DOI: 10.1177/1754073910387945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This article examines infant attachment styles from the perspective of cognitive and emotional subjectivity. We review new data that show that individual differences in infants’ attachment behaviors in the traditional Strange Situation are related to (a) infants’ subjective construals of infant—caregiver interactions, (b) their attention to emotional expressions, and (c) polymorphisms in the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene. We use these findings to argue that individual differences in infants’ attachment styles reflect, in part, the subjective outcomes of objective experience as filtered through genetic biases in socioemotional information processing.
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Kodavanti PRS, Curras-Collazo MC. Neuroendocrine actions of organohalogens: thyroid hormones, arginine vasopressin, and neuroplasticity. Front Neuroendocrinol 2010; 31:479-96. [PMID: 20609372 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2010.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2010] [Revised: 06/22/2010] [Accepted: 06/25/2010] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Organohalogen compounds are global environmental pollutants. They are highly persistent, bioaccumulative, and cause adverse effects in humans and wildlife. Because of the widespread use of these organohalogens in household items and consumer products, indoor contamination may be a significant source of human exposure, especially for children. One significant concern with regard to health effects associated with exposure to organohalogens is endocrine disruption. This review focuses on PCBs and PBDEs as old and new organohalogens, respectively, and their effects on two neuroendocrine systems; thyroid hormones and the arginine vasopressin system (AVP). Regarding neuroendocrine effects of organohalogens, there is considerable information on the thyroid system as a target and evidence is now accumulating that the AVP system and associated functions are also susceptible to disruption. AVP-mediated functions such as osmoregulation, cardiovascular function as well as social behavior, sexual function and learning/memory are discussed. For both thyroid and AVP systems, the timing of exposure seems to play a major role in the outcome of adverse effects. The mechanism of organohalogen action is well understood for the thyroid system. In comparison, this aspect is understudied in the AVP system but some similarities in neural processes, shown to be targeted by these pollutants, serve as promising possibilities for study. One challenge in understanding modes of action within neuroendocrine systems is their complexity stemming, in part, from interdependent levels of organization. Further, because of the interplay between neuroendocrine and neural functions and behavior, further investigation into organohalogen-mediated effects is warranted and may yield insights with wider scope. Indeed, the current literature provides scattered evidence regarding the role of organohalogen-induced neuroendocrine disruption in the neuroplasticity related to both learning functions and brain structure but future studies are needed to establish the role of endocrine disruption in nervous system function and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasada Rao S Kodavanti
- Neurotoxicology Branch, Toxicity Assessment Division, B 105-06, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
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van Nispen JW, Hannink JAJ, Schoffelmeer MS, Janssen WPA, Polderdijk JP, Greven HM. Synthesis of fragments of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin containing a cystine residue in position 6. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1002/recl.19841030205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Abstract
O paradigma intruso-residente vem sendo intensamente empregado em estudos para avaliar a memória de reconhecimento social em roedores. Tipicamente, ratos adultos (residentes) são expostos a dois encontros de 5 minutos cada com um mesmo intruso juvenil ou com juvenis diferentes; o intervalo entre encontros é usualmente 30 minutos. A quantidade de comportamentos sociais do residente, no segundo encontro, em relação a um intruso familiar é substancialmente menor do que o observado no primeiro encontro, o que não ocorre quando o segundo encontro envolve um juvenil novo; esse resultado caracteriza memória de reconhecimento social. Neste estudo discutimos achados recentes sobre os tipos de comportamentos usualmente incluídos nas categorias social e não-social, a influência da fase temporal, a interferência de rotinas laboratoriais na memória de reconhecimento social, modalidades sensoriais usualmente empregadas por roedores no processamento de informações na memória social e alternativas adicionais para o estudo da socialidade em roedores.
