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Walia V, Wal P, Mishra S, Agrawal A, Kosey S, Dilipkumar Patil A. Potential role of oxytocin in the regulation of memories and treatment of memory disorders. Peptides 2024; 177:171222. [PMID: 38649032 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2024.171222] [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: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) is an "affiliative" hormone or neurohormone or neuropeptide consists of nine amino acids, synthesized in magnocellular neurons of paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic nuclei (SON) of hypothalamus. OXT receptors are widely distributed in various region of brain and OXT has been shown to regulate various social and nonsocial behavior. Hippocampus is the main region which regulates the learning and memory. Hippocampus particularly regulates the acquisition of new memories and retention of acquired memories. OXT has been shown to regulate the synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, and consolidation of memories. Further, findings from both preclinical and clinical studies have suggested that the OXT treatment improves performance in memory related task. Various trials have suggested the positive impact of intranasal OXT in the dementia patients. However, these studies are limited in number. In the present study authors have highlighted the role of OXT in the formation and retrieval of memories. Further, the study demonstrated the outcome of OXT treatment in various memory and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav Walia
- SGT College of Pharmacy, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana, India.
| | - Pranay Wal
- PSIT-Pranveer Singh Institute of Technology (Pharmacy), Kanpur, UP 209305, India
| | - Shweta Mishra
- SGT College of Pharmacy, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana, India
| | - Ankur Agrawal
- Jai Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Gwalior, MP, India
| | - Sourabh Kosey
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, Punjab, India
| | - Aditya Dilipkumar Patil
- Founder, Tech Hom Research Solutions (THRS), Plot no. 38, 1st floor, opposite to biroba mandir, near ST stand, Satara, Maharashtra 415110, India
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Long KLP, Hoglen NEG, Keip AJ, Klinkel RM, See DL, Maa J, Wong JC, Sherman M, Manoli DS. Oxytocin receptor function regulates neural signatures of pair bonding and fidelity in the nucleus accumbens. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.23.599940. [PMID: 38979148 PMCID: PMC11230272 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.23.599940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
The formation of enduring relationships dramatically influences future behavior, promoting affiliation between familiar individuals. How such attachments are encoded to elicit and reinforce specific social behaviors in distinct ethological contexts remains unknown. Signaling via the oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) facilitates social reward as well as pair bond formation between mates in socially monogamous prairie voles 1-9 . How Oxtr function influences activity in the NAc during pair bonding to promote affiliative behavior with partners and rejection of other potential mates has not been determined. Using longitudinal in vivo fiber photometry in wild-type prairie voles and those lacking Oxtr, we demonstrate that Oxtr function sex-specifically regulates pair bonding behaviors and associated activity in the NAc. Oxtr function influences prosocial behavior in females in a state-dependent manner. Females lacking Oxtr demonstrate reduced prosocial behaviors and lower activity in the NAc during initial chemosensory investigation of novel males. Upon pair bonding, affiliative behavior with partners and neural activity in the NAc during these interactions increase, but these changes do not require Oxtr function. Conversely, males lacking Oxtr display increased prosocial investigation of novel females. Using the altered patterns of behavior and activity in the NAc of males lacking Oxtr during their first interactions with a female, we can predict their future preference for a partner or stranger days later. These results demonstrate that Oxtr function sex-specifically influences the early development of pair bonds by modulating prosociality and the neural processing of sensory cues and social interactions with novel individuals, unmasking underlying sex differences in the neural pathways regulating the formation of long-term relationships.
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Buemann B. Does activation of oxytocinergic reward circuits postpone the decline of the aging brain? Front Psychol 2023; 14:1250745. [PMID: 38222845 PMCID: PMC10786160 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1250745] [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: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin supports reproduction by promoting sexual- and nursing behavior. Moreover, it stimulates reproductive organs by different avenues. Oxytocin is released to the blood from terminals of oxytocinergic neurons which project from the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland. Concomitantly, the dendrites of these neurons discharge oxytocin into neighboring areas of the hypothalamus. At this location it affects other neuroendocrine systems by autocrine and paracrine mechanisms. Moreover, sensory processing, affective functions, and reward circuits are influenced by oxytocinergic neurons that reach different sites in the brain. In addition to its facilitating impact on various aspects of reproduction, oxytocin is revealed to possess significant anti-inflammatory, restoring, and tranquilizing properties. This has been demonstrated both in many in-vivo and in-vitro studies. The oxytocin system may therefore have the capacity to alleviate detrimental physiological- and mental stress reactions. Thus, high levels of endogenous oxytocin may counteract inadequate inflammation and malfunctioning of neurons and supportive cells in the brain. A persistent low-grade inflammation increasing with age-referred to as inflammaging-may lead to a cognitive decline but may also predispose to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson. Interestingly, animal studies indicate that age-related destructive processes in the body can be postponed by techniques that preserve immune- and stem cell functions in the hypothalamus. It is argued in this article that sexual activity-by its stimulating impact on the oxytocinergic activity in many regions of the brain-has the capacity to delay the onset of age-related cerebral decay. This may also postpone frailty and age-associated diseases in the body. Finally, oxytocin possesses neuroplastic properties that may be applied to expand sexual reward. The release of oxytocin may therefore be further potentiated by learning processes that involves oxytocin itself. It may therefore be profitable to raise the consciousness about the potential health benefits of sexual activity particularly among the seniors.
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Johnson CE, Hammock EAD, Dewan AK. Vasopressin receptor 1a, oxytocin receptor, and oxytocin knockout male and female mice display normal perceptual abilities towards non-social odorants. Horm Behav 2023; 148:105302. [PMID: 36628861 PMCID: PMC10067158 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105302] [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: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Genetic knockouts of the vasopressin receptor 1a (Avpr1a), oxytocin receptor (Oxtr), or oxytocin (Oxt) gene in mice have helped cement the causal relationship between these neuropeptide systems and various social behaviors (e.g., social investigation, recognition, and communication, as well as territoriality and aggression). In mice, these social behaviors depend upon the olfactory system. Thus, it is critical to assess the olfactory capabilities of these knockout models to accurately interpret the observed differences in social behavior. Prior studies utilizing these transgenic mice have sought to test for baseline deficits in olfactory processing; predominantly through use of odor habituation/dishabituation tasks, buried food tests, or investigation assays using non-social odorants. While informative, these assays rely on the animal's intrinsic motivation and locomotor behavior to measure olfactory capabilities and thus, often yield mixed results. Instead, psychophysical analyses using operant conditioning procedures and flow-dilution olfactometry are ideally suited to precisely quantify olfactory perception. In the present study, we used these methods to assess the main olfactory capabilities of adult male and female Avpr1a, Oxtr, and Oxt transgenic mice to volatile non-social odorants. Our results indicate that homozygous and heterozygous knockout mice of all three strains have the same sensitivity and discrimination ability as their wild-type littermates. These data strongly support the hypothesis that the observed social deficits of these global knockout mice are not due to baseline deficits of their main olfactory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Elise Johnson
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States.
| | - Elizabeth Anne Dunn Hammock
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States.
| | - Adam Kabir Dewan
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States.
