1
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Gutierrez-Castellanos N, Dias IC, Husain BFA, Lima S. Functional diversity along the anteroposterior axis of the ventromedial hypothalamus. J Neuroendocrinol 2024:e13447. [PMID: 39253818 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2024] [Revised: 08/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Innate behaviors ensure animal survival and reproductive success. Defending their territory, escaping from predators or mating with a sexual partner, are fundamental behaviors determining the ecological fitness of individuals. Remarkably, all these behaviors share a common neural substrate, as they are under the control of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). Decades of research have contributed to understanding the exquisite diversity of functional ensembles underlying the wide array of functions that the VMH carries out. These functional ensembles are usually distributed throughout the dorsoventral and mediolateral axes of this nucleus. However, increasing evidence is bringing to attention the functional diversity of the VMH across its anteroposterior axis. In this review, we will overview our current understanding of how different ensembles within the VMH control a wide array of animal behaviors, emphasizing the newly discovered roles for its anterior subdivision in the context of conspecific self-defense.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Inês C Dias
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Susana Lima
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
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2
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Olson KL, Ingebretson AE, Vogiatzoglou E, Mermelstein PG, Lemos JC. Cholinergic interneurons in the nucleus accumbens are a site of cellular convergence for corticotropin-releasing factor and estrogen regulation in male and female mice. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 60:4937-4953. [PMID: 39080914 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) act as master regulators of striatal output, finely tuning neurotransmission to control motivated behaviours. ChIs are a cellular target of many peptide and hormonal neuromodulators, including corticotropin-releasing factor, opioids, insulin and leptin, which can influence an animal's behaviour by signalling stress, pleasure, pain and nutritional status. However, little is known about how sex hormones via estrogen receptors influence the function of these other neuromodulators. Here, we performed in situ hybridisation on mouse striatal tissue to characterise the effect of sex and sex hormones on choline acetyltransferase (Chat), estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1) and corticotropin-releasing factor type 1 receptor (Crhr1) expression. Although we did not detect sex differences in ChAT protein levels in the dorsal striatum or nucleus accumbens, we found that female mice have more Chat mRNA-expressing neurons than males in both the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens. At the population level, we observed a sexually dimorphic distribution of Esr1- and Crhr1-expressing ChIs in the ventral striatum that was negatively correlated in intact females, which was abolished by ovariectomy and not present in males. Only in the NAc did we find a significant population of ChIs that co-express Crhr1 and Esr1 in females and to a lesser extent in males. At the cellular level, Crhr1 and Esr1 transcript levels were negatively correlated only during the estrus phase in females, indicating that changes in sex hormone levels can modulate the interaction between Crhr1 and Esr1 mRNA levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra L Olson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Anna E Ingebretson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Eleftheria Vogiatzoglou
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Paul G Mermelstein
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Julia C Lemos
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Medical Discovery Team on Addiction, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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3
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Mountoufaris G, Nair A, Yang B, Kim DW, Vinograd A, Kim S, Linderman SW, Anderson DJ. A line attractor encoding a persistent internal state requires neuropeptide signaling. Cell 2024:S0092-8674(24)00906-1. [PMID: 39191257 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.08.015] [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: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Internal states drive survival behaviors, but their neural implementation is poorly understood. Recently, we identified a line attractor in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) that represents a state of aggressiveness. Line attractors can be implemented by recurrent connectivity or neuromodulatory signaling, but evidence for the latter is scant. Here, we demonstrate that neuropeptidergic signaling is necessary for line attractor dynamics in this system by using cell-type-specific CRISPR-Cas9-based gene editing combined with single-cell calcium imaging. Co-disruption of receptors for oxytocin and vasopressin in adult VMH Esr1+ neurons that control aggression diminished attack, reduced persistent neural activity, and eliminated line attractor dynamics while only slightly reducing overall neural activity and sex- or behavior-specific tuning. These data identify a requisite role for neuropeptidergic signaling in implementing a behaviorally relevant line attractor in mammals. Our approach should facilitate mechanistic studies in neuroscience that bridge different levels of biological function and abstraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Mountoufaris
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Aditya Nair
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Program in Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Bin Yang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Dong-Wook Kim
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Amit Vinograd
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Samuel Kim
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Scott W Linderman
- Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - David J Anderson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pasadena, CA 91001, USA.
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4
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Peterson S, Maheras A, Wu B, Chavira J, Keiflin R. Sex differences in discrimination behavior and orbitofrontal engagement during context-gated reward prediction. eLife 2024; 12:RP93509. [PMID: 39046898 PMCID: PMC11268887 DOI: 10.7554/elife.93509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals, including humans, rely on contextual information to interpret ambiguous stimuli. Impaired context processing is a hallmark of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction. While sex differences in the prevalence and manifestations of these disorders are well established, potential sex differences in context processing remain uncertain. Here, we examined sex differences in the contextual control over cue-evoked reward seeking and its neural correlates, in rats. Male and female rats were trained in a bidirectional occasion-setting preparation in which the validity of two auditory reward-predictive cues was informed by the presence, or absence, of a visual contextual feature (LIGHT: X+/DARK: X-/LIGHT: Y-/DARK: Y+). Females were significantly slower to acquire contextual control over cue-evoked reward seeking. However, once established, the contextual control over behavior was more robust in female rats; it showed less within-session variability (less influence of prior reward) and greater resistance to acute stress. This superior contextual control achieved by females was accompanied by an increased activation of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) compared to males. Critically, these behavioral and neural sex differences were specific to the contextual modulation process and not observed in simple, context-independent, reward prediction tasks. These results indicate a sex-biased trade-off between the speed of acquisition and the robustness of performance in the contextual modulation of cued reward seeking. The different distribution of sexes along the fast learning ↔ steady performance continuum might reflect different levels of engagement of the OFC, and might have implications for our understanding of sex differences in psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Peterson
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
| | - Amanda Maheras
- Department of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
| | - Brenda Wu
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
| | - Jose Chavira
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
| | - Ronald Keiflin
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraUnited States
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5
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Láng T, Dimén D, Oláh S, Puska G, Dobolyi A. Medial preoptic circuits governing instinctive social behaviors. iScience 2024; 27:110296. [PMID: 39055958 PMCID: PMC11269931 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The medial preoptic area (MPOA) has long been implicated in maternal and male sexual behavior. Modern neuroscience methods have begun to reveal the cellular networks responsible, while also implicating the MPOA in other social behaviors, affiliative social touch, and aggression. The social interactions rely on input from conspecifics whose most important modalities in rodents are olfaction and somatosensation. These inputs bypass the cerebral cortex to reach the MPOA to influence the social function. Hormonal inputs also directly act on MPOA neurons. In turn, the MPOA controls social responses via various projections for reward and motor output. The MPOA thus emerges as one of the major brain centers for instinctive social behavior. While key elements of MPOA circuits have been identified, a synthesis of these new data is now provided for further studies to reveal the mechanisms by which the area controls social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Láng
- Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Diána Dimén
- Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Addiction and Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Szilvia Oláh
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gina Puska
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Arpád Dobolyi
- Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
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Torres T, Adam N, Mhaouty-Kodja S, Naulé L. Reproductive function and behaviors: an update on the role of neural estrogen receptors alpha and beta. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1408677. [PMID: 38978624 PMCID: PMC11228153 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1408677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Infertility is becoming a major public health problem, with increasing frequency due to medical, environmental and societal causes. The increasingly late age of childbearing, growing exposure to endocrine disruptors and other reprotoxic products, and increasing number of medical reproductive dysfunctions (endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, etc.) are among the most common causes. Fertility relies on fine-tuned control of both neuroendocrine function and reproductive behaviors, those are critically regulated by sex steroid hormones. Testosterone and estradiol exert organizational and activational effects throughout life to establish and activate the neural circuits underlying reproductive function. This regulation is mediated through estrogen receptors (ERs) and androgen receptor (AR). Estradiol acts mainly via nuclear estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ. The aim of this review is to summarize the genetic studies that have been undertaken to comprehend the specific contribution of ERα and ERβ in the neural circuits underlying the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and the expression of reproductive behaviors, including sexual and parental behavior. Particular emphasis will be placed on the neural role of these receptors and the underlying sex differences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Lydie Naulé
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR8246, INSERM U1130, Neuroscience Paris Seine – Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France
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van Velthoven CTJ, Gao Y, Kunst M, Lee C, McMillen D, Chakka AB, Casper T, Clark M, Chakrabarty R, Daniel S, Dolbeare T, Ferrer R, Gloe J, Goldy J, Guzman J, Halterman C, Ho W, Huang M, James K, Nguy B, Pham T, Ronellenfitch K, Thomas ED, Torkelson A, Pagan CM, Kruse L, Dee N, Ng L, Waters J, Smith KA, Tasic B, Yao Z, Zeng H. The transcriptomic and spatial organization of telencephalic GABAergic neuronal types. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.18.599583. [PMID: 38948843 PMCID: PMC11212977 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.18.599583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
The telencephalon of the mammalian brain comprises multiple regions and circuit pathways that play adaptive and integrative roles in a variety of brain functions. There is a wide array of GABAergic neurons in the telencephalon; they play a multitude of circuit functions, and dysfunction of these neurons has been implicated in diverse brain disorders. In this study, we conducted a systematic and in-depth analysis of the transcriptomic and spatial organization of GABAergic neuronal types in all regions of the mouse telencephalon and their developmental origins. This was accomplished by utilizing 611,423 single-cell transcriptomes from the comprehensive and high-resolution transcriptomic and spatial cell type atlas for the adult whole mouse brain we have generated, supplemented with an additional single-cell RNA-sequencing dataset containing 99,438 high-quality single-cell transcriptomes collected from the pre- and postnatal developing mouse brain. We present a hierarchically organized adult telencephalic GABAergic neuronal cell type taxonomy of 7 classes, 52 subclasses, 284 supertypes, and 1,051 clusters, as well as a corresponding developmental taxonomy of 450 clusters across different ages. Detailed charting efforts reveal extraordinary complexity where relationships among cell types reflect both spatial locations and developmental origins. Transcriptomically and developmentally related cell types can often be found in distant and diverse brain regions indicating that long-distance migration and dispersion is a common characteristic of nearly all classes of telencephalic GABAergic neurons. Additionally, we find various spatial dimensions of both discrete and continuous variations among related cell types that are correlated with gene expression gradients. Lastly, we find that cortical, striatal and some pallidal GABAergic neurons undergo extensive postnatal diversification, whereas septal and most pallidal GABAergic neuronal types emerge simultaneously during the embryonic stage with limited postnatal diversification. Overall, the telencephalic GABAergic cell type taxonomy can serve as a foundational reference for molecular, structural and functional studies of cell types and circuits by the entire community.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuan Gao
