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Zhou H, Zhu R, Xia Y, Zhang X, Wang Z, Lorimer GH, Ghiladi RA, Bayram H, Wang J. Neuropeptides affecting social behavior in mammals: Oxytocin. Peptides 2024; 177:171223. [PMID: 38626843 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2024.171223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/30/2024]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT), a neuropeptide consisting of only nine amino acids, is synthesized in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus. Although OXT is best known for its role in lactation and parturition, recent research has shown that it also has a significant impact on social behaviors in mammals. However, a comprehensive review of this topic is still lacking. In this paper, we systematically reviewed the effects of OXT on social behavior in mammals. These effects of OXT from the perspective of five key behavioral dimensions were summarized: parental behavior, anxiety, aggression, attachment, and empathy. To date, researchers have agreed that OXT plays a positive regulatory role in a wide range of social behaviors, but there have been controversially reported results. In this review, we have provided a detailed panorama of the role of OXT in social behavior and, for the first time, delved into the underlying regulatory mechanisms, which may help better understand the multifaceted role of OXT. Levels of OXT in previous human studies were also summarized to provide insights for diagnosis of mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Zhou
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; International Center for Redox Biology & Precision Medicine of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China
| | - Rui Zhu
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; International Center for Redox Biology & Precision Medicine of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China
| | - Yuqing Xia
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; International Center for Redox Biology & Precision Medicine of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China
| | - Xinming Zhang
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; International Center for Redox Biology & Precision Medicine of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China
| | - Zixu Wang
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China
| | | | - Reza A Ghiladi
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Hasan Bayram
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul 34450, Turkey
| | - Jun Wang
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; International Center for Redox Biology & Precision Medicine of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China.
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2
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Hou W, Ma H, Huang C, Li Y, Li L, Zhang L, Qu Y, Xun Y, Yang Q, He Z, Tai F. Effects of paternal deprivation on empathetic behavior and the involvement of oxytocin receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex. Horm Behav 2024; 162:105536. [PMID: 38522143 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105536] [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: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Paternal deprivation (PD) impairs social cognition and sociality and increases levels of anxiety-like behavior. However, whether PD affects the levels of empathy in offspring and its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The present study found that PD increased anxiety-like behavior in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), impaired sociality, reduced the ability of emotional contagion, and the level of consolation behavior. Meanwhile, PD reduced OT neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in both male and female mandarin voles. PD decreased the level of OT receptor (OTR) mRNA in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of male and female mandarin voles. Besides, OTR overexpression in the ACC reversed the PD-induced changes in anxiety-like behavior, social preference, emotional contagion, and consolation behavior. Interference of OTR expression in the ACC increased levels of anxiety-like behaviors, while it reduced levels of sociality, emotional contagion, and consolation. These results revealed that the OTR in the ACC is involved in the effects of PD on empathetic behaviors, and provide mechanistic insight into how social experiences affect empathetic behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Hou
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China; School of Environmental and Material Engineering, Yantai University, 264005, China
| | - Huan Ma
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Caihong Huang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yin Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Lu Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Lizi Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yishan Qu
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yufeng Xun
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Qixuan Yang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Zhixiong He
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
| | - Fadao Tai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
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3
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Yu D, Bao L, Yin B. Emotional contagion in rodents: A comprehensive exploration of mechanisms and multimodal perspectives. Behav Processes 2024; 216:105008. [PMID: 38373472 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Emotional contagion, a fundamental aspect of empathy, is an automatic and unconscious process in which individuals mimic and synchronize with the emotions of others. Extensively studied in rodents, this phenomenon is mediated through a range of sensory pathways, each contributing distinct insights. The olfactory pathway, marked by two types of pheromones modulated by oxytocin, plays a crucial role in transmitting emotional states. The auditory pathway, involving both squeaks and specific ultrasonic vocalizations, correlates with various emotional states and is essential for expression and communication in rodents. The visual pathway, though less relied upon, encompasses observational motions and facial expressions. The tactile pathway, a more recent focus, underscores the significance of physical interactions such as allogrooming and socio-affective touch in modulating emotional states. This comprehensive review not only highlights plausible neural mechanisms but also poses key questions for future research. It underscores the complexity of multimodal integration in emotional contagion, offering valuable insights for human psychology, neuroscience, animal welfare, and the burgeoning field of animal-human-AI interactions, thereby contributing to the development of a more empathetic intelligent future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delin Yu
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China; Key Laboratory for Learning and Behavioral Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China
| | - Lili Bao
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China; Key Laboratory for Learning and Behavioral Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China
| | - Bin Yin
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China; Key Laboratory for Learning and Behavioral Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China.
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4
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Keysers C, Gazzola V. Vicarious Emotions of Fear and Pain in Rodents. AFFECTIVE SCIENCE 2023; 4:662-671. [PMID: 38156261 PMCID: PMC10751282 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-023-00198-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Affective empathy, the ability to share the emotions of others, is an important contributor to the richness of our emotional experiences. Here, we review evidence that rodents show signs of fear and pain when they witness the fear and pain of others. This emotional contagion creates a vicarious emotion in the witness that mirrors some level of detail of the emotion of the demonstrator, including its valence and the vicinity of threats, and depends on brain regions such as the cingulate, amygdala, and insula that are also at the core of human empathy. Although it remains impossible to directly know how witnessing the distress of others feels for rodents, and whether this feeling is similar to the empathy humans experience, the similarity in neural structures suggests some analogies in emotional experience across rodents and humans. These neural homologies also reveal that feeling distress while others are distressed must serve an evolutionary purpose strong enough to warrant its stability across ~ 100 millions of years. We propose that it does so by allowing observers to set in motion the very emotions that have evolved to prepare them to deal with threats - with the benefit of triggering them socially, by harnessing conspecifics as sentinels, before the witness personally faces that threat. Finally, we discuss evidence that rodents can engage in prosocial behaviors that may be motivated by vicarious distress or reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Keysers
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Valeria Gazzola
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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5
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Burbano D, Senthilkumar S, Manzini MC. Exploring emotional contagion in zebrafish: A virtual-demonstrator study of positive and negative emotions. Behav Processes 2023; 213:104961. [PMID: 37897852 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Emotional contagion, the transmission of emotions within a group, has been extensively studied in mammals but remains largely unexplored in fish. This study aims to investigate whether emotional contagion, specifically in terms of low and high anxiety levels, can be evoked in zebrafish. This freshwater species has been gaining momentum due to its high genetic homology to humans and complex behavioral repertoire, making it well-suited for exploring social behavior. Our hypothesis posits that zebrafish have the ability to transmit positive and negative emotions to one another through visual cues only and that this transmission is robust over time. To test this, we employed a virtual demonstrator fish approach, where videos of zebrafish exhibiting either high or low geotactic behavior were shown to live zebrafish. Geotaxis, the tendency of a fish to spend more time at the bottom of the tank, is a sensitive measure of anxiety, with high geotactic behavior corresponding to high anxiety levels and vice versa. Our findings indicate that the virtual demonstrator successfully transmitted emotional states to the live fish, as evidenced by changes in the time spent at the bottom of the tank, linear acceleration, and fast-turning maneuvers, metrics that quantify anxiety-like behaviors such as geotaxis and erratic movements. Additionally, we conducted a causal analysis using a transfer entropy approach, revealing a significant flow of information from the virtual demonstrator fish to the live fish, indicating the efficacy and potential of this approach in studying emotional contagion. This study provides additional empirical evidence of how visual cues alone from a virtual demonstrator exhibiting high or low anxious behavior can elicit similar behavioral states in bystander fish, highlighting the potential for emotional contagion beyond mammalian and avian models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Burbano
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rutgers University, 94 Brett Road, Piscataway 08854, NJ, USA.