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5
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Buemann B. Oxytocin Release: A Remedy for Cerebral Inflammaging. Curr Aging Sci 2022; 15:218-228. [PMID: 35431008 DOI: 10.2174/1874609815666220414104832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin facilitates reproduction both by physiological and behavioral mechanisms. Oxytocinergic neurons emerging from the hypothalamus release oxytocin from the pituitary gland to the blood by axonal discharge to regulate reproductive organs. However, at the same time, oxytocin is secreted into neighboring areas of the hypothalamus from the dendrites of these neurons. Here, the peptide acts by autocrine and paracrine mechanisms to influence other neuroendocrine systems. Furthermore, oxytocinergic neurons project to many different locations in the brain, where they affect sensory processing, affective functions, and reward. Additional to its regulatory role, significant anti-inflammatory and restoring effects of oxytocin have been reported from many invivo and in-vitro studies. The pervasive property of the oxytocin system may enable it generally to dampen stress reactions both peripherally and centrally, and protect neurons and supportive cells from inadequate inflammation and malfunctioning. Animal experiments have documented the importance of preserving immune- and stem cell functions in the hypothalamus to impede age-related destructive processes of the body. Sexual reward has a profound stimulating impact on the oxytocinergic activity, and the present article therefore presents the hypothesis that frequent sexual activity and gratigying social experiance may postpone the onset of frailty and age-associated diseases by neural protection from the bursts of oxytocin. Furthermore, suggestions are given how the neuroplastic properties of oxytocin may be utilized to enhance sexual reward by learning processes in order to further reinforce the release of this peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Buemann
- Retired. Copenhagen, Denmark. Previous Affiliation: Research Department of Human Nutrition, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark
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6
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Biggs LM, Hammock EAD. Oxytocin via oxytocin receptor excites neurons in the endopiriform nucleus of juvenile mice. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11401. [PMID: 35794163 PMCID: PMC9259672 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15390-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) modulates social behaviors across species and may play a developmental role for these behaviors and their mediating neural pathways. Despite having high, stable levels of OXT receptor (OXTR) ligand binding from birth, endopiriform nucleus (EPN) remains understudied. EPN integrates olfactory and gustatory input and has reciprocal connections with several limbic areas. Because the role of OXTR signaling in EPN is unknown, we sought to provide anatomical and electrophysiological information about OXTR signaling in mouse EPN neurons. Using in situ hybridization, we found that most EPN neurons co-express Oxtr mRNA and the marker for VGLUT1, a marker for glutamatergic cells. Based on high levels of OXTR ligand binding in EPN, we hypothesized that oxytocin application would modulate activity in these cells as measured by whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology. Bath application of OXT and an OXTR specific ligand (TGOT) increased the excitability of EPN neurons in wild-type, but not in OXTR-knockout (KO) tissue. These results show an effect of OXT on a mainly VGLUT1+ cell population within EPN. Given the robust, relatively stable OXTR expression in EPN throughout life, OXTR in this multi-sensory and limbic integration area may be important for modulating activity in response to an array of social or other salient stimuli throughout the lifespan and warrants further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey M Biggs
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
| | - Elizabeth A D Hammock
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
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7
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Borie AM, Agezo S, Lunsford P, Boender AJ, Guo JD, Zhu H, Berman GJ, Young LJ, Liu RC. Social experience alters oxytocinergic modulation in the nucleus accumbens of female prairie voles. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1026-1037.e4. [PMID: 35108521 PMCID: PMC8930613 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Social relationships are dynamic and evolve with shared and personal experiences. Whether the functional role of social neuromodulators also evolves with experience to shape the trajectory of relationships is unknown. We utilized pair bonding in the socially monogamous prairie vole as an example of socio-sexual experience that dramatically alters behaviors displayed toward other individuals. We investigated oxytocin-dependent modulation of excitatory synaptic transmission in the nucleus accumbens as a function of pair-bonding status. We found that an oxytocin receptor agonist decreases the amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) in sexually naive virgin, but not pair-bonded, female voles, while it increases the amplitude of electrically evoked EPSCs in paired voles, but not in virgins. This oxytocin-induced potentiation of synaptic transmission relies on the de novo coupling between oxytocin receptor signaling and endocannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) receptor signaling in pair-bonded voles. Blocking CB1 receptors after pair-bond formation increases the occurrence of a specific form of social rejection-defensive upright response-that is displayed toward the partner, but not toward a novel individual. Altogether, our results demonstrate that oxytocin's action in the nucleus accumbens is changed through social experience in a way that regulates the trajectory of social interactions as the relationship with the partner unfolds, potentially promoting the maintenance of a pair bond by inhibiting aggressive responses. These results provide a mechanism by which social experience and context shift oxytocinergic signaling to impact neural and behavioral responses to social cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie M Borie
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Sena Agezo
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Parker Lunsford
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Arjen J Boender
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Ji-Dong Guo
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Hong Zhu
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Gordon J Berman
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Center for Social Neural Networks, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8555, Japan.
| | - Robert C Liu
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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Wang P, Wang SC, Liu X, Jia S, Wang X, Li T, Yu J, Parpura V, Wang YF. Neural Functions of Hypothalamic Oxytocin and its Regulation. ASN Neuro 2022; 14:17590914221100706. [PMID: 35593066 PMCID: PMC9125079 DOI: 10.1177/17590914221100706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT), a nonapeptide, has a variety of functions. Despite extensive studies on OT over past decades, our understanding of its neural functions and their regulation remains incomplete. OT is mainly produced in OT neurons in the supraoptic nucleus (SON), paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and accessory nuclei between the SON and PVN. OT exerts neuromodulatory effects in the brain and spinal cord. While magnocellular OT neurons in the SON and PVN mainly innervate the pituitary and forebrain regions, and parvocellular OT neurons in the PVN innervate brainstem and spinal cord, the two sets of OT neurons have close interactions histologically and functionally. OT expression occurs at early life to promote mental and physical development, while its subsequent decrease in expression in later life stage accompanies aging and diseases. Adaptive changes in this OT system, however, take place under different conditions and upon the maturation of OT release machinery. OT can modulate social recognition and behaviors, learning and memory, emotion, reward, and other higher brain functions. OT also regulates eating and drinking, sleep and wakefulness, nociception and analgesia, sexual behavior, parturition, lactation and other instinctive behaviors. OT regulates the autonomic nervous system, and somatic and specialized senses. Notably, OT can have different modulatory effects on the same function under different conditions. Such divergence may derive from different neural connections, OT receptor gene dimorphism and methylation, and complex interactions with other hormones. In this review, brain functions of OT and their underlying neural mechanisms as well as the perspectives of their clinical usage are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Wang
- Department of Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Stephani C. Wang
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Shuwei Jia
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaoran Wang
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Neuroscience Laboratory for Translational Medicine, School of Mental Health, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar, China
| | - Jiawei Yu
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Kerqin District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Vladimir Parpura
- Department of Neurobiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Yu-Feng Wang
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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Li XH, Matsuura T, Xue M, Chen QY, Liu RH, Lu JS, Shi W, Fan K, Zhou Z, Miao Z, Yang J, Wei S, Wei F, Chen T, Zhuo M. Oxytocin in the anterior cingulate cortex attenuates neuropathic pain and emotional anxiety by inhibiting presynaptic long-term potentiation. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109411. [PMID: 34289348 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin is a well-known neurohypophysial hormone that plays an important role in behavioral anxiety and nociception. Two major forms of long-term potentiation, presynaptic LTP (pre-LTP) and postsynaptic LTP (post-LTP), have been characterized in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Both pre-LTP and post-LTP contribute to chronic-pain-related anxiety and behavioral sensitization. The roles of oxytocin in the ACC have not been studied. Here, we find that microinjections of oxytocin into the ACC attenuate nociceptive responses and anxiety-like behavioral responses in animals with neuropathic pain. Application of oxytocin selectively blocks the maintenance of pre-LTP but not post-LTP. In addition, oxytocin enhances inhibitory transmission and excites ACC interneurons. Similar results are obtained by using selective optical stimulation of oxytocin-containing projecting terminals in the ACC in animals with neuropathic pain. Our results demonstrate that oxytocin acts on central synapses and reduces chronic-pain-induced anxiety by reducing pre-LTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu-Hui Li
- Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institutes of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Medical Science Building, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Institute of Brain Research, Qingdao International Academician Park, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Takanori Matsuura
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Medical Science Building, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan
| | - Man Xue
- Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institutes of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Qi-Yu Chen
- Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institutes of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China; Institute of Brain Research, Qingdao International Academician Park, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Ren-Hao Liu
- Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institutes of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Jing-Shan Lu
- Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institutes of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China; Institute of Brain Research, Qingdao International Academician Park, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Wantong Shi
- Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institutes of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Kexin Fan
- Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institutes of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Zhaoxiang Zhou
- Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institutes of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China
| | - Zhuang Miao
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Medical Science Building, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Jiale Yang
- Department of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA
| | - Sara Wei
- Department of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA
| | - Feng Wei
- Department of Neural and Pain Sciences, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA
| | - Tao Chen
- Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institutes of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China; Department of Anatomy, Histology, Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Min Zhuo
- Center for Neuron and Disease, Frontier Institutes of Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Medical Science Building, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Institute of Brain Research, Qingdao International Academician Park, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
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10
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Abstract
Oxytocin regulates parturition, lactation, parental nurturing, and many other social behaviors in both sexes. The circuit mechanisms by which oxytocin modulates social behavior are receiving increasing attention. Here, we review recent studies on oxytocin modulation of neural circuit function and social behavior, largely enabled by new methods of monitoring and manipulating oxytocin or oxytocin receptor neurons in vivo. These studies indicate that oxytocin can enhance the salience of social stimuli and increase signal-to-noise ratios by modulating spiking and synaptic plasticity in the context of circuits and networks. We highlight oxytocin effects on social behavior in nontraditional organisms such as prairie voles and discuss opportunities to enhance the utility of these organisms for studying circuit-level modulation of social behaviors. We then discuss recent insights into oxytocin neuron activity during social interactions. We conclude by discussing some of the major questions and opportunities in the field ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute, Neuroscience Institute, and Departments of Otolaryngology and Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; .,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, and Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA.,Center for Social Neural Networks, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
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11
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Gerasimenko M, Lopatina O, Munesue S, Harashima A, Yokoyama S, Yamamoto Y, Higashida H. Receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) plays a critical role in retrieval behavior of mother mice at early postpartum. Physiol Behav 2021; 235:113395. [PMID: 33757778 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) is a pattern recognition molecule belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily, and it plays a role in the remodeling of endothelial cells under pathological conditions. Recently, it was shown that RAGE is a binding protein for oxytocin (OT) and a transporter of OT to the brain on neurovascular endothelial cells via blood circulation. Deletion of the mouse RAGE gene, Ager (RAGE KO), induces hyperactivity in male mice. Impairment of pup care by mother RAGE KO mice after stress exposure results in the death of neonates 1-2 days after pup birth. Therefore, to understand the role of RAGE during the postpartum period, this study aims to examine parental behavior in female RAGE KO mice and ultrasonic vocalizations in pups. RAGE KO mothers without stress before delivery raised their pups and displayed hyperactivity at postpartum day (PPD) 3. KO dams showed impaired retrieval or interaction behavior after additional stress, such as body restraint stress or exposure to a novel environment, but such impaired behavior disappeared at PPD 7. Postnatal day 3 pups emitted ultrasonic vocalizations at >60 kHz as a part of the mother-pup relationship, but the number and category of calls by RAGE KO pups were significantly lower than wild-type pups. The results indicate that RAGE is important in the manifestation of normal parental behavior in dams and for receiving maternal care by mouse pups; moreover, brain OT recruited by RAGE plays a role in damping of signals of additional external stress and endogenous stress during the early postpartum period. Thus, RAGE-dependent OT may be critical for initiating and maintaining the normal mother-child relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gerasimenko
- Department of Basic Research on Social Recognition and Memory, Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan.
| | - Olga Lopatina
- Department of Basic Research on Social Recognition and Memory, Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan; Laboratory for Social Brain Studies, Research Institute of Molecular Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, and Department of Biochemistry, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Prof. V. F. Voino-Yasentsky, Krasnoyarsk 660022, Russian Federation
| | - Seiichi Munesue
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Vascular Biology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Ai Harashima
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Vascular Biology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Shigeru Yokoyama
- Department of Basic Research on Social Recognition and Memory, Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Yasuhiko Yamamoto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Vascular Biology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Haruhiro Higashida
- Department of Basic Research on Social Recognition and Memory, Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan; Laboratory for Social Brain Studies, Research Institute of Molecular Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, and Department of Biochemistry, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Prof. V. F. Voino-Yasentsky, Krasnoyarsk 660022, Russian Federation.
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12
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Arakawa H. Dynamic regulation of oxytocin neuronal circuits in the sequential processes of prosocial behavior in rodent models. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 2:100011. [PMID: 36246512 PMCID: PMC9559098 DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2021.100011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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13
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Altmieme Z, Jubouri M, Touma K, Coté G, Fonseca M, Julian T, Mennigen JA. A reproductive role for the nonapeptides vasotocin and isotocin in male zebrafish (Danio rerio). Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2019; 238:110333. [PMID: 31499217 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2019.110333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Two distinct nonapeptide systems, vasotocin- and oxytocin-related peptides, evolved in vertebrates. Their role in male zebrafish reproduction has not been formally investigated. We hypothesized that the teleost nonapeptides vasotocin and isotocin stimulate male zebrafish reproductive physiology and success by affecting central neuronal and/or peripheral endocrine pathways. Pharmacological inhibition experiments revealed that both vasotocin and isotocin contribute significantly to male reproductive success, which in the case of vasotocin correlated significantly with indices of male courtship behavior. Interestingly, co-administration of vasotocin and isotocin antagonists completely abolished male reproductive success without affecting male courtship behavior and endocrine indices, possibly linked to a synergistic action of nonapeptides on male pheromone release. To further probe the nonapeptides' role in male zebrafish reproduction, we subsequently tested whether male zebrafish nonapeptide systems were acutely activated by the female releaser pheromone PGF2α, a strong chemoattractant and important reproductive cue in males which stimulates courtship behavior. Male zebrafish attracted to PGF2α in a choice assay exhibited acute increases in neuronal activation marker p-ERK immunoreactivity in the ventral glomerulus of the olfactory bulb and the preoptic area, however no co-localization with isotocin was observed. Conversely, PGF2α time-dependently stimulated whole brain isotocin mRNA abundance, suggesting secondary longer-term effects of PGF2α exposure on the central isotocinergic system. While the current lack of vasotocin-specific antibodies for zebrafish does not allow to probe acute activation of vasotocinergic neurons, whole brain vasotocin mRNA was not significantly affected by PGF2α exposure. Together, our results identify a role for nonapeptides in male zebrafish reproductive physiology and success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Altmieme
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 20 Marie-Curie, K1N 6N5 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - M Jubouri
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 20 Marie-Curie, K1N 6N5 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - K Touma
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 20 Marie-Curie, K1N 6N5 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - G Coté
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 20 Marie-Curie, K1N 6N5 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - M Fonseca
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 20 Marie-Curie, K1N 6N5 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - T Julian
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 20 Marie-Curie, K1N 6N5 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - J A Mennigen
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 20 Marie-Curie, K1N 6N5 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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14
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Abstract
Love is one of our most powerful emotions, inspiring some of the greatest art, literature and conquests of human history. Although aspects of love are surely unique to our species, human romantic relationships are displays of a mating system characterized by pair bonding, likely built on ancient foundational neural mechanisms governing individual recognition, social reward, territorial behaviour and maternal nurturing. Studies in monogamous prairie voles and mice have revealed precise neural mechanisms regulating processes essential for the pair bond. Here, we discuss current viewpoints on the biology underlying pair bond formation, its maintenance and associated behaviours from neural and evolutionary perspectives.