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Changkyu Lee
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Scott Daniel
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Tim Dolbeare
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Jessica Gloe
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jeff Goldy
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Windy Ho
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mike Huang
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Beagan Nguy
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Lauren Kruse
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nick Dee
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lydia Ng
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jack Waters
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Zizhen Yao
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Hongkui Zeng
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
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8
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Jiang H, Zhang M, Wang HQ, Zhang NN, Li XM, Yang XY, Chen AP, Yan X, Zhang Z, Chu SF, Wang ZZ, Chen NH. Inflammation and Connexin 43 profiles in the prefrontal cortex are relevant to stress susceptibility and resilience in mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 239:173757. [PMID: 38574898 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Depression is a major chronic mental illness worldwide, characterized by anhedonia and pessimism. Exposed to the same stressful stimuli, some people behave normally, while others exhibit negative behaviors and psychology. The exact molecular mechanisms linking stress-induced depressive susceptibility and resilience remain unclear. Connexin 43 (Cx43) forms gap junction channels between the astrocytes, acting as a crucial role in the pathogenesis of depression. Cx43 dysfunction could lead to depressive behaviors, and depression down-regulates the expression of Cx43 in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Besides, accumulating evidence indicates that inflammation is one of the most common pathological features of the central nervous system dysfunction. However, the roles of Cx43 and peripheral inflammation in stress-susceptible and stress-resilient individuals have rarely been investigated. Thus, animals were classified into the chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)-susceptible group and the CUS-resilient group based on the performance of behavioral tests following the CUS protocol in this study. The protein expression of Cx43 in the PFC, the Cx43 functional changes in the PFC, and the expression levels including interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-6, IL-2, IL-10, and IL-18 in the peripheral serum were detected. Here, we found that stress exposure triggered a significant reduction in Cx43 protein expression in the CUS-susceptible mice but not in the CUS-resilient mice accompanied by various Cx43 phosphorylation expression and the changes of inflammatory signals. Stress resilience is associated with Cx43 in the PFC and fluctuation in inflammatory signaling, showing that therapeutic targeting of these pathways might promote stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica & Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica & Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Hui-Qin Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Hunan Engineering Technology Center of Standardization and Function of Chinese Herbal Decoction Pieces, Changsha 410208, China
| | - Ning-Ning Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica & Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Xin-Mu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica & Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Xue-Ying Yang
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Ai-Ping Chen
- China Three Gorges University College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Xu Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica & Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Zhao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica & Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Shi-Feng Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica & Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Zhen-Zhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica & Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
| | - Nai-Hong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Functions of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica & Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China; School of Pharmacy, Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Hunan Engineering Technology Center of Standardization and Function of Chinese Herbal Decoction Pieces, Changsha 410208, China.
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9
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Lian Y, Wu C, Liu L, Li X. Prediction of cell-cell communication patterns of dorsal root ganglion cells: single-cell RNA sequencing data analysis. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:1367-1374. [PMID: 37905887 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.384067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202406000-00042/inline-graphic1/v/2023-10-30T152229Z/r/image-tiff
Dorsal root ganglion neurons transmit peripheral somatic information to the central nervous system, and dorsal root ganglion neuron excitability affects pain perception. Dorsal root ganglion stimulation is a new approach for managing pain sensation. Knowledge of the cell-cell communication among dorsal root ganglion cells may help in the development of new pain and itch management strategies. Here, we used the single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) database to investigate intercellular communication networks among dorsal root ganglion cells. We collected scRNA-seq data from six samples from three studies, yielding data on a total of 17,766 cells. Based on genetic profiles, we identified satellite glial cells, Schwann cells, neurons, vascular endothelial cells, immune cells, fibroblasts, and vascular smooth muscle cells. Further analysis revealed that eight types of dorsal root ganglion neurons mediated proprioceptive, itch, touch, mechanical, heat, and cold sensations. Moreover, we predicted several distinct forms of intercellular communication among dorsal root ganglion cells, including cell-cell contact, secreted signals, extracellular matrix, and neurotransmitter-mediated signals. The data mining predicted that Mrgpra3-positive neurons robustly express the genes encoding the adenosine Adora2b (A2B) receptor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha 1 (GFRα-1). Our immunohistochemistry results confirmed the coexpression of the A2B receptor and GFRα-1. Intrathecal injection of the A2B receptor antagonist PSB-603 effectively prevented histamine-induced scratching behaviour in a dose-dependent manner. Our results demonstrate the involvement of the A2B receptor in the modulation of itch sensation. Furthermore, our findings provide insight into dorsal root ganglion cell-cell communication patterns and mechanisms. Our results should contribute to the development of new strategies for the regulation of dorsal root ganglion excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanna Lian
- National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Ministry of Education Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- International Institutes of Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Cheng Wu
- National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Ministry of Education Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, Zhejiang Province, China
- Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Li Liu
- Core Facilities of the School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xiangyao Li
- National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Ministry of Education Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain-Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- International Institutes of Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, China
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, Zhejiang Province, China
- Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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10
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Aspesi D, Cornil CA. Role of neuroestrogens in the regulation of social behaviors - From social recognition to mating. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105679. [PMID: 38642866 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
In this mini-review, we summarize the brain distribution of aromatase, the enzyme catalyzing the synthesis of estrogens from androgens, and the mechanisms responsible for regulating estrogen production within the brain. Understanding this local synthesis of estrogens by neurons is pivotal as it profoundly influences various facets of social behavior. Neuroestrogen action spans from the initial processing of socially pertinent sensory cues to integrating this information with an individual's internal state, ultimately resulting in the manifestation of either pro-affiliative or - aggressive behaviors. We focus here in particular on aggressive and sexual behavior as the result of correct individual recognition of intruders and potential mates. The data summarized in this review clearly point out the crucial role of locally synthesized estrogens in facilitating rapid adaptation to the social environment in rodents and birds of both sexes. These observations not only shed light on the evolutionary significance but also indicate the potential implications of these findings in the realm of human health, suggesting a compelling avenue for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Aspesi
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
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11
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Nishiike Y, Okubo K. The decision of male medaka to mate or fight depends on two complementary androgen signaling pathways. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2316459121. [PMID: 38781215 PMCID: PMC11145247 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316459121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Adult male animals typically court and attempt to mate with females, while attacking other males. Emerging evidence from mice indicates that neurons expressing the estrogen receptor ESR1 in behaviorally relevant brain regions play a central role in mediating these mutually exclusive behavioral responses to conspecifics. However, the findings in mice are unlikely to apply to vertebrates in general because, in many species other than rodents and some birds, androgens-rather than estrogens-have been implicated in male behaviors. Here, we report that male medaka (Oryzias latipes) lacking one of the two androgen receptor subtypes (Ara) are less aggressive toward other males and instead actively court them, while those lacking the other subtype (Arb) are less motivated to mate with females and conversely attack them. These findings indicate that, in male medaka, the Ara- and Arb-mediated androgen signaling pathways facilitate appropriate behavioral responses, while simultaneously suppressing inappropriate responses, to males and females, respectively. Notably, males lacking either receptor retain the ability to discriminate the sex of conspecifics, suggesting a defect in the subsequent decision-making process to mate or fight. We further show that Ara and Arb are expressed in intermingled but largely distinct populations of neurons, and stimulate the expression of different behaviorally relevant genes including galanin and vasotocin, respectively. Collectively, our results demonstrate that male teleosts make adaptive decisions to mate or fight as a result of the activation of one of two complementary androgen signaling pathways, depending on the sex of the conspecific that they encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji Nishiike
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo113-8657, Japan
| | - Kataaki Okubo
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo113-8657, Japan
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12
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Rigney N, Campos-Lira E, Kirchner MK, Wei W, Belkasim S, Beaumont R, Singh S, Suarez SG, Hartswick D, Stern JE, de Vries GJ, Petrulis A. A vasopressin circuit that modulates mouse social investigation and anxiety-like behavior in a sex-specific manner. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2319641121. [PMID: 38709918 PMCID: PMC11098102 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2319641121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
One of the largest sex differences in brain neurochemistry is the expression of the neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) within the vertebrate brain, with males having more AVP cells in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) than females. Despite the long-standing implication of AVP in social and anxiety-like behaviors, the circuitry underlying AVP's control of these behaviors is still not well defined. Using optogenetic approaches, we show that inhibiting AVP BNST cells reduces social investigation in males, but not in females, whereas stimulating these cells increases social investigation in both sexes, but more so in males. These cells may facilitate male social investigation through their projections to the lateral septum (LS), an area with the highest density of sexually differentiated AVP innervation in the brain, as optogenetic stimulation of BNST AVP → LS increased social investigation and anxiety-like behavior in males but not in females; the same stimulation also caused a biphasic response of LS cells ex vivo. Blocking the vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR) in the LS eliminated all these responses. Together, these findings establish a sexually differentiated role for BNST AVP cells in the control of social investigation and anxiety-like behavior, likely mediated by their projections to the LS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Rigney