| | - Sahana Senthilkumar
- School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, 35 College Avenue, New Brunswick 08901, NY, USA
| | - M Chiara Manzini
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, 89 French Street, New Brunswick 08901, NY, USA
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6
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Wang Z, Luo C, Zhou EW, Sandhu AF, Yuan X, Williams GE, Cheng J, Sinha B, Akbar M, Bhattacharya P, Zhou S, Song BJ, Wang X. Molecular Toxicology and Pathophysiology of Comorbid Alcohol Use Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Associated with Traumatic Brain Injury. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108805. [PMID: 37240148 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing comorbidity of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious medical, economic, and social issue. However, the molecular toxicology and pathophysiological mechanisms of comorbid AUD and PTSD are not well understood and the identification of the comorbidity state markers is significantly challenging. This review summarizes the main characteristics of comorbidity between AUD and PTSD (AUD/PTSD) and highlights the significance of a comprehensive understanding of the molecular toxicology and pathophysiological mechanisms of AUD/PTSD, particularly following TBI, with a focus on the role of metabolomics, inflammation, neuroendocrine, signal transduction pathways, and genetic regulation. Instead of a separate disease state, a comprehensive examination of comorbid AUD and PTSD is emphasized by considering additive and synergistic interactions between the two diseases. Finally, we propose several hypotheses of molecular mechanisms for AUD/PTSD and discuss potential future research directions that may provide new insights and translational application opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zufeng Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Chengliang Luo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Edward W Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Aaron F Sandhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Xiaojing Yuan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - George E Williams
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jialu Cheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bharati Sinha
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mohammed Akbar
- Division of Neuroscience & Behavior, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20892, USA
| | - Pallab Bhattacharya
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar 382355, Gujarat, India
| | - Shuanhu Zhou
- Harvard Medical School, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Byoung-Joon Song
- Section of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20892, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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7
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Akinrinade I, Kareklas K, Teles MC, Reis TK, Gliksberg M, Petri G, Levkowitz G, Oliveira RF. Evolutionarily conserved role of oxytocin in social fear contagion in zebrafish. Science 2023; 379:1232-1237. [PMID: 36952426 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq5158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Emotional contagion is the most ancestral form of empathy. We tested to what extent the proximate mechanisms of emotional contagion are evolutionarily conserved by assessing the role of oxytocin, known to regulate empathic behaviors in mammals, in social fear contagion in zebrafish. Using oxytocin and oxytocin receptor mutants, we show that oxytocin is both necessary and sufficient for observer zebrafish to imitate the distressed behavior of conspecific demonstrators. The brain regions associated with emotional contagion in zebrafish are homologous to those involved in the same process in rodents (e.g., striatum, lateral septum), receiving direct projections from oxytocinergic neurons located in the pre-optic area. Together, our results support an evolutionary conserved role for oxytocin as a key regulator of basic empathic behaviors across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibukun Akinrinade
- Integrative Behavioral Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal
| | - Kyriacos Kareklas
- Integrative Behavioral Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal
| | - Magda C Teles
- Integrative Behavioral Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal
| | - Thais K Reis
- Integrative Behavioral Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal
| | - Michael Gliksberg
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Giovanni Petri
- ISI Foundation and ISI Global Science Foundation, Torino 10126, Italy
- CENTAI Institute, Torino 10138, Italy
| | - Gil Levkowitz
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Rui F Oliveira
- Integrative Behavioral Biology Lab, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal
- ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa 1149-041, Portugal
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Program, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal
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8
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Coccia G, La Greca F, Di Luca M, Scheggia D. Dissecting social decision-making: A spotlight on oxytocinergic transmission. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1061934. [PMID: 36618824 PMCID: PMC9813388 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1061934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Social decision-making requires the ability to balance both the interests of the self and the interests of others to survive in social environments. Empathy is essential to the regulation of this type of interaction, and it often sustains relevant prosocial behaviors such as altruism and helping behavior. In the last decade, our capacity to assess affective and empathy-like behaviors in rodents has expanded our understanding of the neurobiological substrates that underly social decision-making processes such as prosocial behaviors. Within this context, oxytocinergic transmission is profoundly implicated in modulating some of the major components of social decision-making. Thus, this review will present evidence of the association between oxytocin and empathy-like and prosocial behaviors in nonhuman animals. Then, we will dissect the involvement of oxytocinergic transmission-across different brain regions and pathways-in some of the key elements of social decision-making such as emotional discrimination, social recognition, emotional contagion, social dominance, and social memory. Evidence of the modulatory role of oxytocin on social decision-making has raised considerable interest in its clinical relevance, therefore we will also discuss the controversial findings on intranasal oxytocin administration.