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15
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Greenwood MA, Hammock EAD. Oxytocin Receptor Binding Sites in the Periphery of the Neonatal Prairie Vole. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:474. [PMID: 31178680 PMCID: PMC6542991 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The oxytocin receptor (OXTR) has been observed in the periphery of neonatal C57BL/6J mice (Mus musculus), including facial regions and the anogenital area. In those studies, ligand specificity was confirmed with a congenital OXTR knockout mouse as well as competitive binding techniques. The aim of this study was to determine if OXTR is present in the same peripheral sites in the neonatal prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) for cross-species comparisons. Receptor autoradiography was performed on 20 μm sagittal sections of whole postnatal day 0 (P0) male and female prairie voles using the 125iodinated-ornithine vasotocin ([125I]-OVTA) radioligand. A competition binding assay was used to assess the selectivity of [125I]-OVTA for peripheral OXTR. Radioactive ligand (0.05 nM [125I]-OVTA) was competed against concentrations of 0 and 1000 nM excess unlabeled oxytocin (OXT). Previously identified regions of significant OXTR ligand binding in the mouse were analyzed for comparison: rostral and lateral periodontium, olfactory epithelium, ciliary bodies of the eye, whisker pads, adrenal gland, and anogenital area. We also evaluated the liver and scapular brown adipose tissue, which displayed strong but non-specific signal on film in mice. While there were some areas that showed conserved OXTR ligand binding in the prairie vole (e.g., ciliary body of the eye and the anogenital area), areas showing OXTR ligand binding in the neonatal prairie vole were not identical to OXTR ligand binding in the periphery of the C57BL/6J neonatal mouse. Further, some of the regions measured in the prairie vole suggest sex differences in OXTR ligand binding. Collectively, as is well-established in the central nervous system, these data indicate that patterns of OXTR ligand binding in the infant periphery are species-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Greenwood
- Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States.,Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Elizabeth A D Hammock
- Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States.,Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
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16
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Roberts BZ, Young JW, He YV, Cope ZA, Shilling PD, Feifel D. Oxytocin improves probabilistic reversal learning but not effortful motivation in Brown Norway rats. Neuropharmacology 2019; 150:15-26. [PMID: 30844406 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Deficits in cognition and motivation are common and debilitating aspects of psychiatric disorders, yet still go largely untreated. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is a potential novel therapeutic for deficits in social cognition and motivation in psychiatric patients. However, the effects of OT on clinically relevant domains of non-social cognition and motivation remain under studied. The present study investigated the effects of acute and chronic (21-day) administration of subcutaneous OT (0.04, 0.2, and 1 mg/kg) in cross-species translatable operant paradigms of reward learning and effortful motivation in male and female Brown Norway (BN) rats (n = 8-10/group). Reward learning was assessed using the probabilistic reversal learning task (PRLT) and effortful motivation was measured using the progressive ratio breakpoint task (PRBT). As predicted, BN rats exhibited baseline deficits in the detection of reversals of reward contingency in the PRLT relative to Long Evans (LE) rats. The two strains performed equally in the PRBT. Thirty minutes after a single OT injection (1 mg/kg), measures of both initial probabilistic learning (trials to first criterion) and subsequent reversal learning (contingency switches) were significantly improved to levels comparable with LE rats. The OT effect on switches persisted in male, but not female, BN rats 30 min, 24 h, and 6 days after long-term OT administration, suggesting the induction of neuroplastic changes. OT did not affect effortful motivation at any time-point. The beneficial effects of OT on reward learning in the absence of increased effortful motivation support the development of OT as a novel therapeutic to improve cognitive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Z Roberts
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Jared W Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA; VISN-22 Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Yinong V He
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Zackary A Cope
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - Paul D Shilling
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA
| | - David Feifel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0804, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0804, USA; Department of Psychiatry, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
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17
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Acute and long-lasting effects of oxytocin in cortico-limbic circuits: consequences for fear recall and extinction. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:339-354. [PMID: 30302511 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5030-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The extinction of conditioned fear responses entrains the formation of safe new memories to decrease those behavioral responses. The knowledge in neuronal mechanisms of extinction is fundamental in the treatment of anxiety and fear disorders. Interestingly, the use of pharmacological compounds that reduce anxiety and fear has been shown as a potent co-adjuvant in extinction therapy. However, the efficiency and mechanisms by which pharmacological compounds promote extinction of fear memories remains still largely unknown and would benefit from a validation based on functional neuronal circuits, and the neurotransmitters that modulate them. From this perspective, oxytocin receptor signaling, which has been shown in cortical and limbic areas to modulate numerous functions (Eliava et al. Neuron 89(6):1291-1304, 2016), among them fear and anxiety circuits, and to enhance the salience of social stimuli (Stoop Neuron 76(1):142-59, 2012), may offer an interesting perspective. Experiments in animals and humans suggest that oxytocin could be a promising pharmacological agent at adjusting memory consolidation to boost fear extinction. Additionally, it is possible that long-term changes in endogenous oxytocin signaling can also play a role in reducing expression of fear at different brain targets. In this review, we summarize the effects reported for oxytocin in cortico-limbic circuits and on fear behavior that are of relevance for the modulation and potential extinction of fear memories.