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA30302
| | - Elba Campos-Lira
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA30302
| | | | - Wei Wei
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA30302
| | - Selma Belkasim
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA30302
| | - Rachael Beaumont
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA30302
| | - Sumeet Singh
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA30302
| | | | - Delenn Hartswick
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA30302
| | - Javier E. Stern
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA30302
| | | | - Aras Petrulis
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA30302
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13
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Stennette KA, Godwin JR. Estrogenic influences on agonistic behavior in teleost fishes. Horm Behav 2024; 161:105519. [PMID: 38452611 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Teleost fishes show an extraordinary diversity of sexual patterns, social structures, and sociosexual behaviors. Sex steroid hormones are key modulators of social behaviors in teleosts as in other vertebrates and act on sex steroid receptor-containing brain nuclei that form the evolutionarily conserved vertebrate social behavior network (SBN). Fishes also display important differences relative to tetrapod vertebrates that make them particularly well-suited to study the physiological mechanisms modulating social behavior. Specifically, fishes exhibit high levels of brain aromatization and have what has been proposed to be a lifelong, steroid hormone dependent plasticity in the neural substrates mediating sociosexual behavior. In this review, we examine how estrogenic signaling modulates sociosexual behaviors in teleosts with a particular focus on agonistic behavior. Estrogens have been shown to mediate agonistic behaviors in a broad range of fishes, from sexually monomorphic gonochoristic species to highly dimorphic sex changers with alternate reproductive phenotypes. These similarities across such diverse taxa contribute to a growing body of evidence that estrogens play a crucial role in the modulation of aggression in vertebrates. As analytical techniques and genomic tools rapidly advance, methods such as LC-MS/MS, snRNAseq, and CRISPR-based mutagenesis show great promise to further elucidate the mechanistic basis of estrogenic effects on social behavior in the diverse teleost lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A Stennette
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - John R Godwin
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
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14
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Niepoth N, Merritt JR, Uminski M, Lei E, Esquibies VS, Bando IB, Hernandez K, Gebhardt C, Wacker SA, Lutzu S, Poudel A, Soma KK, Rudolph S, Bendesky A. Evolution of a novel adrenal cell type that promotes parental care. Nature 2024; 629:1082-1090. [PMID: 38750354 PMCID: PMC11329292 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07423-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Cell types with specialized functions fundamentally regulate animal behaviour, and yet the genetic mechanisms that underlie the emergence of novel cell types and their consequences for behaviour are not well understood1. Here we show that the monogamous oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) has recently evolved a novel cell type in the adrenal gland that expresses the enzyme AKR1C18, which converts progesterone into 20α-hydroxyprogesterone. We then demonstrate that 20α-hydroxyprogesterone is more abundant in oldfield mice, where it induces monogamous-typical parental behaviours, than in the closely related promiscuous deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Using quantitative trait locus mapping in a cross between these species, we ultimately find interspecific genetic variation that drives expression of the nuclear protein GADD45A and the glycoprotein tenascin N, which contribute to the emergence and function of this cell type in oldfield mice. Our results provide an example by which the recent evolution of a new cell type in a gland outside the brain contributes to the evolution of social behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Niepoth
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer R Merritt
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michelle Uminski
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Emily Lei
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Victoria S Esquibies
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ina B Bando
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kimberly Hernandez
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christoph Gebhardt
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah A Wacker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Manhattan College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stefano Lutzu
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Asmita Poudel
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kiran K Soma
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Stephanie Rudolph
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andres Bendesky
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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15
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Fang S, Luo Z, Wei Z, Qin Y, Zheng J, Zhang H, Jin J, Li J, Miao C, Yang S, Li Y, Liang Z, Yu XD, Zhang XM, Xiong W, Zhu H, Gan WB, Huang L, Li B. Sexually dimorphic control of affective state processing and empathic behaviors. Neuron 2024; 112:1498-1517.e8. [PMID: 38430912 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.02.001] [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: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Recognizing the affective states of social counterparts and responding appropriately fosters successful social interactions. However, little is known about how the affective states are expressed and perceived and how they influence social decisions. Here, we show that male and female mice emit distinct olfactory cues after experiencing distress. These cues activate distinct neural circuits in the piriform cortex (PiC) and evoke sexually dimorphic empathic behaviors in observers. Specifically, the PiC → PrL pathway is activated in female observers, inducing a social preference for the distressed counterpart. Conversely, the PiC → MeA pathway is activated in male observers, evoking excessive self-grooming behaviors. These pathways originate from non-overlapping PiC neuron populations with distinct gene expression signatures regulated by transcription factors and sex hormones. Our study unveils how internal states of social counterparts are processed through sexually dimorphic mechanisms at the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels and offers insights into the neural mechanisms underpinning sex differences in higher brain functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunchang Fang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zhengyi Luo
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zicheng Wei
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yuxin Qin
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jieyan Zheng
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Hongyang Zhang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jianhua Jin
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jiali Li
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Chenjian Miao
- Institute on Aging, Hefei, China and Brain Disorders, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Shana Yang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yonglin Li
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zirui Liang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Xiao-Dan Yu
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Xiao Min Zhang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Wei Xiong
- Institute on Aging, Hefei, China and Brain Disorders, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Hongying Zhu
- Institute on Aging, Hefei, China and Brain Disorders, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | | | - Lianyan Huang
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microbiome and Chronic Diseases (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510655, China.
| | - Boxing Li
- Neuroscience Program, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine and the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Advanced Medical Technology Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Key Laboratory of Human Microbiome and Chronic Diseases (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510655, China.
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16
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Inoue S. Hormonal and circuit mechanisms controlling female sexual behavior. Front Neural Circuits 2024; 18:1409349. [PMID: 38752168 PMCID: PMC11094328 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2024.1409349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Sexual behavior is crucial for reproduction in many animals. In many vertebrates, females exhibit sexual behavior only during a brief period surrounding ovulation. Over the decades, studies have identified the roles of ovarian sex hormones, which peak in levels around the time of ovulation, and the critical brain regions involved in the regulation of female sexual behavior. Modern technical innovations have enabled a deeper understanding of the neural circuit mechanisms controlling this behavior. In this review, I summarize our current knowledge and discuss the neural circuit mechanisms by which female sexual behavior occurs in association with the ovulatory phase of their cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayaka Inoue
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
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17
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Murata K, Itakura T, Touhara K. Neural basis for pheromone signal transduction in mice. Front Neural Circuits 2024; 18:1409994. [PMID: 38742089 PMCID: PMC11089125 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2024.1409994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Pheromones are specialized chemical messengers used for inter-individual communication within the same species, playing crucial roles in modulating behaviors and physiological states. The detection mechanisms of these signals at the peripheral organ and their transduction to the brain have been unclear. However, recent identification of pheromone molecules, their corresponding receptors, and advancements in neuroscientific technology have started to elucidate these processes. In mammals, the detection and interpretation of pheromone signals are primarily attributed to the vomeronasal system, which is a specialized olfactory apparatus predominantly dedicated to decoding socio-chemical cues. In this mini-review, we aim to delineate the vomeronasal signal transduction pathway initiated by specific vomeronasal receptor-ligand interactions in mice. First, we catalog the previously identified pheromone ligands and their corresponding receptor pairs, providing a foundational understanding of the specificity inherent in pheromonal communication. Subsequently, we examine the neural circuits involved in processing each pheromone signal. We focus on the anatomical pathways, the sexually dimorphic and physiological state-dependent aspects of signal transduction, and the neural coding strategies underlying behavioral responses to pheromonal cues. These insights provide further critical questions regarding the development of innate circuit formation and plasticity within these circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Murata
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takumi Itakura
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, TianQiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Kazushige Touhara
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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18
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Olson K, Ingebretson AE, Vogiatzoglou E, Mermelstein PG, Lemos JC. Cholinergic interneurons in the nucleus accumbens are a site of cellular convergence for corticotropin release factor and estrogen regulation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.13.589360. [PMID: 38659848 PMCID: PMC11042197 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.13.589360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) act as master regulators of striatal output, finely tuning neurotransmission to control motivated behaviors. ChIs are a cellular target of many peptide and hormonal neuromodulators, including corticotropin releasing factor, opioids, insulin and leptin, which can influence an animal's behavior by signaling stress, pleasure, pain and nutritional status. However, little is known about how sex hormones via estrogen receptors influence the function of these other neuromodulators. Here, we performed in situ hybridization on mouse striatal tissue to characterize the effect of sex and sex hormones on choline acetyltransferase ( Chat ), estrogen receptor alpha ( Esr1 ), and corticotropin releasing factor type 1 receptor ( Crhr1 ) expression. Although we did not detect sex differences in ChAT protein levels in the striatum, we found that female mice have more Chat mRNA-expressing neurons than males. At the population level, we observed a sexually dimorphic distribution of Esr1 - and Crhr1 -expressing ChIs in the ventral striatum that demonstrates an antagonistic correlational relationship, which is abolished by ovariectomy. Only in the NAc did we find a significant population of ChIs that co-express Crhr1 and Esr1 . At the cellular level, Crhr1 and Esr1 transcript levels were negatively correlated only during estrus, indicating that changes in sex hormones levels can modulate the interaction between Crhr1 and Esr1 mRNA levels. Together, these data provide evidence for the unique expression and interaction of Esr1 and Crhr1 in ventral striatal ChIs, warranting further investigation into how these transcriptomic patterns might underlie important functions for ChIs at the intersection of stress and reproductive behaviors.