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Serum oxytocin levels in adolescents with conduct disorder associated with callous-unemotional traits. MIDDLE EAST CURRENT PSYCHIATRY 2022. [DOI: 10.1186/s43045-022-00218-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Conduct disorder (CD) is a serious and common psychiatric disorder affecting children and adolescents. “Callous-unemotional traits” is a new specifier added to the diagnosis of CD in the DSM-5. The new specifier is thought to be associated with more severity and higher genetic load. Oxytocin is known to be related to interpersonal sympathy and social affection, and so its deficiency might be related to unemotionality. This work aims to explore the levels of serum oxytocin in adolescents with CD associated with callous-unemotional (CU) traits as compared to healthy control subjects. Twenty patients aged 12–18 years and 20 controls of the same age range were recruited. An Arabic-translated and validated version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for kids (MINI-kid) was used to confirm the diagnosis. The Youth Psychopathic Inventory-short version (YPI-short version) and the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU), both parent and self-reports, were all translated into Arabic and validated by the authors and used to evaluate the sample. Evaluation of serum oxytocin level using ELISA technique was done.
Results
After statistical adjustment for differences in socioeconomic status, an adolescent with CD associated with CU traits showed low levels of serum oxytocin level as compared with the control group. Serum oxytocin levels were negatively correlated in a statistically significant degree with the unemotional, the callousness, and the uncaring subscores of ICU—self-report.
Conclusions
Low levels of serum oxytocin might play a potential role as a biomarker for CU traits and CD severity in adolescents with CD.
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10
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Clarke L, Zyga O, Pineo-Cavanaugh PL, Jeng M, Fischbein NJ, Partap S, Katznelson L, Parker KJ. Socio-behavioral dysfunction in disorders of hypothalamic-pituitary involvement: The potential role of disease-induced oxytocin and vasopressin signaling deficits. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 140:104770. [PMID: 35803395 PMCID: PMC10999113 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Disorders involving hypothalamic and pituitary (HPIT) structures-including craniopharyngioma, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, and intracranial germ cell tumors-can disrupt brain and endocrine function. An area of emerging clinical concern in patients with these disorders is the co-occurring socio-behavioral dysfunction that persists after standard hormone replacement therapy. Although the two neuropeptides most implicated in mammalian social functioning (oxytocin and arginine vasopressin) are of hypothalamic origin, little is known about how disease-induced damage to HPIT structures may disrupt neuropeptide signaling and, in turn, impact patients' socio-behavioral functioning. Here we provide a clinical primer on disorders of HPIT involvement and a review of neuropeptide signaling and socio-behavioral functioning in relevant animal models and patient populations. This collective evidence suggests that neuropeptide signaling disruptions contribute to socio-behavioral deficits experienced by patients with disorders of HPIT involvement. A better understanding of the biological underpinnings of patients' socio-behavioral symptoms is now needed to enable the development of the first targeted pharmacological strategies by which to manage patients' socio-behavioral dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Clarke
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Road, MSLS P-104, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Olena Zyga
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Road, MSLS P-104, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Psalm L Pineo-Cavanaugh
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Road, MSLS P-104, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael Jeng
- Department of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology Division), Stanford University, 1000 Welch Road, Suite 300, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Nancy J Fischbein
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, 450 Quarry Rd, Suite 5659, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Sonia Partap
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences (Child Neurology Division), Stanford University, 750 Welch Road, Suite 317, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Laurence Katznelson
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Medicine (Endocrinology Division), Stanford University, 875 Blake Wilbur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Karen J Parker
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Road, MSLS P-104, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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11
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Keysers C, Knapska E, Moita MA, Gazzola V. Emotional contagion and prosocial behavior in rodents. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:688-706. [PMID: 35667978 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Empathy is critical to adjusting our behavior to the state of others. The past decade dramatically deepened our understanding of the biological origin of this capacity. We now understand that rodents robustly show emotional contagion for the distress of others via neural structures homologous to those involved in human empathy. Their propensity to approach others in distress strengthens this effect. Although rodents can also learn to favor behaviors that benefit others via structures overlapping with those of emotional contagion, they do so less reliably and more selectively. Together, this suggests evolution selected mechanisms for emotional contagion to prepare animals for dangers by using others as sentinels. Such shared emotions additionally can, under certain circumstances, promote prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Keysers
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Laboratory of Emotions' Neurobiology, Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders BRAINCITY, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marta A Moita
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Progamme, Champalimaud Foundation, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Valeria Gazzola
- Social Brain Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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12
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Guoynes CD, Marler CA. Intranasal oxytocin reduces pre-courtship aggression and increases paternal response in California mice (Peromyscus californicus). Physiol Behav 2022; 249:113773. [PMID: 35248556 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) is a neuropeptide that can facilitate prosocial behavior and decrease social stress and anxiety but can also increase aggression in some contexts. We investigated whether acute pulses of intranasal (IN) OXT influenced social behavior during social challenges that are likely to occur throughout the lifespan of a wild mouse. To test this, we examined the acute effects of IN OXT in the male California mouse (Peromyscus californicus), a monogamous, biparental, and territorial rodent, using a within-subjects longitudinal design. Social challenges included a pre-courtship male-female encounter conducted during the (1) initial aggressive and not the following affiliative phase of courtship, (2) same-sex resident intruder test, and (3) parental care test. Consecutive tests and doses were separated by at least two weeks. Males were treated with intranasal infusions of 0.8 IU/kg OXT or saline controls 5-min before each behavioral test, receiving a total of three treatments of either IN OXT or saline control. We predicted that IN OXT would 1) decrease aggression and increase affiliation during the pre-courtship aggression phase, 2) increase aggression during resident intruder paradigms, and 3) increase paternal care and vocalizations during a paternal care test. As predicted, during pre-courtship aggression with a novel female, IN OXT males displayed less contact aggression than control males, although with no change in affiliative behavior. However, post-pairing, during the resident intruder test, IN OXT males did not differ from control males in contact aggression. During the paternal care test, IN OXT males were quicker to approach their pups than control males but did not differ in vocalizations produced, unlike our previous research demonstrating an effect on vocalizations in females. In summary, during pre-courtship aggression and the paternal care test, IN OXT reduced antisocial behavior; however, during the resident intruder test, IN OXT did not alter antisocial behavior. These data suggest that IN OXT promotes prosocial behavior specifically in social contexts that can lead to affiliation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleigh D Guoynes
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison - Madison, 1202 W Johnson Street, Madison, WI, 53703 USA.