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Kalsbeek A, Fliers E, Hofman MA, Swaab DF, Buijs RM. Vasopressin and the output of the hypothalamic biological clock. J Neuroendocrinol 2010; 22:362-72. [PMID: 20088910 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2010.01956.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The physiological effects of vasopressin as a peripheral hormone were first reported more than 100 years ago. However, it was not until the first immunocytochemical studies were carried out in the early 1970s, using vasopressin antibodies, and the discovery of an extensive distribution of vasopressin-containing fibres outside the hypothalamus, that a neurotransmitter role for vasopressin could be hypothesised. These studies revealed four additional vasopressin systems next to the classical magnocellular vasopressin system in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei: a sexually dimorphic system originating from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the medial amygdala, an autonomic and endocrine system originating from the medial part of the paraventricular nucleus, and the circadian system originating from the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). At about the same time as the discovery of the neurotransmitter function of vasopressin, it also became clear that the SCN contain the main component of the mammalian biological clock system (i.e. the endogenous pacemaker). This review will concentrate on the significance of the vasopressin neurones in the SCN for the functional output of the biological clock that is contained within it. The vasopressin-containing subpopulation is a characteristic feature of the SCN in many species, including humans. The activity of the vasopressin neurones in the SCN shows a pronounced daily variation in its activity that has also been demonstrated in human post-mortem brains. Animal experiments show an important role for SCN-derived vasopressin in the control of neuroendocrine day/night rhythms such as that of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes. The remarkable correlation between a diminished presence of vasopressin in the SCN and a deterioration of sleep-wake rhythms during ageing and depression make it likely that, also in humans, the vasopressin neurones contribute considerably to the rhythmic output of the SCN.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kalsbeek
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Academic Medical Center (AMC), University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Oxytocin enhances amygdala-dependent, socially reinforced learning and emotional empathy in humans. J Neurosci 2010; 30:4999-5007. [PMID: 20371820 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5538-09.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 508] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is becoming increasingly established as a prosocial neuropeptide in humans with therapeutic potential in treatment of social, cognitive, and mood disorders. However, the potential of OT as a general facilitator of human learning and empathy is unclear. The current double-blind experiments on healthy adult male volunteers investigated first whether treatment with intranasal OT enhanced learning performance on a feedback-guided item-category association task where either social (smiling and angry faces) or nonsocial (green and red lights) reinforcers were used, and second whether it increased either cognitive or emotional empathy measured by the Multifaceted Empathy Test. Further experiments investigated whether OT-sensitive behavioral components required a normal functional amygdala. Results in control groups showed that learning performance was improved when social rather than nonsocial reinforcement was used. Intranasal OT potentiated this social reinforcement advantage and greatly increased emotional, but not cognitive, empathy in response to both positive and negative valence stimuli. Interestingly, after OT treatment, emotional empathy responses in men were raised to levels similar to those found in untreated women. Two patients with selective bilateral damage to the amygdala (monozygotic twins with congenital Urbach-Wiethe disease) were impaired on both OT-sensitive aspects of these learning and empathy tasks, but performed normally on nonsocially reinforced learning and cognitive empathy. Overall these findings provide the first demonstration that OT can facilitate amygdala-dependent, socially reinforced learning and emotional empathy in men.