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19
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Fisher DW, Dunn JT, Keszycki R, Rodriguez G, Bennett DA, Wilson RS, Dong H. Unique transcriptional signatures correlate with behavioral and psychological symptom domains in Alzheimer's disease. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:178. [PMID: 38575567 PMCID: PMC10995139 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02878-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite the significant burden, cost, and worse prognosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), little is known about the molecular causes of these symptoms. Using antemortem assessments of BPSD in AD, we demonstrate that individual BPSD can be grouped into 4 domain factors in our cohort: affective, apathy, agitation, and psychosis. Then, we performed a transcriptome-wide analysis for each domain utilizing bulk RNA-seq of post-mortem anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) tissues. Though all 4 domains are associated with a predominantly downregulated pattern of hundreds of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), most DEGs are unique to each domain, with only 22 DEGs being common to all BPSD domains, including TIMP1. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) yielded multiple transcriptional modules that were shared between BPSD domains or unique to each domain, and NetDecoder was used to analyze context-dependent information flow through the biological network. For the agitation domain, we found that all DEGs and a highly associated transcriptional module were functionally enriched for ECM-related genes including TIMP1, TAGLN, and FLNA. Another unique transcriptional module also associated with the agitation domain was enriched with genes involved in post-synaptic signaling, including DRD1, PDE1B, CAMK4, and GABRA4. By comparing context-dependent changes in DEGs between cases and control networks, ESR1 and PARK2 were implicated as two high-impact genes associated with agitation that mediated significant information flow through the biological network. Overall, our work establishes unique targets for future study of the biological mechanisms of BPSD and resultant drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Fisher
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Dunn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Rachel Keszycki
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Guadalupe Rodriguez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - David A Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Robert S Wilson
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Hongxin Dong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
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20
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Wang X, Zheng J, Xu H. Neural Circuitry Involving Substance P in Male Sexual Behavior. Neurosci Bull 2024; 40:544-546. [PMID: 38376747 PMCID: PMC11004096 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01177-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xinrong Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Nanhu Brain-Computer Interface Institute, Hangzhou, 311100, China
| | - Junqiang Zheng
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Han Xu
- Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurology of the Second Affiliated Hospital and School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
- Nanhu Brain-Computer Interface Institute, Hangzhou, 311100, China.
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 311121, China.
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai, 200031, China.
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21
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Minakuchi T, Guthman EM, Acharya P, Hinson J, Fleming W, Witten IB, Oline SN, Falkner AL. Independent inhibitory control mechanisms for aggressive motivation and action. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:702-715. [PMID: 38347201 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01563-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Social behaviors often consist of a motivational phase followed by action. Here we show that neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus ventrolateral area (VMHvl) of mice encode the temporal sequence of aggressive motivation to action. The VMHvl receives local inhibitory input (VMHvl shell) and long-range input from the medial preoptic area (MPO) with functional coupling to neurons with specific temporal profiles. Encoding models reveal that during aggression, VMHvl shellvgat+ activity peaks at the start of an attack, whereas activity from the MPO-VMHvlvgat+ input peaks at specific interaction endpoints. Activation of the MPO-VMHvlvgat+ input promotes and prolongs a low motivation state, whereas activation of VMHvl shellvgat+ results in action-related deficits, acutely terminating attack. Moreover, stimulation of MPO-VMHvlvgat+ input is positively valenced and anxiolytic. Together, these data demonstrate how distinct inhibitory inputs to the hypothalamus can independently gate the motivational and action phases of aggression through a single locus of control.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Justin Hinson
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, NJ, USA
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22
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Huang J, Zhang YY, Qiu YY, Yao S, Qiu WT, Peng JL, Li YQ, You QL, Wu CH, Wu EJ, Wang J, Zhou YL, Ning YP, Wang HS, Chen WB, Hu BJ, Liu Y, Sun XD. NRG1-ErbB4 signaling in the medial amygdala controls mating motivation in adult male mice. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113905. [PMID: 38446660 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Motivation-driven mating is a basic affair for the maintenance of species. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that control mating motivation are not fully understood. Here, we report that NRG1-ErbB4 signaling in the medial amygdala (MeA) is pivotal in regulating mating motivation. NRG1 expression in the MeA negatively correlates with the mating motivation levels in adult male mice. Local injection and knockdown of MeA NRG1 reduce and promote mating motivation, respectively. Consistently, knockdown of MeA ErbB4, a major receptor for NRG1, and genetic inactivation of its kinase both promote mating motivation. ErbB4 deletion decreases neuronal excitability, whereas chemogenetic manipulations of ErbB4-positive neuronal activities bidirectionally modulate mating motivation. We also identify that the effects of NRG1-ErbB4 signaling on neuronal excitability and mating motivation rely on hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 3. This study reveals a critical molecular mechanism for regulating mating motivation in adult male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yan-Yan Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Yang Qiu
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shan Yao
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wan-Ting Qiu
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jin-Lin Peng
- Guangzhou Medical University-Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health (GMU-GIBH) Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuan-Quan Li
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Qingyuan Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People's Hospital, Qingyuan, China
| | - Qiang-Long You
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cui-Hong Wu
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Er-Jian Wu
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jin Wang
- Department of Physiology, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou, China
| | - Yan-Ling Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Ping Ning
- Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hong-Sheng Wang
- Songjiang Research Institute, Shanghai Songjiang District Central Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen-Bing Chen
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bing-Jie Hu
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, and Emergency Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Youtan Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Xiang-Dong Sun
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shenzhen Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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23
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Gustison ML, Muñoz-Castañeda R, Osten P, Phelps SM. Sexual coordination in a whole-brain map of prairie vole pair bonding. eLife 2024; 12:RP87029. [PMID: 38381037 PMCID: PMC10942618 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Sexual bonds are central to the social lives of many species, including humans, and monogamous prairie voles have become the predominant model for investigating such attachments. We developed an automated whole-brain mapping pipeline to identify brain circuits underlying pair-bonding behavior. We identified bonding-related c-Fos induction in 68 brain regions clustered in seven major brain-wide neuronal circuits. These circuits include known regulators of bonding, such as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, paraventricular hypothalamus, ventral pallidum, and prefrontal cortex. They also include brain regions previously unknown to shape bonding, such as ventromedial hypothalamus, medial preoptic area, and the medial amygdala, but that play essential roles in bonding-relevant processes, such as sexual behavior, social reward, and territorial aggression. Contrary to some hypotheses, we found that circuits active during mating and bonding were largely sexually monomorphic. Moreover, c-Fos induction across regions was strikingly consistent between members of a pair, with activity best predicted by rates of ejaculation. A novel cluster of regions centered in the amygdala remained coordinated after bonds had formed, suggesting novel substrates for bond maintenance. Our tools and results provide an unprecedented resource for elucidating the networks that translate sexual experience into an enduring bond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan L Gustison
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at AustinAustinUnited States
- Department of Psychology, Western UniversityLondonCanada
| | - Rodrigo Muñoz-Castañeda
- Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryCold Spring HarborUnited States
- Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell MedicineNew YorkUnited States
| | - Pavel Osten
- Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryCold Spring HarborUnited States
| | - Steven M Phelps
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at AustinAustinUnited States
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at AustinAustinUnited States
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24
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Lei Y, Liang X, Sun Y, Yao T, Gong H, Chen Z, Gao Y, Wang H, Wang R, Huang Y, Yang T, Yu M, Liu L, Yi CX, Wu QF, Kong X, Xu X, Liu S, Zhang Z, Liu T. Region-specific transcriptomic responses to obesity and diabetes in macaque hypothalamus. Cell Metab 2024; 36:438-453.e6. [PMID: 38325338 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
The hypothalamus plays a crucial role in the progression of obesity and diabetes; however, its structural complexity and cellular heterogeneity impede targeted treatments. Here, we profiled the single-cell and spatial transcriptome of the hypothalamus in obese and sporadic type 2 diabetic macaques, revealing primate-specific distributions of clusters and genes as well as spatial region, cell-type-, and gene-feature-specific changes. The infundibular (INF) and paraventricular nuclei (PVN) are most susceptible to metabolic disruption, with the PVN being more sensitive to diabetes. In the INF, obesity results in reduced synaptic plasticity and energy sensing capability, whereas diabetes involves molecular reprogramming associated with impaired tanycytic barriers, activated microglia, and neuronal inflammatory response. In the PVN, cellular metabolism and neural activity are suppressed in diabetic macaques. Spatial transcriptomic data reveal microglia's preference for the parenchyma over the third ventricle in diabetes. Our findings provide a comprehensive view of molecular changes associated with obesity and diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Lei
- BGI-Research, Hangzhou 310012, China; BGI-Research, Shenzhen 518103, China
| | - Xian Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Human Phenome Institute, Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology, and School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Yunong Sun
- BGI-Research, Hangzhou 310012, China; BGI-Research, Shenzhen 518103, China
| | - Ting Yao
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Xi'an, Shanxi 710063, China
| | - Hongyu Gong
- School of Life Sciences, Institues of Biomedical Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010000, China
| | - Zhenhua Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yuanqing Gao
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Hui Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Ru Wang
- School of Kinesiology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Yunqi Huang
- BGI-Research, Hangzhou 310012, China; BGI-Research, Shenzhen 518103, China
| | - Tao Yang
- China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518120, China
| | - Miao Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Longqi Liu
- BGI-Research, Hangzhou 310012, China; BGI-Research, Shenzhen 518103, China
| | - Chun-Xia Yi
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Qing-Feng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Development Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xingxing Kong
- School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
| | - Xun Xu
- BGI-Research, Hangzhou 310012, China; BGI-Research, Shenzhen 518103, China.