| | - Catherine A Marler
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison - Madison, 1202 W Johnson Street, Madison, WI, 53703 USA
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13
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Behavioral, hormonal, and neural alterations induced by social contagion for pain in mice. Neuropharmacology 2022; 203:108878. [PMID: 34774550 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Neurobiology of social contagion/empathy aims to collaborate with the development of treatments for human disorders characterized by the absence of this response - autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and antisocial personality disorder. Previous studies using sustained aversive stimuli (e.g., neuropathic pain or stress) to induce social contagion behaviors in rodents have demonstrated that these conditions may increase hypernociception, anxiogenic-like effects, and defensive behaviors in cagemates. To amplify the knowledge about behavioral, hormonal, and neural alterations induced by cohabitation with a pair in neuropathic pain, we investigated the effects of this protocol on (i) pain (writhing, formalin, hot plate tests) and depression (sucrose splash test) responses, (ii) the serum levels of corticosterone, testosterone, and oxytocin, (iii) noradrenalin, dopamine and its metabolite (DOPAC and HVA) levels in the amygdaloid complex and insular cortex, (iv) neuronal activation pattern (FosB labeling) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SO). One day after weaning, male Swiss mice were housed in pairs for 14 days. Then, they were divided into two groups: sciatic nerve constricted cagemate [CNC; i.e., one animal of each pair was subjected to sciatic nerve constriction (NC)], and cagemate sham (CS; a similar procedure but with no nerve constriction), and housed for further 14 days. After 28 days of cohabiting, four independent groups were subjected to (a) behavioral analyses (Exp. 1) and (b) blood samples collected for Elisa assays of corticosterone, testosterone, and oxytocin (Exp. 2), remotion of brains for the (c) HPLC in the noradrenaline dopamine and metabolites quantification (Exp. 3) or (d) immunoassays analyses for FosB labeling (Exp. 4). Results showed that cohabitation with a conspecific in chronic pain induces hypernociception and antinociception in the writhing and formalin tests, respectively, and anhedonic-like effects in the sucrose splash test. Hormonal results indicated a decrease in plasma corticosterone only in nerve constricted mice, in testosterone (CNC and NC animals), and an increase in oxytocin serum levels. The neurochemical analyses demonstrated that the social contagion for pain protocol increases in dopamine turnover in the amygdala and insula. This assay also revealed an increase in noradrenaline levels and dopamine turnover within the insula of NC mice. In the FosB labeling measure, we observed a rise in the VTA, PVN and SO in the CNC group whereas for the NC group an increase of this activation pattern occurred only in the VTA. Present results suggest the role of hormones (testosterone and oxytocin) and neurotransmitters (dopamine) in the modulation of behavioral changes induced by social contagion in animals cohabitating with a conspecific in pain.
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14
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Tabbaa M, Moses A, Hammock EAD. Oxytocin receptor disruption in Avil-expressing cells results in blunted sociability and increased inter-male aggression. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260199. [PMID: 34847180 PMCID: PMC8631681 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Social behaviors are foundational to society and quality of life while social behavior extremes are core symptoms in a variety of psychopathologies and developmental disabilities. Oxytocin (OXT) is a neuroactive hormone that regulates social behaviors through its receptor (OXTR), with all previously identified social behavior effects attributed to the central nervous system, which has developmental origins in the neural tube. However, OXTR are also present in neural crest-derived tissue including sensory ganglia of the peripheral nervous system. Avil encodes for the actin-binding protein ADVILLIN, is expressed in neural crest-derived cells, and was therefore used as a target in this study to knock out OXTR expression in neural-crest derived cells. Here, we tested if OXTRs specifically expressed in Avil positive neural crest-derived cells are necessary for species-typical adult social behaviors using a Cre-LoxP strategy. Genetically modified male and female mice lacking OXTR in Avil expressing cells (OXTRAvil KO) were tested for sociability and preference for social novelty. Males were also tested for resident intruder aggression. OXTRAvil KO males and females had reduced sociability compared to OXTRAvil WT controls. Additionally, OXTRAvil KO males had increased aggressive behaviors compared to controls. These data indicate that OXTRs in cells of neural crest origin are important regulators of typical social behaviors in C57BL/6J adult male and female mice and point to needed directions of future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manal Tabbaa
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States of America
| | - Ashley Moses
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth A. D. Hammock
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States of America
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15
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Burbano Lombana DA, Macrì S, Porfiri M. Collective Emotional Contagion in Zebrafish. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:730372. [PMID: 34566596 PMCID: PMC8458645 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.730372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Seeking to match our emotional state with one of those around us is known as emotional contagion-a fundamental biological process that underlies social behavior across several species and taxa. While emotional contagion has been traditionally considered to be a prerogative of mammals and birds, recent findings are demonstrating otherwise. Here, we investigate emotional contagion in groups of zebrafish, a freshwater model species which is gaining momentum in preclinical studies. Zebrafish have high genetic homology to humans, and they exhibit a complex behavioral repertoire amenable to study social behavior. To investigate whether individual emotional states can be transmitted to group members, we pharmacologically modulated anxiety-related behaviors of a single fish through Citalopram administration and we assessed whether the altered emotional state spread to a group of four untreated conspecifics. By capitalizing upon our in-house developed tracking algorithm, we successfully preserved the identity of all the subjects and thoroughly described their individual and social behavioral phenotypes. In accordance with our predictions, we observed that Citalopram administration consistently reduced behavioral anxiety of the treated individual, in the form of reduced geotaxis, and that such a behavioral pattern readily generalized to the untreated subjects. A transfer entropy analysis of causal interactions within the group revealed that emotional contagion was directional, whereby the treated individual influenced untreated subjects, but not vice-versa. This study offers additional evidence that emotional contagion is biologically preserved in simpler living organisms amenable to preclinical investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Alberto Burbano Lombana
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, United States
| | - Simone Macrì
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, Rome, Italy
| | - Maurizio Porfiri
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, United States.,Center for Urban Science and Progress, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, United States
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16