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Bardou I, Leprince J, Chichery R, Vaudry H, Agin V. Vasopressin/oxytocin-related peptides influence long-term memory of a passive avoidance task in the cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2010; 93:240-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2009.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2009] [Revised: 10/14/2009] [Accepted: 10/20/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Kreier F, Swaab DF. Chapter 23: history of neuroendocrinology "the spring of primitive existence". HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2010; 95:335-360. [PMID: 19892126 DOI: 10.1016/s0072-9752(08)02123-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The history of neuroendocrinology is intimately related to one of the key questions, i.e. how does the brain manage to keep us alive and let our species survive? Neuroendocrinology, part of the answer to this question, is the discipline that studies hormone production by neurons, the sensitivity of neurons to hormones, and the dynamic, bidirectional interactions between neurons and endocrine glands. These interactions do not only occur through hormones, but are partly executed by the autonomic system that is regulated by the hypothalamus and that innervates not only the endocrine glands, but all our organs. The hypothalamus acts as a central integrator for endocrine, autonomic, and higher brain functions. The history of neuroendocrinology begins in 200 AD, with Galenus, who postulated that the brain excreted a residue from animal spirits (pituita), and continues into the last century, when researchers from different disciplines tried to understand how the brain regulates the vital functions of the body. Thanks to massive recent electronic publications of English and German scientific journals from the early 20th century we were able to rediscover fascinating articles, written in Europe before World War II, which showed that some of our most recent "innovative" concepts had in fact already been thought up some 50-100 years earlier. Apparently, World War II and the migration and exile of many researchers interrupted the development of concepts in this field and made rediscovery necessary. Our chapter gives an overview of the developments, both new and newly discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Kreier
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Macdonald K, Macdonald TM. The peptide that binds: a systematic review of oxytocin and its prosocial effects in humans. Harv Rev Psychiatry 2010; 18:1-21. [PMID: 20047458 DOI: 10.3109/10673220903523615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 366] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is a neuropeptide involved in a wide variety of social behaviors in diverse species. Recent research on its effects in humans has generated an arresting picture of its role in the dynamic function of the social brain. This review presents a broad overview of this uniquely social peptide, with a particular focus on extant studies of its effects in humans. After a short discussion of the evolutionary history of the oxytocin system, critical aspects of its peripheral and central physiology, and several salient technical issues surrounding human oxytocin research, a systematic review of studies of the effects of intranasal oxytocin in humans is presented. These effects include alterations in social decision making, processing of social stimuli, certain uniquely social behaviors (e.g., eye contact), and social memory. Oxytocin's prosocial influence is then framed by an evolutionary perspective on its role in mammalian social bonding and attachment. Finally, limitations in current human oxytocin research and oxytocin's potential therapeutic applications are discussed. Key conclusions are (1) human research with intranasal oxytocin has uniquely enhanced our understanding of the microstructure and function of the human social brain, and (2) the oxytocin system is a promising target for therapeutic interventions in a variety of conditions, especially those characterized by anxiety and aberrations in social function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Macdonald
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
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Distribution of oxytocin-like and vasopressin-like immunoreactivities within the central nervous system of the cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis. Cell Tissue Res 2009; 336:249-66. [DOI: 10.1007/s00441-009-0763-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2008] [Accepted: 01/14/2009] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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35
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Calabrese EJ. Alzheimer's disease drugs: an application of the hormetic dose-response model. Crit Rev Toxicol 2008; 38:419-51. [PMID: 18568864 DOI: 10.1080/10408440802003991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
This article provides an evaluation of the dose-response features of drugs that are intended to improve memory, some of which have been used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A common feature of these drugs is that they act via an inverted U-shaped dose response, consistent with the hormetic dose response model. This article assesses historical foundations that lead to the development of AD drugs, their dose-response features and how the quantitative features of such dose responses affected drug discovery and development, and the successes and possible failures of such agents in preclinical and clinical settings. This story begins about 150 years ago with the discovery of an active agent in the Calabar bean plant called physostigmine, its unfolding medical applications, and its implications for dose-response relationships, memory enhancement, and improved drug discovery activities. The article also demonstrates the occurrence of U-shaped dose responses for memory with numerous endogenous agonists including neurosteroids, various peptides (e.g., vasopressin, CCK-8, neuropeptide Y), and other agents (e.g., epinephrine, antagonists for platelet activity factor and nicotinic receptors), supporting the generalizability of the hormetic biphasic dose response. Finally, the significance of the U-shaped dose response is critical for successful clinical application, since it defines the therapeutic window.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J Calabrese
- Environmental Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA.