| | - Shiping Liu
- BGI-Research, Hangzhou 310012, China; BGI-Research, Shenzhen 518103, China.
| | - Zhi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Human Phenome Institute, Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology, and School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
| | - Tiemin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Human Phenome Institute, Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology, and School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; School of Life Sciences, Institues of Biomedical Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010000, China.
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25
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Kaplan HS, Logeman BL, Zhang K, Santiago C, Sohail N, Naumenko S, Ho Sui SJ, Ginty DD, Ren B, Dulac C. Sensory Input, Sex, and Function Shape Hypothalamic Cell Type Development. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.23.576835. [PMID: 38328205 PMCID: PMC10849564 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.23.576835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Mammalian behavior and physiology undergo dramatic changes in early life. Young animals rely on conspecifics to meet their homeostatic needs, until weaning and puberty initiate nutritional independence and sex-specific social interactions, respectively. How neuronal populations regulating homeostatic functions and social behaviors develop and mature during these transitions remains unclear. We used paired transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility profiling to examine the developmental trajectories of neuronal populations in the hypothalamic preoptic region, where cell types with key roles in physiological and behavioral control have been identified1-6. These data reveal a remarkable diversity of developmental trajectories shaped by the sex of the animal, and the location and behavioral or physiological function of the corresponding cell types. We identify key stages of preoptic development, including the perinatal emergence of sex differences, postnatal maturation and subsequent refinement of signaling networks, and nonlinear transcriptional changes accelerating at the time of weaning and puberty. We assessed preoptic development in various sensory mutants and find a major role for vomeronasal sensing in the timing of preoptic cell type maturation. These results provide novel insights into the development of neurons controlling homeostatic functions and social behaviors and lay ground for examining the dynamics of these functions in early life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harris S. Kaplan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Brandon L. Logeman
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Center for Epigenomics, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Current address: Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Celine Santiago
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Noor Sohail
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Serhiy Naumenko
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Newborn Screening Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Shannan J. Ho Sui
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David D. Ginty
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Bing Ren
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Center for Epigenomics, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Catherine Dulac
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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26
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Miyamichi K. Neural basis for behavioral plasticity during the parental life-stage transition in mice. Front Neural Circuits 2024; 17:1340497. [PMID: 38298741 PMCID: PMC10829089 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1340497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Parental care plays a crucial role in the physical and mental well-being of mammalian offspring. Although sexually naïve male mice, as well as certain strains of female mice, display aggression toward pups, they exhibit heightened parental caregiving behaviors as they approach the time of anticipating their offspring. In this Mini Review, I provide a concise overview of the current understanding of distinct limbic neural types and their circuits governing both aggressive and caregiving behaviors toward infant mice. Subsequently, I delve into recent advancements in the understanding of the molecular, cellular, and neural circuit mechanisms that regulate behavioral plasticity during the transition to parenthood, with a specific focus on the sex steroid hormone estrogen and neural hormone oxytocin. Additionally, I explore potential sex-related differences and highlight some critical unanswered questions that warrant further investigation.
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27
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Hochgerner H, Singh S, Tibi M, Lin Z, Skarbianskis N, Admati I, Ophir O, Reinhardt N, Netser S, Wagner S, Zeisel A. Neuronal types in the mouse amygdala and their transcriptional response to fear conditioning. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:2237-2249. [PMID: 37884748 PMCID: PMC10689239 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01469-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is a brain region primarily associated with emotional response. The use of genetic markers and single-cell transcriptomics can provide insights into behavior-associated cell state changes. Here we present a detailed cell-type taxonomy of the adult mouse amygdala during fear learning and memory consolidation. We perform single-cell RNA sequencing on naïve and fear-conditioned mice, identify 130 neuronal cell types and validate their spatial distributions. A subset of all neuronal types is transcriptionally responsive to fear learning and memory retrieval. The activated engram cells upregulate activity-response genes and coordinate the expression of genes associated with neurite outgrowth, synaptic signaling, plasticity and development. We identify known and previously undescribed candidate genes responsive to fear learning. Our molecular atlas may be used to generate hypotheses to unveil the neuron types and neural circuits regulating the emotional component of learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Hochgerner
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shelly Singh
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Muhammad Tibi
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Zhige Lin
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Niv Skarbianskis
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Inbal Admati
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Osnat Ophir
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Nuphar Reinhardt
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shai Netser
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shlomo Wagner
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Amit Zeisel
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
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28
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Rigney N, Campos-Lira E, Kirchner MK, Wei W, Belkasim S, Beaumont R, Singh S, de Vries GJ, Petrulis A. A vasopressin circuit that modulates sex-specific social interest and anxiety-like behavior in mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.06.564847. [PMID: 37986987 PMCID: PMC10659331 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.06.564847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
One of the largest sex differences in brain neurochemistry is the male-biased expression of the neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) within the vertebrate social brain. Despite the long-standing implication of AVP in social and anxiety-like behavior, the precise circuitry and anatomical substrate underlying its control are still poorly understood. By employing optogenetic manipulation of AVP cells within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), we have unveiled a central role for these cells in promoting social investigation, with a more pronounced role in males relative to females. These cells facilitate male social investigation and anxiety-like behavior through their projections to the lateral septum (LS), an area with the highest density of sexually-dimorphic AVP fibers. Blocking the vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR) in the LS eliminated stimulation-mediated increases in these behaviors. Together, these findings establish a distinct BNST AVP → LS V1aR circuit that modulates sex-specific social interest and anxiety-like behavior.
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29
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Mountoufaris G, Nair A, Yang B, Kim DW, Anderson DJ. Neuropeptide Signaling is Required to Implement a Line Attractor Encoding a Persistent Internal Behavioral State. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.01.565073. [PMID: 37961374 PMCID: PMC10635056 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.01.565073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Internal states drive survival behaviors, but their neural implementation is not well understood. Recently we identified a line attractor in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) that represents an internal state of aggressiveness. Line attractors can be implemented by recurrent connectivity and/or neuromodulatory signaling, but evidence for the latter is scant. Here we show that neuropeptidergic signaling is necessary for line attractor dynamics in this system, using a novel approach that integrates cell type-specific, anatomically restricted CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing with microendoscopic calcium imaging. Co-disruption of receptors for oxytocin and vasopressin in adult VMH Esr1 + neurons that control aggression suppressed attack, reduced persistent neural activity and eliminated line attractor dynamics, while only modestly impacting neural activity and sex- or behavior-tuning. These data identify a requisite role for neuropeptidergic signaling in implementing a behaviorally relevant line attractor. Our approach should facilitate mechanistic studies in neuroscience that bridge different levels of biological function and abstraction.