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Asadi E, Khodagholi F, Asadi S, Mohammadi Kamsorkh H, Kaveh N, Maleki A. Quality of early-life maternal care predicts empathy-like behavior in adult male rats: Linking empathy to BDNF gene expression in associated brain regions. Brain Res 2021; 1767:147568. [PMID: 34192516 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Empathy is the ability to experience a shared affective state as others. It enhances group living and manifests itself as helping behavior towards a distressed person. It also can flourish by nurturing. Recent findings suggest that rodents exhibit empathy-like behavior towards their conspecifics. However, the role of early-life experiences (e.g., maternal care) is not clear on the development of empathy-like behavior. Moreover, brain-derived neutrophilic factor (BDNF) is a pivotal protein in modulating the brain's function and behaviors. Evidence suggests that the expression of the BDNF gene can be affected by the quality of maternal care. In this study, we questioned whether variation in maternal care modulates empathy-like behavior of male rats in adulthood. Additionally, gene expression of BDNF was measured in the amygdala, hippocampus, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and striatum in these adult male rats. Based on the pattern of maternal care, the offspring were divided into high maternal care (HMC) and low maternal care (LMC) groups. We confirmed that the early-life experience of HMC significantly promoted the empathy-like behavior of rats in adulthood compared to LMC. In terms of gene expression, the HMC group consistently had higher BDNF gene expression in all studied regions, except anterior cingulate cortex which groups were not different. Taken together, it suggests that maternal care in infancy predicts empathy-like behavior in adulthood and differences in BDNF gene expression in different brain regions may reflect the underlying mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Asadi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fariba Khodagholi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Sareh Asadi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Neda Kaveh
- Neurobiology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Maleki
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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17
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Laviola G, Leonardo A, Ceci FM, Fiore M. Callous unemotional trait-like mice and their stressed dams. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 131:105296. [PMID: 34175559 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The co-occurrence of excess rates of aggression, general violation of societal norms and callous-unemotional trait confers specific risk for adult psychopathy. With the aim to address experimentally a model of conduct disorder, we investigated the male offspring of individual mouse dams characterized by high basal plasma corticosterone concentration (HC trait). Notably, classification indices correlated selectively in these females with quite poor maternal care devoted to their offspring. Contrary to their HC mothers, adult male offspring exhibited an integrated profile of dampened physiological reactivity to external stressors co-occurring poor sociability/emotional contagion, impaired punishment-induced memory, and exacerbated aggression. A significant reduction of glucocorticoid and opioid mu receptors' expression in frontal cortex of model HC offspring was also evidenced. Moreover, in the absence of changes in oxytocin receptor in behaviorally-relevant neural areas, we showed that intranasal oxytocin administration (0 or 20.0 µg/kg) selectively modulated specific components of the behavioral phenotype. Ultimately, current data support the notion that maternally-inoculated environmental stress early in development may represent a critical risk factor in disturbances characterised by abnormal aggression and excess callousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Laviola
- Reference Centre for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, Rome I-00161, Italy.
| | - Arianna Leonardo
- Reference Centre for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, Rome I-00161, Italy
| | - Flavio Maria Ceci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology - IBBC - CNR, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161 Rome, Italy
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18
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Chiodi V, Domenici MR, Biagini T, De Simone R, Tartaglione AM, Di Rosa M, Lo Re O, Mazza T, Micale V, Vinciguerra M. Systemic depletion of histone macroH2A1.1 boosts hippocampal synaptic plasticity and social behavior in mice. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21793. [PMID: 34320234 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100569r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Gene expression and epigenetic processes in several brain regions regulate physiological processes such as cognitive functions and social behavior. MacroH2A1.1 is a ubiquitous variant of histone H2A that regulates cell stemness and differentiation in various organs. Whether macroH2A1.1 has a modulatory role in emotional behavior is unknown. Here, we employed macroH2A1.1 knock-out (-/- ) mice to perform a comprehensive battery of behavioral tests, and an assessment of hippocampal synaptic plasticity (long-term potentiation) accompanied by whole hippocampus RNA sequencing. MacroH2A1.1-/- mice exhibit a stunningly enhancement both of sociability and of active stress-coping behavior, reflected by the increased social behavior in social activity tests and higher mobility time in the forced swim test, respectively. They also display an increased hippocampal synaptic plasticity, accompanied by significant neurotransmission transcriptional networks changes. These results suggest that systemic depletion of histone macroH2A1.1 supports an epigenetic control necessary for hippocampal function and social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Chiodi
- National Centre for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Rosaria Domenici
- National Centre for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Tommaso Biagini
- IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Bioinformatics Unit, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Roberta De Simone
- National Centre for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Tartaglione
- Centre for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Michelino Di Rosa
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Oriana Lo Re
- International Clinical Research Center, St Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tommaso Mazza
- IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, Bioinformatics Unit, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Micale
- National Centre for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.,Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- International Clinical Research Center, St Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic.,ERA Chair in Translational Stem Cell Biology, Medical University-Varna, Varna, Bulgaria.,Division of Medicine, University College London (UCL), London, UK
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19