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Abstract
In addition to various reproductive stimuli, the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is released both from the neurohypophysial terminal into the blood stream and within distinct brain regions in response to stressful or social stimuli. Brain OXT receptor-mediated actions were shown to be significantly involved in the regulation of a variety of behaviours. Here, complementary methodological approaches are discussed which were utilised to reveal, for example, anxiolytic and anti-stress effects of OXT, both in females and in males, effects that were localised within the central amygdala and the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. Also, in male rats, activation of the brain OXT system is essential for the regulation of sexual behaviour, and increased OXT system activity during mating is directly linked to an attenuated anxiety-related behaviour. Moreover, in late pregnancy and during lactation, central OXT is involved in the establishment and fine-tuned maintenance of maternal care and maternal aggression. In monogamous prairie voles, brain OXT is important for mating-induced pair bonding, especially in females. Another example of behavioural actions of intracerebral OXT is the promotion of social memory processes and recognition of con-specifics, as revealed in rats, mice, sheep and voles. Experimental evidence suggests that, in humans, brain OXT exerts similar behavioural effects. Thus, the brain OXT system seems to be a potential target for the development of therapeutics to treat anxiety- and depression-related diseases or abnormal social behaviours including autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- I D Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neuroendocrinology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
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Swaab DF, Ter Borg JP. Development of peptidergic systems in the rat brain. CIBA FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM 2008; 86:271-94. [PMID: 6279364 DOI: 10.1002/9780470720684.ch13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The brain contains a large variety and number of peptides some of which were known earlier as hypothalamic hormones (vasopressin, oxytocin, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, somatostatin) or as pituitary hormones (the family of opiomelanocortins), while others, not primarily known as hypothalamic or pituitary hormones, may also have endocrine effects (substance P, angiotensin II, neurotensin, bombesin, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), gastrin-cholecystokinin, glucagon, carnosine, bradykinin). These peptides, which form a new class of putative neurotransmitters, are present early in brain development and show important sex differences in both their pattern of innervation and their effects. Their peripheral effects may include intrauterine growth of the placenta and fetus, the timing of birth, acceleration of the course of labour and responses to haemorrhage (redistribution of cardiac output and stimulation of blood cell formation). Endogenous peptides are probably involved in brain development, which may explain their general, permanent and sex-dependent effects when given in the period of rapid brain development. Although peptides might in the future be useful for stimulating recovery from retarded brain development, at present one should be aware of the potential dangers of their use in, for example, obstetrics.
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Swaab DF, Martin JT. Functions of alpha-melanotropin and other opiomelanocortin peptides in labour, intrauterine growth and brain development. CIBA FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM 2008; 81:196-217. [PMID: 6268378 DOI: 10.1002/9780470720646.ch12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
In a number of animals and in humans, factors from the fetal hypothalamus function in intrauterine growth, in labour and in brain development. Peptides of the opiomelanocortin family are produced by the pituitary, brain and placenta and are probably involved in these developmental processes. In the rat, alpha-MSH stimulates fetal growth, protein synthesis, wound healing and liver regeneration and it reduces periosteal bone resorption. In chick embryos, alpha-MSH restores the corticosteroid-induced growth retardation. Thus alpha-MSH seems to possess general trophic properties. The fetal brain in humans is involved in timing the moment of birth. This process is probably mediated by peptides of the opiomelanocortin family as suggested from observations in anencephaly and other congenital brain anomalies and from the influence of corticosteroids or ACTH on labour. The high percentage of premature deliveries in heroin addicts is worth examining endocrinologically, in this respect. The exact nature of the peptides and mechanisms involved in labour is not yet known. Some peptides of the opiomelanocortin family induce an acceleration of brain development. Neonatal treatment of rats with alpha-MSH alters their later behaviour while ACTH fragments accelerate the onset of eye-opening. Opiates and methadone inhibit brain development, and neonatal administration of beta-endorphin or naloxone causes permanent insensibility to temperature stimuli. The interrelated nature of the fetal pituitary, brain and placenta does not, at present, allow us to pin down which of these structures is primarily involved in the regulation of intrauterine growth, labour and brain development.