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18
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Grinevich V, Stoop R. Interplay between Oxytocin and Sensory Systems in the Orchestration of Socio-Emotional Behaviors. Neuron 2018; 99:887-904. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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19
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Rajamani KT, Wagner S, Grinevich V, Harony-Nicolas H. Oxytocin as a Modulator of Synaptic Plasticity: Implications for Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2018; 10:17. [PMID: 29970997 PMCID: PMC6018411 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2018.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is a crucial mediator of parturition and milk ejection and a major modulator of various social behaviors, including social recognition, aggression and parenting. In the past decade, there has been significant excitement around the possible use of OXT to treat behavioral deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Yet, despite the fast move to clinical trials with OXT, little attention has been paid to the possibility that the OXT system in the brain is perturbed in these disorders and to what extent such perturbations may contribute to social behavior deficits. Large-scale whole-exome sequencing studies in subjects with ASD, along with biochemical and electrophysiological studies in animal models of the disorder, indicate several risk genes that play an essential role in brain synapses, suggesting that deficits in synaptic activity and plasticity underlie the pathophysiology in a considerable portion of these cases. OXT has been repeatedly shown, both in vitro and in vivo, to modify synaptic properties and plasticity and to modulate neural activity in circuits that regulate social behavior. Together, these findings led us to hypothesize that failure of the OXT system during early development, as a direct or indirect consequence of genetic mutations, may impact social behavior by altering synaptic activity and plasticity. In this article, we review the evidence that support our hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keerthi Thirtamara Rajamani
- The Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, United States.,The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Shlomo Wagner
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Valery Grinevich
- Schaller Research Group on Neuropeptides at German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Central Institute of Mental Health and Cell Networks Cluster of Excellence, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hala Harony-Nicolas
- The Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, United States.,The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, United States
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20
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Huang GZ, Taniguchi M, Zhou YB, Zhang JJ, Okutani F, Murata Y, Yamaguchi M, Kaba H. α 2-Adrenergic receptor activation promotes long-term potentiation at excitatory synapses in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 25:147-157. [PMID: 29545386 PMCID: PMC5855524 DOI: 10.1101/lm.046391.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The formation of mate recognition memory in mice is associated with neural changes at the reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses between glutamatergic mitral cell (MC) projection neurons and GABAergic granule cell (GC) interneurons in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). Although noradrenaline (NA) plays a critical role in the formation of the memory, the mechanism by which it exerts this effect remains unclear. Here we used extracellular field potential and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings to assess the actions of bath-applied NA (10 µM) on the glutamatergic transmission and its plasticity at the MC-to-GC synapse in the AOB. Stimulation (400 stimuli) of MC axons at 10 Hz but not at 100 Hz effectively induced N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP), which exhibited reversibility. NA paired with subthreshold 10-Hz stimulation (200 stimuli) facilitated the induction of NMDA receptor-dependent LTP via the activation of α2-adrenergic receptors (ARs). We next examined how NA, acting at α2-ARs, facilitates LTP induction. In terms of acute actions, NA suppressed GC excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) responses to single pulse stimulation of MC axons by reducing glutamate release from MCs via G-protein coupled inhibition of calcium channels. Consequently, NA reduced recurrent inhibition of MCs, resulting in the enhancement of evoked EPSCs and spike fidelity in GCs during the 10-Hz stimulation used to induce LTP. These results suggest that NA, acting at α2-ARs, facilitates the induction of NMDA receptor-dependent LTP at the MC-to-GC synapse by shifting its threshold through disinhibition of MCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Zhe Huang
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Mutsuo Taniguchi
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Ye-Bo Zhou
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Jing-Ji Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Fumino Okutani
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Murata
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Masahiro Yamaguchi
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Hideto Kaba
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan .,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.,Division of Adaptation Development, Department of Developmental Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
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21
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Conditional Deletion of Hippocampal CA2/CA3a Oxytocin Receptors Impairs the Persistence of Long-Term Social Recognition Memory in Mice. J Neurosci 2017; 38:1218-1231. [PMID: 29279308 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1896-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) receptors (OXTRs) are prominently expressed in hippocampal CA2 and CA3 pyramidal neurons, but little is known about its physiological function. As the functional necessity of hippocampal CA2 for social memory processing, we tested whether CA2 OXTRs may contribute to long-term social recognition memory (SRM) formation. Here, we found that conditional deletion of Oxtr from forebrain (Oxtr-/-) or CA2/CA3a-restricted excitatory neurons in adult male mice impaired the persistence of long-term SRM but had no effect on sociability and preference for social novelty. Conditional deletion of CA2/CA3a Oxtr showed no changes in anxiety-like behavior assessed using the open-field, elevated plus maze and novelty-suppressed feeding tests. Application of a highly selective OXTR agonist [Thr4,Gly7]-OXT to hippocampal slices resulted in an acute and lasting potentiation of excitatory synaptic responses in CA2 pyramidal neurons that relied on N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor activation and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity. In addition, Oxtr-/- mice displayed a defect in the induction of long-term potentiation, but not long-term depression, at the synapses between the entorhinal cortex and CA2 pyramidal neurons. Furthermore, Oxtr deletion led to a reduced complexity of basal dendritic arbors of CA2 pyramidal neurons, but caused no alteration in the density of apical dendritic spines. Considering that the methodologies we have used to delete Oxtr do not rule out targeting the neighboring CA3a region, these findings suggest that OXTR signaling in the CA2/CA3a is crucial for the persistence of long-term SRM.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Oxytocin receptors (OXTRs) are abundantly expressed in hippocampal CA2 and CA3 regions, but there are little known about their physiological function. Taking advantage of the conditional Oxtr knock-out mice, the present study highlights the importance of OXTR signaling in the induction of long-term potentiation at the synapses between the entorhinal cortex and CA2 pyramidal neurons and the persistence of long-term social recognition memory. Thus, OXTRs in the CA2/CA3a may provide a new target for therapeutic approaches to the treatment of social cognition deficits, which are often observed in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.
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22
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Harony-Nicolas H, Kay M, du Hoffmann J, Klein ME, Bozdagi-Gunal O, Riad M, Daskalakis NP, Sonar S, Castillo PE, Hof PR, Shapiro ML, Baxter MG, Wagner S, Buxbaum JD. Oxytocin improves behavioral and electrophysiological deficits in a novel Shank3-deficient rat. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28139198 PMCID: PMC5283828 DOI: 10.7554/elife.18904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 01/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the synaptic gene SHANK3 lead to a neurodevelopmental disorder known as Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS). PMS is a relatively common monogenic and highly penetrant cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID), and frequently presents with attention deficits. The underlying neurobiology of PMS is not fully known and pharmacological treatments for core symptoms do not exist. Here, we report the production and characterization of a Shank3-deficient rat model of PMS, with a genetic alteration similar to a human SHANK3 mutation. We show that Shank3-deficient rats exhibit impaired long-term social recognition memory and attention, and reduced synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal-medial prefrontal cortex pathway. These deficits were attenuated with oxytocin treatment. The effect of oxytocin on reversing non-social attention deficits is a particularly novel finding, and the results implicate an oxytocinergic contribution in this genetically defined subtype of ASD and ID, suggesting an individualized therapeutic approach for PMS. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.18904.001 Phelan-McDermid syndrome is a genetic disorder on the autism spectrum that affects how children develop in several ways, with additional symptoms including attention deficits, delays in learning to speak and motor problems. This syndrome is known to be caused by changes in a single gene known as SHANK3 that disrupt communication between brain cells involved in memory and learning. However, we do not know how these changes relate to the symptoms of Phelan-McDermid syndrome. To understand how genetic changes affect the human brain, researchers often carry out experiments in rats or other small rodents because they have brains that are similar to ours. Harony-Nicolas et al. genetically modified rats to carry changes in the SHANK3 gene that reflect those found in people with Phelan-McDermid syndrome. The rats had disabilities related to those seen in Phelan-McDermid syndrome, including limits in long-term social memory and reduced attention span. They also showed changes in the connections between important parts of the brain. Therefore, studying these rats could help us to understand the link between molecular and cellular changes in the brain and how they affect people with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, and associated symptoms. Previous studies have shown that a chemical called oxytocin, which is naturally produced by the brain, helps to form bonds between individuals and can cause positive feelings in relation to certain memories. Harony-Nicolas et al. found treating the rats with oxytocin boosted social memory and led to improvements in other symptoms of Phelan-McDermid syndrome. In particular, oxytocin treatment helped to increase the attention span of the rats. Rats with changes in the SHANK3 gene will be a useful tool for future research into Phelan-McDermid syndrome, particularly in understanding how it affects the connections between brain cells, leading to the symptoms of Phelan-McDermid syndrome. A future challenge will be to find out whether oxytocin has the potential to be developed into a therapy to treat Phelan-McDermid syndrome in humans. Since there is evidence that SHANK3 is involved in other forms of autism, these rats will also be useful in understanding the other ways in which autism can develop. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.18904.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Hala Harony-Nicolas
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Maya Kay
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Johann du Hoffmann
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Matthew E Klein
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Ozlem Bozdagi-Gunal
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Mohammed Riad
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Nikolaos P Daskalakis