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30
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Li Y, Jiang Z, Zuo W, Huang C, Zhao J, Liu P, Wang J, Guo J, Zhang X, Wang M, Lu Y, Hou W, Wang Q. Sexual dimorphic distribution of G protein-coupled receptor 30 in pain-related regions of the mouse brain. J Neurochem 2023. [PMID: 37924265 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15995] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences in pain sensitivity have contributed to the fact that medications for curing chronic pain are unsatisfactory. However, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Brain-derived estrogen participates in modulation of sex differences in pain and related emotion. G protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30), identified as a novel estrogen receptor with a different distribution than traditional receptors, has been proved to play a vital role in regulating pain affected by estrogen. However, the contribution of its distribution to sexually dimorphic pain-related behaviors has not been fully explored. In the current study, immunofluorescence assays were applied to mark the neurons expressing GPR30 in male and female mice (in metestrus and proestrus phase) in pain-related brain regions. The neurons that express CaMKIIα or VGAT were also labeled to observe overlap with GPR30. We found that females had more GPR30-positive (GPR30+ ) neurons in the primary somatosensory (S1) and insular cortex (IC) than males. In the lateral habenula (LHb) and the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), males had more GPR30+ neurons than females. Moreover, within the LHb, the expression of GPR30 varied with estrous cycle phase; females in metestrus had fewer GPR30+ neurons than those in proestrus. In addition, females had more GPR30+ neurons, which co-expressed CaMKIIα in the medial preoptic nucleus (mPOA) than males, while males had more than females in the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA). These findings may partly explain the different modulatory effects of GPR30 in pain and related emotional phenotypes between sexes and provide a basis for comprehension of sexual dimorphism in pain related to estrogen and GPR30, and finally provide new targets for exploiting new treatments of sex-specific pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Li
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Zhenhua Jiang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
- Department of Nursing, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Wenqiang Zuo
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Chenchen Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Jianshuai Zhao
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Peizheng Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Jingzhi Guo
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Xiao Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Minghui Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Yan Lu
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Wugang Hou
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Qun Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
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31
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Mei L, Osakada T, Lin D. Hypothalamic control of innate social behaviors. Science 2023; 382:399-404. [PMID: 37883550 PMCID: PMC11105421 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh8489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Sexual, parental, and aggressive behaviors are central to the reproductive success of individuals and species survival and thus are supported by hardwired neural circuits. The reproductive behavior control column (RBCC), which comprises the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN), the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl), and the ventral premammillary nucleus (PMv), is essential for all social behaviors. The RBCC integrates diverse hormonal and metabolic cues and adjusts an animal's physical activity, hence the chance of social encounters. The RBCC further engages the mesolimbic dopamine system to maintain social interest and reinforces cues and actions that are time-locked with social behaviors. We propose that the RBCC and brainstem form a dual-control system for generating moment-to-moment social actions. This Review summarizes recent progress regarding the identities of RBCC cells and their pathways that drive different aspects of social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Mei
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Takuya Osakada
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA
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32
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Zilkha N, Kimchi T. Sexual behavior and drive: Is it all in your brain? Curr Biol 2023; 33:R1052-R1054. [PMID: 37875079 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Male mating behavior involves a series of behaviors aimed to recognize, approach and mate with a female. A new study in mice reveals an elaborated neural circuit that drives both sexual recognition, sexual reward, and copulatory behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noga Zilkha
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Tali Kimchi
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel.
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Guo Z, Yin L, Diaz V, Dai B, Osakada T, Lischinsky JE, Chien J, Yamaguchi T, Urtecho A, Tong X, Chen ZS, Lin D. Neural dynamics in the limbic system during male social behaviors. Neuron 2023; 111:3288-3306.e4. [PMID: 37586365 PMCID: PMC10592239 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Sexual and aggressive behaviors are vital for species survival and individual reproductive success. Although many limbic regions have been found relevant to these behaviors, how social cues are represented across regions and how the network activity generates each behavior remains elusive. To answer these questions, we utilize multi-fiber photometry (MFP) to simultaneously record Ca2+ signals of estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1)-expressing cells from 13 limbic regions in male mice during mating and fighting. We find that conspecific sensory information and social action signals are widely distributed in the limbic system and can be decoded from the network activity. Cross-region correlation analysis reveals striking increases in the network functional connectivity during the social action initiation phase, whereas late copulation is accompanied by a "dissociated" network state. Based on the response patterns, we propose a mating-biased network (MBN) and an aggression-biased network (ABN) for mediating male sexual and aggressive behaviors, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Guo
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Luping Yin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Veronica Diaz
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Bing Dai
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Takuya Osakada
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Julieta E Lischinsky
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jonathan Chien
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Takashi Yamaguchi
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Ashley Urtecho
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Tong
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Zhe S Chen
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, New York, NY 11201, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Takenawa S, Nagasawa Y, Go K, Chérasse Y, Mizuno S, Sano K, Ogawa S. Activity of estrogen receptor β expressing neurons in the medial amygdala regulates preference toward receptive females in male mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2305950120. [PMID: 37819977 PMCID: PMC10589649 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305950120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The processing of information regarding the sex and reproductive state of conspecific individuals is critical for successful reproduction and survival in males. Generally, male mice exhibit a preference toward the odor of sexually receptive (RF) over nonreceptive females (XF) or gonadally intact males (IM). Previous studies suggested the involvement of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) expressed in the medial amygdala (MeA) in male preference toward RF. To further delineate the role played by ERβ in the MeA in the neuronal network regulating male preference, we developed a new ERβ-iCre mouse line using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Fiber photometry Ca2+ imaging revealed that ERβ-expressing neurons in the postero-dorsal part of the MeA (MeApd-ERβ+ neurons) were more active during social investigation toward RF compared to copresented XF or IM mice in a preference test. Chemogenetic inhibition of MeApd-ERβ+ neuronal activity abolished a preference to RF in "RF vs. XF," but not "RF vs. IM," tests. Analysis with cre-dependent retrograde tracing viral vectors identified the principal part of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNSTp) as a primary projection site of MeApd-ERβ+ neurons. Fiber photometry recording in the BNSTp during a preference test revealed that chemogenetic inhibition of MeApd-ERβ+ neurons abolished differential neuronal activity of BNSTp cells as well as a preference to RF against XF but not against IM mice. Collectively, these findings demonstrate for the first time that MeApd-ERβ+ neuronal activity is required for expression of receptivity-based preference (i.e., RF vs. XF) but not sex-based preference (i.e., RF vs. IM) in male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Takenawa
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba305-8577, Japan
| | - Yutaro Nagasawa
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba305-8577, Japan
| | - Kim Go
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba305-8577, Japan
| | - Yoan Chérasse
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba305-8575, Japan
| | - Seiya Mizuno
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center and Trans-border Medical Research Center, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba305-8575, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Sano
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba305-8577, Japan
| | - Sonoko Ogawa
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba305-8577, Japan
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Green MV, Gallegos DA, Boua JV, Bartelt LC, Narayanan A, West AE. Single-Nucleus Transcriptional Profiling of GAD2-Positive Neurons From Mouse Lateral Habenula Reveals Distinct Expression of Neurotransmission- and Depression-Related Genes. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 3:686-697. [PMID: 37881543 PMCID: PMC10593960 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Glutamatergic projection neurons of the lateral habenula (LHb) drive behavioral state modulation by regulating the activity of midbrain monoaminergic neurons. Identifying circuit mechanisms that modulate LHb output is of interest for understanding control of motivated behaviors. Methods A small population of neurons within the medial subnucleus of the mouse LHb express the GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic)-synthesizing enzyme GAD2, and they can inhibit nearby LHb projection neurons; however, these neurons lack markers of classic inhibitory interneurons, and they coexpress the vesicular glutamate transporter VGLUT2. To determine the molecular phenotype of these neurons, we genetically tagged the nuclei of GAD2-positive cells and used fluorescence-activated nuclear sorting to isolate and enrich these nuclei for single-nucleus RNA sequencing. Results Our data confirm that GAD2+/VGLUT2+ neurons intrinsic to the LHb coexpress markers of both glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission and that they are transcriptionally distinct from either GABAergic interneurons or habenular glutamatergic neurons. We identify gene expression programs within these cells that show sex-specific differences in expression and that are implicated in major depressive disorder, which has been linked to LHb hyperactivity. Finally, we identify the Ntng2 gene encoding the cell adhesion protein netrin-G2 as a marker of LHb GAD2+/VGLUT2+ neurons and a gene product that may contribute to their target projections. Conclusions These data show the value of using genetic enrichment of rare cell types for transcriptome studies, and they advance understanding of the molecular composition of a functionally important class of GAD2+ neurons in the LHb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew V. Green
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | | | - Luke C. Bartelt
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Arthy Narayanan
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Anne E. West
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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Lorenzon P, Antos K, Tripathi A, Vedin V, Berghard A, Medini P. In vivo spontaneous activity and coital-evoked inhibition of mouse accessory olfactory bulb output neurons. iScience 2023; 26:107545. [PMID: 37664596 PMCID: PMC10470370 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107545] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Little is known about estrous effects on brain microcircuits. We examined the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) in vivo, in anesthetized naturally cycling females, as model microcircuit receiving coital somatosensory information. Whole-cell recordings demonstrate that output neurons are relatively hyperpolarized in estrus and unexpectedly fire high frequency bursts of action potentials. To mimic coitus, a calibrated artificial vagino-cervical stimulation (aVCS) protocol was devised. aVCS evoked stimulus-locked local field responses in the interneuron layer independent of estrous stage. The response is sensitive to α1-adrenergic receptor blockade, as expected since aVCS increases norepinephrine release in AOB. Intriguingly, only in estrus does aVCS inhibit AOB spike output. Estrus-specific output reduction coincides with prolonged aVCS activation of inhibitory interneurons. Accordingly, in estrus the AOB microcircuit sets the stage for coital stimulation to inhibit the output neurons, possibly via high frequency bursting-dependent enhancement of reciprocal synapse efficacy between inter- and output neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Lorenzon
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, SE90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Kamil Antos
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, SE90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anushree Tripathi
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, SE90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Viktoria Vedin
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anna Berghard
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE90187 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Paolo Medini
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, SE90187 Umeå, Sweden
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37