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Caldwell HK, Lee HJ, Macbeth AH, Young WS. Vasopressin: behavioral roles of an "original" neuropeptide. Prog Neurobiol 2007; 84:1-24. [PMID: 18053631 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2007.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 328] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2007] [Revised: 10/24/2007] [Accepted: 10/24/2007] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Vasopressin (Avp) is mainly synthesized in the magnocellular cells of the hypothalamic supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular nuclei (PVN) whose axons project to the posterior pituitary. Avp is then released into the blood stream upon appropriate stimulation (e.g., hemorrhage or dehydration) to act at the kidneys and blood vessels. The brain also contains several populations of smaller, parvocellular neurons whose projections remain within the brain. These populations are located within the PVN, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), medial amygdala (MeA) and suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Since the 1950s, research examining the roles of Avp in the brain and periphery has intensified. The development of specific agonists and antagonists for Avp receptors has allowed for a better elucidation of its contributions to physiology and behavior. Anatomical, pharmacological and transgenic, including "knockout," animal studies have implicated Avp in the regulation of various social behaviors across species. Avp plays a prominent role in the regulation of aggression, generally of facilitating or promoting it. Affiliation and certain aspects of pair-bonding are also influenced by Avp. Memory, one of the first brain functions of Avp that was investigated, has been implicated especially strongly in social recognition. The roles of Avp in stress, anxiety, and depressive states are areas of active exploration. In this review, we concentrate on the scientific progress that has been made in understanding the role of Avp in regulating these and other behaviors across species. We also discuss the implications for human behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather K Caldwell
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, NIMH, NIH, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
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Abstract
The brain oxytocin system has served as a distinguished model system in neuroendocrinology to study detailed mechanisms of intracerebral release, in particular of somatodendritic release, and its behavioural and neuroendocrine consequences. It has been shown that oxytocin is released within various brain regions, but evidence for dendritic release is limited to the main sites of oxytocin synthesis, i.e. the hypothalamic SON (supraoptic nucleus) and PVN (paraventricular nucleus). In the present paper, stimuli of dendritic release of oxytocin and the related neuropeptide vasopressin are discussed, including parturition and suckling, i.e. the period of a highly activated brain oxytocin system. Also, exposure to various pharmacological, psychological or physical stressors triggers dendritic oxytocin release, as monitored by intracerebral microdialysis within the SON and PVN during ongoing behavioural testing. So far, dendritic release of the neuropeptide has only been demonstrated within the hypothalamus, but intracerebral oxytocin release has also been found within the central amygdala and the septum in response to various stimuli including stressor exposure. Such a locally released oxytocin modulates physiological and behavioural reproductive functions, emotionality and hormonal stress responses, as it exerts, for example, pro-social, anxiolytic and antistress actions within restricted brain regions. These discoveries make oxytocin a promising neuromodulator of the brain for psychotherapeutic intervention and treatment of numerous psychiatric illnesses, for example, anxiety-related diseases, social phobia, autism and postpartum depression.
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Abstract
Excessive fear and anxiety are hallmarks of a variety of disabling anxiety disorders that affect millions of people throughout the world. Hence, a greater understanding of the brain mechanisms involved in the inhibition of fear and anxiety is attracting increasing interest in the research community. In the laboratory, fear inhibition most often is studied through a procedure in which a previously fear conditioned organism is exposed to a fear-eliciting cue in the absence of any aversive event. This procedure results in a decline in conditioned fear responses that is attributed to a process called fear extinction. Extensive empirical work by behavioral psychologists has revealed basic behavioral characteristics of extinction, and theoretical accounts have emphasized extinction as a form of inhibitory learning as opposed to an erasure of acquired fear. Guided by this work, neuroscientists have begun to dissect the neural mechanisms involved, including the regions in which extinction-related plasticity occurs and the cellular and molecular processes that are engaged. The present paper will cover behavioral, theoretical and neurobiological work, and will conclude with a discussion of clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Myers
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Young WS, Li J, Wersinger SR, Palkovits M. The vasopressin 1b receptor is prominent in the hippocampal area CA2 where it is unaffected by restraint stress or adrenalectomy. Neuroscience 2006; 143:1031-9. [PMID: 17027167 PMCID: PMC1748954 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.08.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2006] [Revised: 07/07/2006] [Accepted: 08/17/2006] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The vasopressin 1b receptor (Avpr1b) is one of two principal receptors mediating the behavioral effects of vasopressin (Avp) in the brain. Avpr1b has recently been shown to strongly influence social forms of aggression in mice and hamsters. This receptor appears to play a role in social recognition and motivation as well as in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Most of these studies have been performed in knockout mice, a species in which the localization of the Avpr1b has not been described, thus precluding correlations with the behaviors. We performed in situ hybridization histochemistry (ISHH) with specific probes and found especially prominent expression within the CA2 pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus, with much lower expression in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and amygdala. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed expression in those as well other areas in which the ISHH was not sensitive enough to detect labeled cells (e.g. piriform cortex, septum, caudate-putamen and lower brainstem areas). Mouse Avpr1b transcript levels were not altered in the CA2 field by restraint stress or adrenalectomy. Finally, ISHH and RT-PCR showed expression of the Avpr1b gene in the rat and human hippocampi as well. We suggest that the CA2 field may form or retrieve associations (memories) between olfactory cues and social encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- W S Young
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 49, Room 5A56, Bethesda, MD 20892-4483, USA.