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Sankalp Sonar
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Pablo E Castillo
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, United States
| | - Patrick R Hof
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Matthew L Shapiro
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Mark G Baxter
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
| | - Shlomo Wagner
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Joseph D Buxbaum
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.,The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States
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Doyle WI, Meeks JP. Heterogeneous effects of norepinephrine on spontaneous and stimulus-driven activity in the male accessory olfactory bulb. J Neurophysiol 2017; 117:1342-1351. [PMID: 28053247 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00871.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Norepinephrine (NE) release has been linked to experience-dependent plasticity in many model systems and brain regions. Among these is the rodent accessory olfactory system (AOS), which is crucial for detecting and processing socially relevant environmental cues. The accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), the first site of chemosensory information processing in the AOS, receives dense centrifugal innervation by noradrenergic fibers originating in the locus coeruleus. Although NE release has been linked to behavioral plasticity through its actions in the AOB, the impacts of noradrenergic modulation on AOB information processing have not been thoroughly studied. We made extracellular single-unit recordings of AOB principal neurons in ex vivo preparations of the early AOS taken from adult male mice. We analyzed the impacts of bath-applied NE (10 μM) on spontaneous and stimulus-driven activity. In the presence of NE, we observed overall suppression of stimulus-driven neuronal activity with limited impact on spontaneous activity. NE-associated response suppression in the AOB came in two forms: one that was strong and immediate (21%) and one other that involved gradual, stimulus-dependent monotonic response suppression (47%). NE-associated changes in spontaneous activity were more modest, with an overall increase in spontaneous spike frequency observed in 25% of neurons. Neurons with increased spontaneous activity demonstrated a net decrease in chemosensory discriminability. These results reveal that noradrenergic signaling in the AOB causes cell-specific changes in chemosensory tuning, even among similar projection neurons.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Norepinephrine (NE) is released throughout the brain in many behavioral contexts, but its impacts on information processing are not well understood. We studied the impact of NE on chemosensory tuning in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). Electrophysiological recordings from AOB neurons in ex vivo preparations revealed that NE, on balance, inhibited mitral cell responses to chemosensory cues. However, NE's effects were heterogeneous, indicating that NE signaling reshapes AOB output in a cell- and stimulus-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayne I Doyle
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Julian P Meeks
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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Namba T, Taniguchi M, Murata Y, Tong J, Wang Y, Okutani F, Yamaguchi M, Kaba H. Activation of arginine vasopressin receptor 1a facilitates the induction of long-term potentiation in the accessory olfactory bulb of male mice. Neurosci Lett 2016; 634:107-113. [PMID: 27697521 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.09.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2016] [Revised: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Olfaction plays an important role in social recognition in most mammals. Central arginine vasopressin (AVP) plays a role in this olfaction-based recognition. The high level of expression of AVP receptors in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) at the first relay of the vomeronasal system highlights the importance of AVP signaling at this stage. We therefore analyzed the effects of AVP on the synaptic plasticity of glutamatergic transmission from mitral cells to granule cells in AOB slices from male mice. To monitor the strength of the glutamatergic transmission, we measured the maximal initial slope of the lateral olfactory tract-evoked field potential, which represents the granule cell response to mitral cell activation. AVP paired with 100-Hz stimulation that only produced short-term potentiation enhanced the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in a dose-dependent manner. AVP-paired LTP was blocked by the selective AVP receptor 1a (AVPR1a) antagonist, d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2]AVP (Manning compound), but not by the AVPR1b antagonist SSR149415, and it was mimicked by the selective AVPR1a agonist [Phe2, Ile3, Orn8]-vasopressin. We further examined the effect of AVP on the reciprocal transmission between mitral and granule cells by stimulating a mitral cell and recording the evoked inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) from the same cell using conventional whole-cell patch-clamp techniques. AVP reduced the reciprocal IPSCs triggered by endogenous glutamate release from the excited mitral cell. These results suggest that AVP promotes the induction of LTP at the mitral-to-granule cell synapse via the activation of AVPR1a through an as-yet-to-be-determined mechanism in the AOB of male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiharu Namba
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Mutsuo Taniguchi
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Murata
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Jia Tong
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan; Department of Occupational Health, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Yujie Wang
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Fumino Okutani
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan; Department of Occupational Health, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Masahiro Yamaguchi
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Hideto Kaba
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.
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Oxytocin and Memory of Emotional Stimuli: Some Dance to Remember, Some Dance to Forget. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 79:203-12. [PMID: 26300273 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Revised: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
An ever-growing body of evidence suggests that the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin plays a central role in the regulation of mammalian social behavior and relationships. Yet, mammalian social interactions are extremely complex, involving both approach and avoidance behaviors toward specific individuals. While in the past oxytocin was conceived merely as a prosocial molecule that nonselectively facilitated affiliative emotions and behavior, it is now recognized that oxytocin plays a role in a wide range of social relationships, some of which involve negative emotions such as fear, aggression, and envy and lead to avoidance behavior. However, the way by which a single molecule such as oxytocin contributes to contrasting emotions and opposite behaviors is yet to be discovered. Here, we discuss the role of oxytocin in the modulation of emotional memories in rodents, focusing on two paradigms: social recognition and fear conditioning, representing approach and avoidance behaviors, respectively. We review recent pioneering studies that address the complex effects of oxytocin in a mechanistic approach, using genetic animal models and brain region-specific manipulations of oxytocin activity. These studies suggest that the multiple roles of oxytocin in social and fear behavior are due to its local effects in various brain areas, most notably distinct regions of the amygdala. Finally, we propose a model explaining some of the contradictory effects of oxytocin as products of the balance between two networks in the amygdala that are controlled by the medial prefrontal cortex.
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Lee SY, Park SH, Chung C, Kim JJ, Choi SY, Han JS. Oxytocin Protects Hippocampal Memory and Plasticity from Uncontrollable Stress. Sci Rep 2015; 5:18540. [PMID: 26688325 PMCID: PMC4685249 DOI: 10.1038/srep18540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The hippocampus is vulnerable to uncontrollable stress and is enriched with oxytocin receptors, but their interactive influences on hippocampal functioning are unknown. This study aimed to determine the effects of intranasal oxytocin administration on stress-induced alterations in synaptic plasticity and spatial memory in male rats. While vehicle-administered stressed rats showed impairment in long-term potentiation, enhancement in long-term depression, and weakened spatial memory, these changes were not observed in oxytocin-administered stressed rats. To reveal the potential signaling mechanism mediating these effects, levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (pERK) in the hippocampus was examined. Western blotting showed that oxytocin treatment blocked stress-induced alterations of pERK. Additionally, the oxytocin receptor antagonist L-368,899 inhibited the oxytocin’s protective effects on hippocampal memory to stress. Thus, intranasal administration of oxytocin reduced stress effects on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory in rats via acting on oxytocin receptors and regulating ERK activity. This study suggests that exogenous oxytocin may be a therapeutically effective means to counter the detrimental neurocognitive effects of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun-Young Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong-Hae Park
- Department of Physiology and Dental Research Institute, Seoul National University School of Dentistry, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
| | - ChiHye Chung
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeansok J Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1525, USA
| | - Se-Young Choi
- Department of Physiology and Dental Research Institute, Seoul National University School of Dentistry, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Soo Han
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea
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Griffiths PR, Brennan PA. Roles for learning in mammalian chemosensory responses. Horm Behav 2015; 68:91-102. [PMID: 25200200 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Revised: 08/08/2014] [Accepted: 08/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Chemosignals and Reproduction". A rich variety of chemosignals have been identified that influence mammalian behaviour, including peptides, proteins and volatiles. Many of these elicit innate effects acting either as pheromones within species or allelochemicals between species. However, even innate pheromonal responses in mammals are not as hard-wired as the original definition of the term would suggest. Many, if not most mammalian pheromonal responses are only elicited in certain behavioural or physiological contexts. Furthermore, certain pheromones are themselves rewarding and act as unconditioned stimuli to link non-pheromonal stimuli to the pheromonal response, via associative learning. The medial amygdala, has emerged as a potential site for this convergence by which learned chemosensory input is able to gain control over innately-driven output circuits. The medial amygdala is also an important site for associating social chemosensory information that enables recognition of conspecifics and heterospecifics by association of their complex chemosensory signatures both within and across olfactory chemosensory systems. Learning can also influence pheromonal responses more directly to adapt them to changing physiological and behavioural context. Neuromodulators such as noradrenaline and oxytocin can plasticise neural circuits to gate transmission of chemosensory information. More recent evidence points to a role for neurogenesis in this adaptation, both at the peripheral level of the sensory neurons and via the incorporation of new neurons into existing olfactory bulb circuits. The emerging picture is of integrated and flexible responses to chemosignals that adapt them to the environmental and physiological context in which they occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip R Griffiths
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Medical Sciences, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Peter A Brennan
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Medical Sciences, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK.