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Rodrigues Tavares LR, Pelarin V, Baptista-de-Souza D, Pereira Ferrari D, Nunes-de-Souza RL, Canto-de-Souza A. 5-HT 3 receptor within the amygdaloid complex modulates pain hypersensitivity induced by empathy model of cohabitation with a partner in chronic pain condition in mice. Soc Neurosci 2021; 16:534-548. [PMID: 34253155 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2021.1954083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Cohabitation with a partner undergoing chronic pain induces pain hypersensitivity. Among a lot of other neurochemical pathways, the serotonin (5-HT) role, specifically the 5-HT3 receptor (5-HT3R), in the amygdala has never been evaluated in this model. Here we studied the effects of the amygdala's chemical inhibition, its neuronal activation pattern, and 5-HT, 5-HIAA, and 5-HT turnover within the amygdala. Furthermore, the systemic and intra-amygdala 5-HT3R activation and blockade in mice that cohabited with a conspecific subjected to chronic constriction injury were investigated. Male Swiss mice were housed in partners for 28 days. The dyads were divided into two groups on the 14th day: cagemate nerve constriction (CNC) and cagemate sham (CS). On the 24th day, cagemates underwent a stereotaxic surgery (when necessary) and, on the 28th day, they were evaluated on the writhing test. The amygdala inactivation promotes pain-hypersensitivity behaviors in groups and dyads; cohabitation with a partner with chronic pain did not change FosB-labeled cells in the amygdala's nucleus and increases 5-HT turnover in cagemates. Systemic and intra-amygdala 5-HT3R activation attenuated and enhanced the number of writhes, respectively. In contrast, 5-HT3R blockade reduced hypersensitivity pain response. Results suggest the involvement of amygdala serotonergic signaling via 5-HT3R in empathy-like behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lígia Renata Rodrigues Tavares
- Psychobiology Group, Department of Psychology/CECH, Universidade Federal de São Carlos - UFSCar, São Carlos, Brazil.,Joint Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences UFSCar/UNESP, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Vinícius Pelarin
- Psychobiology Group, Department of Psychology/CECH, Universidade Federal de São Carlos - UFSCar, São Carlos, Brazil.,Joint Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences UFSCar/UNESP, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Daniela Baptista-de-Souza
- Psychobiology Group, Department of Psychology/CECH, Universidade Federal de São Carlos - UFSCar, São Carlos, Brazil.,Lab. Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Univ. Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Araraquara, Brazil.,Neuroscience and Behavior Institute - IneC, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Daniele Pereira Ferrari
- Psychobiology Group, Department of Psychology/CECH, Universidade Federal de São Carlos - UFSCar, São Carlos, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Luiz Nunes-de-Souza
- Joint Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences UFSCar/UNESP, São Carlos, Brazil.,Lab. Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Univ. Estadual Paulista - UNESP, Araraquara, Brazil.,Neuroscience and Behavior Institute - IneC, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Azair Canto-de-Souza
- Psychobiology Group, Department of Psychology/CECH, Universidade Federal de São Carlos - UFSCar, São Carlos, Brazil.,Joint Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences UFSCar/UNESP, São Carlos, Brazil.,Neuroscience and Behavior Institute - IneC, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.,Program in Psychology UFSCar, São Carlos, Brazil
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20
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Aberrant Early in Life Stimulation of the Stress-Response System Affects Emotional Contagion and Oxytocin Regulation in Adult Male Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22095039. [PMID: 34068684 PMCID: PMC8126076 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22095039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Results over the last decades have provided evidence suggesting that HPA axis dysfunction is a major risk factor predisposing to the development of psychopathological behaviour. This susceptibility can be programmed during developmental windows of marked neuroplasticity, allowing early-life adversity to convey vulnerability to mental illness later in life. Besides genetic predisposition, also environmental factors play a pivotal role in this process, through embodiment of the mother's emotions, or via nutrients and hormones transferred through the placenta and the maternal milk. The aim of the current translational study was to mimic a severe stress condition by exposing female CD-1 mouse dams to abnormal levels of corticosterone (80 µg/mL) in the drinking water either during the last week of pregnancy (PreCORT) or the first one of lactation (PostCORT), compared to an Animal Facility Rearing (AFR) control group. When tested as adults, male mice from PostCORT offspring and somewhat less the PreCORT mice exhibited a markedly increased corticosterone response to acute restraint stress, compared to perinatal AFR controls. Aberrant persistence of adolescence-typical increased interest towards novel social stimuli and somewhat deficient emotional contagion also characterised profiles in both perinatal-CORT groups. Intranasal oxytocin (0 or 20.0 µg/kg) generally managed to reduce the stress response and restore a regular behavioural phenotype. Alterations in density of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors, oxytocin and µ- and κ-opioid receptors were found. Changes differed as a function of brain areas and the specific age window of perinatal aberrant stimulation of the HPA axis. Present results provided experimental evidence in a translational mouse model that precocious adversity represents a risk factor predisposing to the development of psychopathological behaviour.
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21
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Abstract
Empathy is a complex phenomenon critical for group survival and societal bonds. In addition, there is mounting evidence demonstrating empathic behaviors are dysregulated in a multitude of psychiatric disorders ranging from autism spectrum disorder, substance use disorders, and personality disorders. Therefore, understanding the underlying drive and neurobiology of empathy is paramount for improving the treatment outcomes and quality of life for individuals suffering from these psychiatric disorders. While there is a growing list of human studies, there is still much about empathy to understand, likely due to both its complexity and the inherent limitations of imaging modalities. It is therefore imperative to develop, validate, and utilize rodent models of empathic behaviors as translational tools to explore this complex topic in ways human research cannot. This review outlines some of the more prevailing theories of empathy, lists some of the psychiatric disorders with disrupted empathic processes, describes rat and mouse models of empathic behaviors currently used, and discusses ways in which these models have elucidated social, environmental, and neurobiological factors that may modulate empathy. The research tools afforded to rodent models will provide an increasingly clear translational understanding of empathic processes and consequently result in improvements in care for those diagnosed with any one of the many psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stewart S. Cox
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston SC, USA
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22
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Paradiso E, Gazzola V, Keysers C. Neural mechanisms necessary for empathy-related phenomena across species. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 68:107-115. [PMID: 33756399 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The neural basis of empathy and prosociality has received much interest over the past decades. Neuroimaging studies localized a network of brain regions with activity that correlates with empathy. Here, we review how the emergence of rodent and nonhuman primate models of empathy-related phenomena supplements human lesion and neuromodulation studies providing evidence that activity in several nodes is necessary for these phenomena to occur. We review proof that (i) affective states triggered by the emotions of others, (ii) motivations to act in ways that benefit others, and (iii) emotion recognition can be altered by perturbing brain activity in many nodes identified by human neuroimaging, with strongest evidence for the cingulate and the amygdala. We also include evidence that manipulations of the oxytocin system and analgesics can have such effects, the latter providing causal evidence for the recruitment of an individual's own nociceptive system to feel with the pain of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrica Paradiso