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Shimada A, Satoh M, Chiba Y, Saitoh Y, Kawamura N, Keino H, Hosokawa M, Shimizu T. Highly selective localization of leukotriene C4 synthase in hypothalamic and extrahypothalamic vasopressin systems of mouse brain. Neuroscience 2005; 131:683-9. [PMID: 15730873 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2004.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2004] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
While leukotriene C4 (LTC4) was originally identified as a potent bronchoconstrictor, the compound has versatile biological activities besides inflammatory reactions. Although the high content of LTC4 has been reported in the hypothalamus and median eminence, the precise localization of the compound remained obscure. To elucidate its possible functions in the neuroendocrine systems, we determined immunohistochemical localization of LTC4 synthase, a key enzyme to produce LTC4 using mouse brains. Light microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that LTC4 synthase was selectively localized in the vasopressinergic magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular, supraoptic and suprachiasmatic nuclei and in the retrochiasmatic area, as well as in axons that emanated from these neurons to the pars nervosa of the pituitary gland. At subcellular level, however, LTC4 synthase and arginine vasopressin appeared to localize differently within individual neurons. LTC4 synthase immunoreactivity was also observed in the axons of the extrahypothalamic system including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, lateral habenular nucleus, midbrain central gray, medial amygdaloid nucleus and ventral septal area, although this immunoreactivity was relatively minor. The other brain regions did not contain LTC4 synthase immunoreactivity. The distribution of LTC4 synthase did not overlap with that of either oxytocin or luteinizing hormone releasing hormone. Therefore, LTC4 is considered to be involved in neural functions of the brain magnocellular vasopressinergic system such as water retention. LTC4 may also be involved in extrahypothalamic vasopressinergic neural functions including the regulation of learning and memory, social recognition memory, sexual and aggressive behavior, etc.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Shimada
- Department of Pathology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Human Service Center, Kasugai, Aichi 480-0392, Japan.
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Vázquez-García M, Elías-Viñas D, Reyes-Guerrero G, Domínguez-González A, Verdugo-Díaz L, Guevara-Guzmán R. Exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields improves social recognition in male rats. Physiol Behav 2004; 82:685-90. [PMID: 15327917 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2004.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2003] [Revised: 04/30/2004] [Accepted: 06/02/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The effect of exposure to low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF EMFs) on social recognition was studied. The test was based upon a comparison between two encounters of an adult rat and a conspecific juvenile, separated by an interexposure interval (IEI). The exposure to ELF EMF of 1 mT intensity during 2 h for 9 days increased the duration of short-term memory of adult male Wistar rats up to 300 min. These data indicate, for the first time, that ELF EMF improves social recognition memory in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Vázquez-García
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. Postal 70250, México, D.F., 04510, Mexico.