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Havranek T, Zatkova M, Lestanova Z, Bacova Z, Mravec B, Hodosy J, Strbak V, Bakos J. Intracerebroventricular oxytocin administration in rats enhances object recognition and increases expression of neurotrophins, microtubule-associated protein 2, and synapsin I. J Neurosci Res 2015; 93:893-901. [DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2014] [Revised: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Havranek
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology; Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Martina Zatkova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology; Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Zuzana Lestanova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology; Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Zuzana Bacova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology; Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovakia
- Department of Normal and Pathological Physiology; Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University; Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Boris Mravec
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology; Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovakia
- Institute of Physiology; Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University; Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Julius Hodosy
- Institute of Physiology; Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University; Bratislava Slovakia
- Institute of Molecular Biomedicine; Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University; Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Vladimir Strbak
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology; Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovakia
- Department of Normal and Pathological Physiology; Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University; Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Jan Bakos
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology; Slovak Academy of Sciences; Bratislava Slovakia
- Institute of Physiology; Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University; Bratislava Slovakia
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Visualization of oxytocin release that mediates paired pulse facilitation in hypothalamic pathways to brainstem autonomic neurons. PLoS One 2014; 9:e112138. [PMID: 25379676 PMCID: PMC4224401 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 10/13/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent work has shown that oxytocin is involved in more than lactation and uterine contraction. The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) contains neuroendocrine neurons that control the release of hormones, including vasopressin and oxytocin. Other populations of PVN neurons do not release hormones, but rather project to and release neurotransmitters onto other neurons in the CNS involved in fluid retention, thermoregulation, sexual behavior and responses to stress. Activation of oxytocin receptors can be cardioprotective and reduces the adverse cardiovascular consequences of anxiety and stress, yet how oxytocin can affect heart rate and cardiac function is unknown. While anatomical work has shown the presence of peptides, including oxytocin, in the projections from the PVN to parasympathetic nuclei, electrophysiological studies to date have only demonstrated release of glutamate and activation of fast ligand gated receptors in these pathways. In this study, using rats, we directly show, using sniffer CHO cells that express oxytocin receptors and the Ca2+ indicator R-GECO, that optogenetic activation of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) expressing PVN fibers in the brainstem activates oxytocin receptors in the dorsomotor nucleus of the vagus (DMNV). We also demonstrate that while a single photoactivation of PVN terminals only activates glutamatergic receptors in brainstem cardiac vagal neurons (CVNs), neurons that dominate the neural control of heart rate, both the paired pulse facilitation, and sustained enhancement of glutamate release in this pathway is mediated by activation of oxytocin receptors. Our results provide direct evidence that a pathway from the PVN likely releases oxytocin and enhances short-term plasticity of this critical autonomic connection.
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Brennan P, Keverne EB. Biological complexity and adaptability of simple mammalian olfactory memory systems. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 50:29-40. [PMID: 25451762 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Revised: 08/20/2014] [Accepted: 10/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Chemosensory systems play vital roles in the lives of most mammals, including the detection and identification of predators, as well as sex and reproductive status and the identification of individual conspecifics. All of these capabilities require a process of recognition involving a combination of innate (kairomonal/pheromonal) and learned responses. Across very different phylogenies, the mechanisms for pheromonal and odour learning have much in common. They are frequently associated with plasticity of GABA-ergic feedback at the initial level of processing the chemosensory information, which enhances its pattern separation capability. Association of odourant features into an odour object primarily involves anterior piriform cortex for non-social odours. However, the medial amygdala appears to be involved in both the recognition of social odours and their association with chemosensory information sensed by the vomeronasal system. Unusually not only the sensory neurons themselves, but also the GABA-ergic interneurons in the olfactory bulb are continually being replaced, with implications for the induction and maintenance of learned chemosensory responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Brennan
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - E B Keverne
- Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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Gur R, Tendler A, Wagner S. Long-term social recognition memory is mediated by oxytocin-dependent synaptic plasticity in the medial amygdala. Biol Psychiatry 2014; 76:377-86. [PMID: 24787950 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2013] [Revised: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recognition of specific individuals is fundamental to mammalian social behavior and is mediated in most mammals by the main and accessory olfactory systems. Both these systems innervate the medial amygdala (MeA), where activity of the neuropeptide oxytocin is thought to mediate social recognition memory (SRM). The specific contribution of the MeA to SRM formation and the specific actions of oxytocin in the MeA are unknown. METHODS We used the social discrimination test to evaluate short-term and long-term SRM in adult Sprague-Dawley male rats (n = 38). The role of protein synthesis in the MeA was investigated by local application of the protein synthesis blocker anisomycin (n = 11). Synaptic plasticity was assessed in vivo by recording the MeA evoked field potential responses to stimulation of the main (n = 21) and accessory (n = 56) olfactory bulbs before and after theta burst stimulation. Intracerebroventricular administration of saline, oxytocin, or oxytocin receptor antagonist was used to measure the effect of oxytocin on synaptic plasticity. RESULTS Anisomycin application to the MeA prevented the formation of long-term SRM. In addition, the responses of MeA neurons underwent long-term depression (LTD) after theta burst stimulation of the accessory olfactory bulb, but not the main accessory bulb, in an oxytocin-dependent manner. No LTD was found in socially isolated rats, which are known to lack long-term SRM. Finally, accessory olfactory bulb stimulation before SRM acquisition blocked long-term SRM, supporting the involvement of LTD in the MeA in formation of long-term SRM. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that long-term SRM in rats involves protein synthesis and oxytocin-dependent LTD in the MeA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rotem Gur
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Alex Tendler
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shlomo Wagner
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
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Veening JG, Olivier B. Intranasal administration of oxytocin: behavioral and clinical effects, a review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:1445-65. [PMID: 23648680 PMCID: PMC7112651 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2012] [Revised: 04/22/2013] [Accepted: 04/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms behind the effects of IN-applied substances need more attention. The mechanisms involved in the brain-distribution of IN-OT are completely unexplored. The possibly cascading effects of IN-OT on the intrinsic OT-system require serious investigation. IN-OT induces clear and specific changes in neural activation. IN-OT is a promising approach to treat certain clinical symptoms.