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Eliot L, Beery AK, Jacobs EG, LeBlanc HF, Maney DL, McCarthy MM. Why and How to Account for Sex and Gender in Brain and Behavioral Research. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6344-6356. [PMID: 37704386 PMCID: PMC10500996 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0020-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Long overlooked in neuroscience research, sex and gender are increasingly included as key variables potentially impacting all levels of neurobehavioral analysis. Still, many neuroscientists do not understand the difference between the terms "sex" and "gender," the complexity and nuance of each, or how to best include them as variables in research designs. This TechSights article outlines rationales for considering the influence of sex and gender across taxa, and provides technical guidance for strengthening the rigor and reproducibility of such analyses. This guidance includes the use of appropriate statistical methods for comparing groups as well as controls for key covariates of sex (e.g., total intracranial volume) and gender (e.g., income, caregiver stress, bias). We also recommend approaches for interpreting and communicating sex- and gender-related findings about the brain, which have often been misconstrued by neuroscientists and the lay public alike.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Eliot
- Stanson Toshok Center for Brain Function and Repair, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, North Chicago, Illinois 60064
| | - Annaliese K Beery
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720
| | - Emily G Jacobs
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106
| | - Hannah F LeBlanc
- Division of the Humanities & Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
| | - Donna L Maney
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
| | - Margaret M McCarthy
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
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38
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Bayless DW, Davis CHO, Yang R, Wei Y, de Andrade Carvalho VM, Knoedler JR, Yang T, Livingston O, Lomvardas A, Martins GJ, Vicente AM, Ding JB, Luo L, Shah NM. A neural circuit for male sexual behavior and reward. Cell 2023; 186:3862-3881.e28. [PMID: 37572660 PMCID: PMC10615179 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Male sexual behavior is innate and rewarding. Despite its centrality to reproduction, a molecularly specified neural circuit governing innate male sexual behavior and reward remains to be characterized. We have discovered a developmentally wired neural circuit necessary and sufficient for male mating. This circuit connects chemosensory input to BNSTprTac1 neurons, which innervate POATacr1 neurons that project to centers regulating motor output and reward. Epistasis studies demonstrate that BNSTprTac1 neurons are upstream of POATacr1 neurons, and BNSTprTac1-released substance P following mate recognition potentiates activation of POATacr1 neurons through Tacr1 to initiate mating. Experimental activation of POATacr1 neurons triggers mating, even in sexually satiated males, and it is rewarding, eliciting dopamine release and self-stimulation of these cells. Together, we have uncovered a neural circuit that governs the key aspects of innate male sexual behavior: motor displays, drive, and reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Bayless
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Chung-Ha O Davis
- Stanford Neurosciences Graduate Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Renzhi Yang
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yichao Wei
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Joseph R Knoedler
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Taehong Yang
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Oscar Livingston
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Akira Lomvardas
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Ana Mafalda Vicente
- Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, Seattle, WA 98109; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
| | - Jun B Ding
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Liqun Luo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Nirao M Shah
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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39
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Bowers JM, Li CY, Parker CG, Westbrook ME, Juntti SA. Pheromone Perception in Fish: Mechanisms and Modulation by Internal Status. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:407-427. [PMID: 37263784 PMCID: PMC10445421 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Pheromones are chemical signals that facilitate communication between animals, and most animals use pheromones for reproduction and other forms of social behavior. The identification of key ligands and olfactory receptors used for pheromonal communication provides insight into the sensory processing of these important cues. An individual's responses to pheromones can be plastic, as physiological status modulates behavioral outputs. In this review, we outline the mechanisms for pheromone sensation and highlight physiological mechanisms that modify pheromone-guided behavior. We focus on hormones, which regulate pheromonal communication across vertebrates including fish, amphibians, and rodents. This regulation may occur in peripheral olfactory organs and the brain, but the mechanisms remain unclear. While this review centers on research in fish, we will discuss other systems to provide insight into how hormonal mechanisms function across taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Bowers
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, 2128 Bioscience Research Bldg, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Cheng-Yu Li
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, 2128 Bioscience Research Bldg, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Coltan G Parker
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, 2128 Bioscience Research Bldg, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Molly E Westbrook
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, 2128 Bioscience Research Bldg, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Scott A Juntti
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, 2128 Bioscience Research Bldg, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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40
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Yu ZX, Zha X, Xu XH. Estrogen-responsive neural circuits governing male and female mating behavior in mice. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 81:102749. [PMID: 37421660 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Decades of knockout analyses have highlighted the crucial involvement of estrogen receptors and downstream genes in controlling mating behaviors. More recently, advancements in neural circuit research have unveiled a distributed subcortical network comprising estrogen-receptor or estrogen-synthesis-enzyme-expressing cells that transforms sensory inputs into sex-specific mating actions. This review provides an overview of the latest discoveries on estrogen-responsive neurons in various brain regions and the associated neural circuits that govern different aspects of male and female mating actions in mice. By contextualizing these findings within previous knockout studies of estrogen receptors, we emphasize the emerging field of "circuit genetics", where identifying mating behavior-related neural circuits may allow for a more precise evaluation of gene functions within these circuits. Such investigations will enable a deeper understanding of how hormone fluctuation, acting through estrogen receptors and downstream genes, influences the connectivity and activity of neural circuits, ultimately impacting the manifestation of innate mating actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Xian Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xi Zha
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 200031, China.
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41
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McCarthy MM. Neural Control of Sexually Dimorphic Social Behavior: Connecting Development to Adulthood. Annu Rev Neurosci 2023; 46:321-339. [PMID: 37001242 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-121522-110856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Rapid advances in the neural control of social behavior highlight the role of interconnected nodes engaged in differential information processing to generate behavior. Many innate social behaviors are essential to reproductive fitness and therefore fundamentally different in males and females. Programming these differences occurs early in development in mammals, following gonadal differentiation and copious androgen production by the fetal testis during a critical period. Early-life programming of social behavior and its adult manifestation are separate but yoked processes, yet how they are linked is unknown. This review seeks to highlight that gap by identifying four core mechanisms (epigenetics, cell death, circuit formation, and adult hormonal modulation) that could connect developmental changes to the adult behaviors of mating and aggression. We further propose that a unique social behavior, adolescent play, bridges the preweaning to the postpubertal brain by engaging the same neural networks underpinning adult reproductive and aggressive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret M McCarthy
- Department of Pharmacology and Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA;
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42
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Calvigioni D, Fuzik J, Le Merre P, Slashcheva M, Jung F, Ortiz C, Lentini A, Csillag V, Graziano M, Nikolakopoulou I, Weglage M, Lazaridis I, Kim H, Lenzi I, Park H, Reinius B, Carlén M, Meletis K. Esr1 + hypothalamic-habenula neurons shape aversive states. Nat Neurosci 2023:10.1038/s41593-023-01367-8. [PMID: 37349481 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01367-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Excitatory projections from the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) to the lateral habenula (LHb) drive aversive responses. We used patch-sequencing (Patch-seq) guided multimodal classification to define the structural and functional heterogeneity of the LHA-LHb pathway. Our classification identified six glutamatergic neuron types with unique electrophysiological properties, molecular profiles and projection patterns. We found that genetically defined LHA-LHb neurons signal distinct aspects of emotional or naturalistic behaviors, such as estrogen receptor 1-expressing (Esr1+) LHA-LHb neurons induce aversion, whereas neuropeptide Y-expressing (Npy+) LHA-LHb neurons control rearing behavior. Repeated optogenetic drive of Esr1+ LHA-LHb neurons induces a behaviorally persistent aversive state, and large-scale recordings showed a region-specific neural representation of the aversive signals in the prelimbic region of the prefrontal cortex. We further found that exposure to unpredictable mild shocks induced a sex-specific sensitivity to develop a stress state in female mice, which was associated with a specific shift in the intrinsic properties of bursting-type Esr1+ LHA-LHb neurons. In summary, we describe the diversity of LHA-LHb neuron types and provide evidence for the role of Esr1+ neurons in aversion and sexually dimorphic stress sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Janos Fuzik
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pierre Le Merre
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marina Slashcheva
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Felix Jung
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cantin Ortiz
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Antonio Lentini
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Veronika Csillag
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marta Graziano
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Moritz Weglage
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Iakovos Lazaridis
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hoseok Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Irene Lenzi
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hyunsoo Park
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Björn Reinius
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marie Carlén
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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A battle between neural circuits for infanticide and maternal-care behaviours. Nature 2023:10.1038/d41586-023-01513-z. [PMID: 37286673 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-01513-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
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44
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Mei L, Yan R, Yin L, Sullivan RM, Lin D. Antagonistic circuits mediating infanticide and maternal care in female mice. Nature 2023; 618:1006-1016. [PMID: 37286598 PMCID: PMC10648307 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06147-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In many species, including mice, female animals show markedly different pup-directed behaviours based on their reproductive state1,2. Naive wild female mice often kill pups, while lactating female mice are dedicated to pup caring3,4. The neural mechanisms that mediate infanticide and its switch to maternal behaviours during motherhood remain unclear. Here, on the basis of the hypothesis that maternal and infanticidal behaviours are supported by distinct and competing neural circuits5,6, we use the medial preoptic area (MPOA), a key site for maternal behaviours7-11, as a starting point and identify three MPOA-connected brain regions that drive differential negative pup-directed behaviours. Functional manipulation and in vivo recording reveal that oestrogen receptor α (ESR1)-expressing cells in the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNSTprESR1) are necessary, sufficient and naturally activated during infanticide in female mice. MPOAESR1 and BNSTprESR1 neurons form reciprocal inhibition to control the balance between positive and negative infant-directed behaviours. During motherhood, MPOAESR1 and BNSTprESR1 cells change their excitability in opposite directions, supporting a marked switch of female behaviours towards the young.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Mei
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Rongzhen Yan
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Luping Yin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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Liu M, Nair A, Linderman SW, Anderson DJ. Periodic hypothalamic attractor-like dynamics during the estrus cycle. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.22.541741. [PMID: 37292695 PMCID: PMC10245896 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.22.541741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Cyclic changes in hormonal state are well-known to regulate mating behavior during the female reproductive cycle, but whether and how these changes affect the dynamics of neural activity in the female brain is largely unknown. The ventromedial hypothalamus, ventro-lateral subdivision (VMHvl) contains a subpopulation of VMHvl Esr1+,Npy2r- neurons that controls female sexual receptivity. Longitudinal single cell calcium imaging of these neurons across the estrus cycle revealed that overlapping but distinct subpopulations were active during proestrus (mating-accepting) vs. non-proestrus (rejecting) phases. Dynamical systems analysis of imaging data from proestrus females uncovered a dimension with slow ramping activity, which generated approximate line attractor-like dynamics in neural state space. During mating, the neural population vector progressed along this attractor as male mounting and intromission proceeded. Attractor-like dynamics disappeared in non-proestrus states and reappeared following re-entry into proestrus. They were also absent in ovariectomized females but were restored by hormone priming. These observations reveal that hypothalamic line attractor-like dynamics are associated with female sexual receptivity and can be reversibly regulated by sex hormones, demonstrating that attractor dynamics can be flexibly modulated by physiological state. They also suggest a potential mechanism for the neural encoding of female sexual arousal.