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Wu W, Yu LC. Roles of oxytocin in spatial learning and memory in the nucleus basalis of Meynert in rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 120:119-25. [PMID: 15177929 DOI: 10.1016/j.regpep.2004.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2004] [Revised: 02/23/2004] [Accepted: 02/25/2004] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The present study was performed to explore the role of oxytocin (OT) in spatial learning and memory in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) of rats. The latency, distance and swimming path to find the platform were tested by Morris water maze and recorded by a video camera connected to a computer. Intra-NBM injections of 2 or 10 nmol of OT, but not 0.2 nmol of OT, induced significant increase on the latency of spatial learning. Rats receiving intra-NBM administrations of 2 or 10 nmol of OT showed a more random search pattern. There were no significant changes in the swimming speed in Morris water maze test after the injection of OT. Furthermore, the impaired effect of OT on the latency of spatial learning was blocked by intra-NBM injection of the selective OT antagonist Atosiban, indicating that the effect of OT was mediated by OT receptor in the NBM of rats. Moreover, there were no influences of OT or Atosiban on the retention performance in rats. The results suggest that OT plays an inhibitory role in spatial learning in the NBM; the effect is mediated by OT receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wu
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
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Paban V, Soumireu-Mourat B, Alescio-Lautier B. Behavioral effects of arginine8-vasopressin in the Hebb-Williams maze. Behav Brain Res 2003; 141:1-9. [PMID: 12672553 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4328(02)00316-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Arginine(8)-vasopressin (AVP) has been shown to improve memory consolidation in various mnemonic tasks. Our previous studies have pointed out the involvement of the hippocampus (with higher sensitivity of its ventral part) in memory consolidation and retrieval processes during discriminative learning in mice. The present study was designed to extend our knowledge, firstly, of the range of tasks and consequently the types of information for which the peptide improves consolidation processes, and secondly, the effects of AVP on information treatment processes such an information transfer. To this end, the effects of AVP were analyzed in the Hebb-Williams closed-field maze. Mice were initially trained on one of the mazes in the Hebb-Williams series (Maze 7) and subsequently tested on either that maze or another maze in the series (Maze 11). The effects of the peptide on both memory consolidation and information transfer processes were analyzed in relation to the route of administration: peripheral (subcutaneous, s.c.), central (intracerebroventricular, i.c.v.), and in situ (dorsal or ventral hippocampus). The results showed that AVP facilitated spatial memory consolidation following s.c., i.c.v, and dorsal, but not ventral hippocampal administration. This differential effect of AVP following injection into the hippocampus can be interpreted in regards to this structure's functions. In line with the involvement of the dorsal hippocampus in spatial memory, the effectiveness of the peptide in the Hebb-Williams maze, which contains spatial components, was better when the treatment was performed in this part of the structure. In contrast, whatever the route of administration, AVP had no effect on processes related to the transfer from one learning situation to another.
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Affiliation(s)
- Véronique Paban
- Faculté des Sciences de St Jérôme--IBHOP, Laboratoire de Neurobiologie des Comportements, Université d'Aix-Marseille I--UMR 6149 CNRS, Avenue Escadrille Normandie Niemen, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France
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Dubrovsky B, Tatarinov A, Gijsbers K, Harris J, Tsiodras A. Effects of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) on long-term potentiation in intact anesthetized rats. Brain Res Bull 2003; 59:467-72. [PMID: 12576144 DOI: 10.1016/s0361-9230(02)00961-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We studied the effects of the neuropeptide arginine-vasopressin (AVP) on the long-term potentiation (LTP) paradigm in the dentate gyrus (DG) of urethane intact anesthetized rats. Intracerebroventricular injection of 1 microg of the hormone in 1 microl of physiological solution 3 min before tetanization, produced a significant increase in both components of the perforant path-evoked potentials (EP) in the DG. The effects were already evident 1 min after tetanization. Amplitude of the EPs increased continuously for the 2h of recording time, reaching values 100% above baseline, reference levels. In contrast, in previous in vitro studies, enhancement of LTP with AVP appeared only after 15 min of exposure of the hippocampal slice to the hormone, increased EPSPs were no higher than 50% from baseline, reached a plateau at 40 min decreasing slowly thereafter. Not only quantitative but also qualitative differences can be observed between in vitro and in vivo intact preparations in response to identical hormones. This study emphasizes the importance of hormone neurotransmitter interactions in determining electrophysiological characteristics of response to AVP.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Dubrovsky
- McGill University Health Center (MUHC), Montreal, Que, Canada.
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Kalsbeek A, Palm IF, Buijs RM. Central vasopressin systems and steroid hormones. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2002; 139:57-73. [PMID: 12436926 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(02)39007-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andries Kalsbeek
- Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Meibergdreef 33, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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