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, KNAW, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Valeria Gazzola
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, KNAW, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Christian Keysers
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, KNAW, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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23
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Hauser J, Pisa E, Arias Vásquez A, Tomasi F, Traversa A, Chiodi V, Martin FP, Sprenger N, Lukjancenko O, Zollinger A, Metairon S, Schneider N, Steiner P, Martire A, Caputo V, Macrì S. Sialylated human milk oligosaccharides program cognitive development through a non-genomic transmission mode. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:2854-2871. [PMID: 33664475 PMCID: PMC8505264 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01054-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Breastmilk contains bioactive molecules essential for brain and cognitive development. While sialylated human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have been implicated in phenotypic programming, their selective role and underlying mechanisms remained elusive. Here, we investigated the long-term consequences of a selective lactational deprivation of a specific sialylated HMO in mice. We capitalized on a knock-out (KO) mouse model (B6.129-St6gal1tm2Jxm/J) lacking the gene responsible for the synthesis of sialyl(alpha2,6)lactose (6'SL), one of the two sources of sialic acid (Neu5Ac) to the lactating offspring. Neu5Ac is involved in the formation of brain structures sustaining cognition. To deprive lactating offspring of 6'SL, we cross-fostered newborn wild-type (WT) pups to KO dams, which provide 6'SL-deficient milk. To test whether lactational 6'SL deprivation affects cognitive capabilities in adulthood, we assessed attention, perseveration, and memory. To detail the associated endophenotypes, we investigated hippocampal electrophysiology, plasma metabolomics, and gut microbiota composition. To investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms, we assessed gene expression (at eye-opening and in adulthood) in two brain regions mediating executive functions and memory (hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, PFC). Compared to control mice, WT offspring deprived of 6'SL during lactation exhibited consistent alterations in all cognitive functions addressed, hippocampal electrophysiology, and in pathways regulating the serotonergic system (identified through gut microbiota and plasma metabolomics). These were associated with a site- (PFC) and time-specific (eye-opening) reduced expression of genes involved in central nervous system development. Our data suggest that 6'SL in maternal milk adjusts cognitive development through a short-term upregulation of genes modulating neuronal patterning in the PFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Hauser
- grid.419905.00000 0001 0066 4948Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Edoardo Pisa
- grid.416651.10000 0000 9120 6856Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy ,grid.7841.aDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology “Vittorio Erspamer”, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alejandro Arias Vásquez
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Flavio Tomasi
- grid.416651.10000 0000 9120 6856Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Alice Traversa
- grid.413503.00000 0004 1757 9135Laboratory of Clinical Genomics, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, FG Italy
| | - Valentina Chiodi
- grid.416651.10000 0000 9120 6856National Centre for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Francois-Pierre Martin
- grid.419905.00000 0001 0066 4948Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Norbert Sprenger
- grid.419905.00000 0001 0066 4948Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Alix Zollinger
- grid.419905.00000 0001 0066 4948Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sylviane Metairon
- grid.419905.00000 0001 0066 4948Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nora Schneider
- grid.419905.00000 0001 0066 4948Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Steiner
- grid.419905.00000 0001 0066 4948Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Nestlé Research, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alberto Martire
- grid.416651.10000 0000 9120 6856National Centre for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Viviana Caputo
- grid.7841.aDepartment of Experimental Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Macrì
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
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Towards a unified theory of emotional contagion in rodents—A meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 132:1229-1248. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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25
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Anpilov S, Shemesh Y, Eren N, Harony-Nicolas H, Benjamin A, Dine J, Oliveira VEM, Forkosh O, Karamihalev S, Hüttl RE, Feldman N, Berger R, Dagan A, Chen G, Neumann ID, Wagner S, Yizhar O, Chen A. Wireless Optogenetic Stimulation of Oxytocin Neurons in a Semi-natural Setup Dynamically Elevates Both Pro-social and Agonistic Behaviors. Neuron 2020; 107:644-655.e7. [PMID: 32544386 PMCID: PMC7447984 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Complex behavioral phenotyping techniques are becoming more prevalent in the field of behavioral neuroscience, and thus methods for manipulating neuronal activity must be adapted to fit into such paradigms. Here, we present a head-mounted, magnetically activated device for wireless optogenetic manipulation that is compact, simple to construct, and suitable for use in group-living mice in an enriched semi-natural arena over several days. Using this device, we demonstrate that repeated activation of oxytocin neurons in male mice can have different effects on pro-social and agonistic behaviors, depending on the social context. Our findings support the social salience hypothesis of oxytocin and emphasize the importance of the environment in the study of social neuromodulators. Our wireless optogenetic device can be easily adapted for use in a variety of behavioral paradigms, which are normally hindered by tethered light delivery or a limited environment. A small, wireless device is used for optogenetic activation in a complex environment PVN oxytocin neurons were activated repeatedly over 2 days in a group setting Repeated activation in a group setting elicited both pro-social and agonistic behavior Findings support the social salience hypothesis of oxytocin neuro-modulation
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Anpilov
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Yair Shemesh
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Noa Eren
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Hala Harony-Nicolas
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Asaf Benjamin
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Julien Dine
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Vinícius E M Oliveira
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Oren Forkosh
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Stoyo Karamihalev
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Rosa-Eva Hüttl
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Noa Feldman
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Ryan Berger
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Avi Dagan
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Gal Chen
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Shlomo Wagner
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Ofer Yizhar
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Alon Chen
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel; Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany.