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Abstract
Reproduction is the biological process by which new individuals are produced by their parents. It is the fundamental feature of all known life and is required for the existence of all species. All mammals reproduce sexually, a process that involves the union of two reproductive cells, one from a male and one from a female. Sexual behaviors are a series of actions leading to reproduction. They are composed of appetitive, action, and refractory phases, each supported by dedicated developmentally-wired neural circuits to ensure high reproduction success. In rodents, successful reproduction can only occur during female ovulation. Thus, female sexual behavior is tightly coupled with ovarian activity, namely the estrous cycle. This is achieved through the close interaction between the female sexual behavior circuit and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. In this review, we will summarize our current understanding, learned mainly in rodents, regarding the neural circuits underlying each phase of the female sexual behaviors and their interaction with the HPG axis, highlighting the gaps in our knowledge that require future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luping Yin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
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47
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Wei D, Osakada T, Guo Z, Yamaguchi T, Varshneya A, Yan R, Jiang Y, Lin D. A hypothalamic pathway that suppresses aggression toward superior opponents. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:774-787. [PMID: 37037956 PMCID: PMC11101994 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01297-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
Aggression is costly and requires tight regulation. Here we identify the projection from estrogen receptor alpha-expressing cells in the caudal part of the medial preoptic area (cMPOAEsr1) to the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl) as an essential pathway for modulating aggression in male mice. cMPOAEsr1 cells increase activity mainly during male-male interaction, which differs from the female-biased response pattern of rostral MPOAEsr1 (rMPOAEsr1) cells. Notably, cMPOAEsr1 cell responses to male opponents correlated with the opponents' fighting capability, which mice could estimate based on physical traits or learn through physical combats. Inactivating the cMPOAEsr1-VMHvl pathway increased aggression, whereas activating the pathway suppressed natural intermale aggression. Thus, cMPOAEsr1 is a key population for encoding opponents' fighting capability-information that could be used to prevent animals from engaging in disadvantageous conflicts with superior opponents by suppressing the activity of VMHvl cells essential for attack behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongyu Wei
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Takuya Osakada
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zhichao Guo
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Takashi Yamaguchi
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Avni Varshneya
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rongzhen Yan
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yiwen Jiang
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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48
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Levy DR, Hunter N, Lin S, Robinson EM, Gillis W, Conlin EB, Anyoha R, Shansky RM, Datta SR. Mouse spontaneous behavior reflects individual variation rather than estrous state. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1358-1364.e4. [PMID: 36889318 PMCID: PMC10090034 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Behavior is shaped by both the internal state of an animal and its individual behavioral biases. Rhythmic variation in gonadal hormones during the estrous cycle is a defining feature of the female internal state, one that regulates many aspects of sociosexual behavior. However, it remains unclear whether estrous state influences spontaneous behavior and, if so, how these effects might relate to individual behavioral variation. Here, we address this question by longitudinally characterizing the open-field behavior of female mice across different phases of the estrous cycle, using unsupervised machine learning to decompose spontaneous behavior into its constituent elements.1,2,3,4 We find that each female mouse exhibits a characteristic pattern of exploration that uniquely identifies it as an individual across many experimental sessions; by contrast, estrous state only negligibly impacts behavior, despite its known effects on neural circuits that regulate action selection and movement. Like female mice, male mice exhibit individual-specific patterns of behavior in the open field; however, the exploratory behavior of males is significantly more variable than that expressed by females both within and across individuals. These findings suggest underlying functional stability to the circuits that support exploration in female mice, reveal a surprising degree of specificity in individual behavior, and provide empirical support for the inclusion of both sexes in experiments querying spontaneous behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Rubi Levy
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nigel Hunter
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sherry Lin
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Winthrop Gillis
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Rockwell Anyoha
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Yang T, Bayless DW, Wei Y, Landayan D, Marcelo IM, Wang Y, DeNardo LA, Luo L, Druckmann S, Shah NM. Hypothalamic neurons that mirror aggression. Cell 2023; 186:1195-1211.e19. [PMID: 36796363 PMCID: PMC10081867 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Social interactions require awareness and understanding of the behavior of others. Mirror neurons, cells representing an action by self and others, have been proposed to be integral to the cognitive substrates that enable such awareness and understanding. Mirror neurons of the primate neocortex represent skilled motor tasks, but it is unclear if they are critical for the actions they embody, enable social behaviors, or exist in non-cortical regions. We demonstrate that the activity of individual VMHvlPR neurons in the mouse hypothalamus represents aggression performed by self and others. We used a genetically encoded mirror-TRAP strategy to functionally interrogate these aggression-mirroring neurons. We find that their activity is essential for fighting and that forced activation of these cells triggers aggressive displays by mice, even toward their mirror image. Together, we have discovered a mirroring center in an evolutionarily ancient region that provides a subcortical cognitive substrate essential for a social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taehong Yang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Daniel W Bayless
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yichao Wei
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Dan Landayan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ivo M Marcelo
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Program, Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal; Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Yangpeng Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Laura A DeNardo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Liqun Luo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Shaul Druckmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Nirao M Shah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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Moffat JJ, Sakhai SA, Hoisington ZW, Ehinger Y, Ron D. The BDNF Val68Met polymorphism causes a sex specific alcohol preference over social interaction and also acute tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of alcohol, a phenotype driven by malfunction of BDNF in the ventral hippocampus of male mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:303-317. [PMID: 36622381 PMCID: PMC9879818 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06305-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Valine 66 to Methionine human polymorphism results in impaired activity-dependent BDNF release and has been linked to psychiatric disorders including depression and anxiety. We previously showed that male knock-in mice carrying the mouse Methionine homolog (Met68BDNF) exhibit excessive and compulsive alcohol drinking behaviors as compared to the wild-type Val68BDNF mice. OBJECTIVE Here, we set out to determine the potential mechanism for the heightened and compulsive alcohol drinking phenotypes detected in Met68BDNF mice. RESULTS We found that male, but not female Met68BDNF mice exhibit social anxiety-like behaviors. We further show that male Met68BDNF mice exhibit a preference for alcohol over social interaction. In contrast, alcohol place preference without an alternative social reward, is similar in male Met68BDNF and Val68BDNF mice. Since the Met68BDNF mice show social anxiety phenotypes, we tested whether alcohol reliefs anxiety similarly in Met68BDNF and Val68BDNF mice and found that male, but not female Met68BDNF mice are insensitive to the acute anxiolytic action of alcohol. Finally, we show that this acute tolerance to alcohol-dependent anxiolysis can be restored by overexpressing wild-type Val68BDNF in the ventral hippocampus (vHC) of Met68BDNF mice. CONCLUSIONS Together, our results suggest that excessive alcohol drinking in the Met68BDNF may be attributed, in part, to heighted social anxiety and a lack of alcohol-dependent anxiolysis, a phenotype that is associated with malfunction of BDNF signaling in the vHC of male Met68BDNF mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey J Moffat
- Department of Neurology, University of California, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, BOX 0663, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0663, USA
| | - Samuel A Sakhai
- Department of Neurology, University of California, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, BOX 0663, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0663, USA
| | - Zachary W Hoisington
- Department of Neurology, University of California, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, BOX 0663, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0663, USA
| | - Yann Ehinger
- Department of Neurology, University of California, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, BOX 0663, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0663, USA
| | - Dorit Ron
- Department of Neurology, University of California, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, BOX 0663, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0663, USA.
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