The intranasal (IN-) administration of substances is attracting attention from scientists as well as pharmaceutical companies. The effects are surprisingly fast and specific. The present review explores our current knowledge about the routes of access to the cranial cavity. ‘Direct-access-pathways’ from the nasal cavity have been described but many additional experiments are needed to answer a variety of open questions regarding anatomy and physiology. Among the IN-applied substances oxytocin (OT) has an extensive history. Originally applied in women for its physiological effects related to lactation and parturition, over the last decade most studies focused on their behavioral ‘prosocial’ effects: from social relations and ‘trust’ to treatment of ‘autism’. Only very recently in a microdialysis study in rats and mice, the ‘direct-nose-brain-pathways’ of IN-OT have been investigated directly, implying that we are strongly dependent on results obtained from other IN-applied substances. Especially the possibility that IN-OT activates the ‘intrinsic’ OT-system in the hypothalamus as well needs further clarification. We conclude that IN-OT administration may be a promising approach to influence human communication but that the existing lack of information about the neural and physiological mechanisms involved is a serious problem for the proper understanding and interpretation of the observed effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan G Veening
- Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80082, 3508 TB, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Anatomy (109), Radboud University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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Oxytocin promotes long-term potentiation by enhancing epidermal growth factor receptor-mediated local translation of protein kinase Mζ. J Neurosci 2013; 32:15476-88. [PMID: 23115185 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2429-12.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
In addition to triggering the birthing process and milk release, the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) plays an important role in the regulation of complex social cognition and behavior. Previous work has shown that OXT can regulate hippocampal synaptic plasticity and improve hippocampus-dependent cognitive functions in the female mice, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. Here, we demonstrate that OXT promotes the maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by one train of tetanic stimulation (TS) in the CA1 region of hippocampal slices from both nulliparous female and male rats through a previously unknown mechanism involving OXT receptor (OXTR)-dependent and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mediated local translation of an atypical protein kinase C isoform, protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ), in dendrites. Using pharmacological and biochemical approaches, we show that both the conventional OXTR-associated signaling pathway (G(q/11)-coupled phospholipase C) and the transactivated EGFR downstream signaling pathways (phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2) are involved in the regulation of OXT. In addition, OXT stimulates local dendritic PKMζ mRNA translation via activation of a mammalian target of rapamycin-regulated mechanism. Furthermore, blockade of OXTR results in a modest decrease in the ability to maintain late-phase LTP induced by three trains of TS. These results reveal a novel OXTR-to-EGFR communication to regulate the new synthesis of PKMζ, which functions to promote the maintenance of LTP at hippocampal CA1 synapses.
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Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (VP) are two closely related neuropeptides, widely known for their peripheral hormonal effects. Specific receptors have also been found in the brain, where their neuromodulatory actions have meanwhile been described in a large number of regions. Recently, it has become possible to study their endogenous neuropeptide release with the help of OT/VP promoter-driven expression of fluorescent proteins and light-activated ion channels. In this review, I summarize the neuromodulatory effects of OT and VP in different brain regions by grouping these into different behavioral systems, highlighting their concerted, and at times opposite, effects on different aspects of behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron Stoop
- Centre for Psychiatric Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital Center, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Nagasawa M, Okabe S, Mogi K, Kikusui T. Oxytocin and mutual communication in mother-infant bonding. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:31. [PMID: 22375116 PMCID: PMC3289392 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2011] [Accepted: 02/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mother-infant bonding is universal to all mammalian species. In this review, we describe the manner in which reciprocal communication between the mother and infant leads to mother-infant bonding in rodents. In rats and mice, mother-infant bond formation is reinforced by various social stimuli, such as tactile stimuli and ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) from the pups to the mother, and feeding and tactile stimulation from the mother to the pups. Some evidence suggests that mother and infant can develop a cross-modal sensory recognition of their counterpart during this bonding process. Neurochemically, oxytocin in the neural system plays a pivotal role in each side of the mother-infant bonding process, although the mechanisms underlying bond formation in the brains of infants has not yet been clarified. Impairment of mother-infant bonding, that is, deprivation of social stimuli from the mother, strongly influences offspring sociality, including maternal behavior toward their own offspring in their adulthood, implying a "non-genomic transmission of maternal environment," even in rodents. The comparative understanding of cognitive functions between mother and infants, and the biological mechanisms involved in mother-infant bonding may help us understand psychiatric disorders associated with mother-infant relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Takefumi Kikusui
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, SagamiharaKanagawa-ken, Japan
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Zhang P, Yang C, Delay RJ. Odors activate dual pathways, a TRPC2 and a AA-dependent pathway, in mouse vomeronasal neurons. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2010; 298:C1253-64. [PMID: 20147653 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00271.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Located at the anterior portion of the nose, the paired vomeronasal organs (VNO) detect odors and pheromones. In vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSNs) odor responses are mainly mediated by phospholipase C (PLC), stimulation of which elevates diacylglycerol (DAG). DAG activates a transient receptor potential channel (TRPC2) leading to cell depolarization. In this study, we used a natural stimulus, urine, to elicit odor responses in VSNs and found urine responses persisted in TRPC2(-/-) mice, suggesting the existence of a TRPC2-independent signal transduction pathway. Using perforated patch-clamp recordings on isolated VSNs from wild-type (WT) and TRPC2(-/-) mice, we found a PLC inhibitor blocked urine responses from all VSNs. Furthermore, urine responses were reduced by blocking DAG lipase, an enzyme that produces arachidonic acid (AA), in WT mice and abolished in TRPC2(-/-) mice. Consistently, direct stimulation with AA activated an inward current that was independent of TRPC2 channels but required bath Ca(2+) and was blocked by Cd(2+). With the use of inside-out patches from TRPC2(-/-) VSNs, we show that AA activated a channel that also required Ca(2+). Together, these data from WT and TRPC2(-/-) mice suggest that both DAG and its metabolite, AA, mediate excitatory odor responses in VSNs, by activating two types of channels, a TRPC2 and a separate Ca(2+)-permeable channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- Dept. of Biology, Univ. of Vermont, Burlington, 05405, USA
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Lee HJ, Macbeth AH, Pagani JH, Young WS. Oxytocin: the great facilitator of life. Prog Neurobiol 2009; 88:127-51. [PMID: 19482229 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2009.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 339] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2008] [Revised: 02/24/2009] [Accepted: 04/02/2009] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (Oxt) is a nonapeptide hormone best known for its role in lactation and parturition. Since 1906 when its uterine-contracting properties were described until 50 years later when its sequence was elucidated, research has focused on its peripheral roles in reproduction. Only over the past several decades have researchers focused on what functions Oxt might have in the brain, the subject of this review. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei are the neurons of origin for the Oxt released from the posterior pituitary. Smaller cells in various parts of the brain, as well as release from magnocellular dendrites, provide the Oxt responsible for modulating various behaviors at its only identified receptor. Although Oxt is implicated in a variety of "non-social" behaviors, such as learning, anxiety, feeding and pain perception, it is Oxt's roles in various social behaviors that have come to the fore recently. Oxt is important for social memory and attachment, sexual and maternal behavior, and aggression. Recent work implicates Oxt in human bonding and trust as well. Human disorders characterized by aberrant social interactions, such as autism and schizophrenia, may also involve Oxt expression. Many, if not most, of Oxt's functions, from social interactions (affiliation, aggression) and sexual behavior to eventual parturition, lactation and maternal behavior, may be viewed as specifically facilitating species propagation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heon-Jin Lee
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, NIMH, NIH, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Abstract
While the placebo responses in various medical conditions have been shown to follow a few basic principles such as expectancies, reward learning and Pavlovian conditioning, the underlying neurobiology and the mediating hormonal and/or neuromodulating processing have remained obscure. We here report the collected evidence that oxytocin (OXT), a 389-amino acid polypeptide located on chromosome 3p25 that is released in the brain (hypothalamus) and in peripheral tissue, is the central mediator of the placebo response: we hypothesize that exogenous OXT via an OXT agonist will enhance the placebo response, while exogenous OXT blockade by an antagonist will reduce the placebo response in placebo analgesia and other placebo models. It is furthermore proposed that the placebo response in trials may be predicted by circulating plasma OXT levels, the OXT receptor density in the brain and/or the presence of one or more of the single nucleotide polymorphisms of the OXT promoter gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Enck
- Department of Internal Medicine VI: Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany.
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