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26
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Lefter R, Ciobica A, Antioch I, Ababei DC, Hritcu L, Luca AC. Oxytocin Differentiated Effects According to the Administration Route in a Prenatal Valproic Acid-Induced Rat Model of Autism. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 56:medicina56060267. [PMID: 32485966 PMCID: PMC7353871 DOI: 10.3390/medicina56060267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Background and objectives: The hormone oxytocin (OXT) has already been reported in both human and animal studies for its promising therapeutic potential in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the comparative effectiveness of various administration routes, whether central or peripheral has been insufficiently studied. In the present study, we examined the effects of intranasal (IN) vs. intraperitoneal (IP) oxytocin in a valproic-acid (VPA) autistic rat model, focusing on cognitive and mood behavioral disturbances, gastrointestinal transit and central oxidative stress status. Materials and Methods: VPA prenatally-exposed rats (500 mg/kg; age 90 days) in small groups of 5 (n = 20 total) were given OXT by IP injection (10 mg/kg) for 8 days consecutively or by an adapted IN pipetting protocol (12 IU/kg, 20 μL/day) for 4 consecutive days. Behavioral tests were performed during the last three days of OXT treatment, and OXT was administrated 20 minutes before each behavioral testing for each rat. Biochemical determination of oxidative stress markers in the temporal area included superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and malondialdehyde (MDA). A brief quantitative assessment of fecal discharge over a period of 24 hours was performed at the end of the OXT treatment to determine differences in intestinal transit. Results: OXT improved behavioral and oxidative stress status in both routes of administration, but IN treatment had significantly better outcome in improving short-term memory, alleviating depressive manifestations and mitigating lipid peroxidation in the temporal lobes. Significant correlations were also found between behavioral parameters and oxidative stress status in rats after OXT administration. The quantitative evaluation of the gastrointestinal (GI) transit indicated lower fecal pellet counts in the VPA group and homogenous average values for the control and both OXT treated groups. Conclusions: The data from the present study suggest OXT IN administration to be more efficient than IP injections in alleviating autistic cognitive and mood dysfunctions in a VPA-induced rat model. OXT effects on the cognitive and mood behavior of autistic rats may be associated with its effects on oxidative stress. Additionally, present results provide preliminary evidence that OXT may have a balancing effect on gastrointestinal motility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radu Lefter
- Center of Biomedical Research, Romanian Academy, B dul Carol I, No 8, 700505 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Alin Ciobica
- Department of Research, Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, B dul Carol I, No 11, 700506 Iasi, Romania;
- Correspondence: (A.C.); (L.H.)
| | - Iulia Antioch
- Department of Research, Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, B dul Carol I, No 11, 700506 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Daniela Carmen Ababei
- “Grigore T.Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16, Universitatii Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania; (D.C.A.); (A.-C.L.)
| | - Luminita Hritcu
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciencies and Veterinary Medicine “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” of Iasi, 3rd Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, Romania
- Correspondence: (A.C.); (L.H.)
| | - Alina-Costina Luca
- “Grigore T.Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16, Universitatii Street, 700115 Iasi, Romania; (D.C.A.); (A.-C.L.)
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27
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Scopa C, Contalbrigo L, Greco A, Lanatà A, Scilingo EP, Baragli P. Emotional Transfer in Human-Horse Interaction: New Perspectives on Equine Assisted Interventions. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9121030. [PMID: 31779120 PMCID: PMC6941042 DOI: 10.3390/ani9121030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Equine assisted interventions (EAIs) represent an emerging field of animal assisted interventions (AAIs), employing horses in a wide variety of activities with humans. Based on the socio-emotional competences of this species, which evolved sophisticated communicative skills to interrelate with humans, we here hypothesized the occurrence of an interspecific emotional transfer during interventions. The emotional transfer hypothesis suggests a mutual coordination of emotional states of humans and horses, which are going through a coupling process during the interaction. Even though this mechanism is supported by few existing studies on human-horse emotional fine-tuning, it could play a key role in EAIs. We moreover propose to measure this coordination through monitoring physiological variables with a novel multidisciplinary method. In the future, having an insight on emotional states of animals involved in AAIs could be useful to ameliorate the wellbeing of both animal and human subjects and to better standardize operational strategies. Abstract Equine assisted interventions (EAIs) include all therapeutic interventions aimed at improving human wellbeing through the involvement of horses. Due to the prominent emotional involvement traditionally characterizing their relation with humans, horses developed sophisticated communicative skills, which fostered their ability to respond to human emotional states. In this review, we hypothesize that the proximate causation of successful interventions could be human–animal mutual coordination, through which the subjects bodily and, most importantly, emotionally come into contact. We propose that detecting emotions of other individuals and developing the capacity to fine-tune one’s own emotional states accordingly (emotional transfer mechanism), could represent the key engine triggering the positive effects of EAIs. We provide a comprehensive analysis of horses’ socio-emotional competences according to recent literature and we propose a multidisciplinary approach to investigate this inter-specific match. By considering human and horse as a unique coupling system during the interaction, it would be possible to objectively measure the degree of coordination through the analysis of physiological variables of both human and animal. Merging the state of art on human–horse relationship with the application of novel methodologies, could help to improve standardized protocols for animal assisted interventions, with particular regard to the emotional states of subjects involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Scopa
- Italian National Reference Centre for Animal Assisted Interventions, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro (Padua), Italy;
- Correspondence:
| | - Laura Contalbrigo
- Italian National Reference Centre for Animal Assisted Interventions, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro (Padua), Italy;
| | - Alberto Greco
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy; (A.G.); (A.L.); (E.P.S.)
- Feel-Ing s.r.l., 56122 Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonio Lanatà
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy; (A.G.); (A.L.); (E.P.S.)
- Feel-Ing s.r.l., 56122 Pisa, Italy
| | - Enzo Pasquale Scilingo
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy; (A.G.); (A.L.); (E.P.S.)
- Feel-Ing s.r.l., 56122 Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Baragli
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy;
- Bioengineering and Robotic Research Center “E. Piaggio”, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy
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Li LF, Yuan W, He ZX, Ma H, Xun YF, Meng LR, Zhu SJ, Wang LM, Zhang J, Cai WQ, Zhang XN, Guo QQ, Lian ZM, Jia R, Tai FD. Reduced Consolation Behaviors in Physically Stressed Mandarin Voles: Involvement of Oxytocin, Dopamine D2, and Serotonin 1A Receptors Within the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2019; 23:511-523. [PMID: 31760433 PMCID: PMC7689207 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyz060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Consolation is a type of empathy-like behavior that has recently been observed in some socially living rodents. Despite the growing body of literature suggesting that stress affects empathy, the relationship between stress and consolation remains understudied at the preclinical level. Here, we examined the effects of chronic emotional stress or physical stress exposure on consolation and emotional behaviors by using the socially monogamous mandarin vole (Microtus mandarinus) in both males and females. METHOD/RESULTS Physical stress voles were exposed to 14-day social defeat stress, whereas emotional stress voles vicariously experienced the defeat of their partners. We found that physical stress, but not emotional stress, voles showed reduced grooming toward their defeated partners and increased anxiety- and despair-like behaviors. Meanwhile, physical stress voles exhibited decreased neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, which is centrally involved in empathy. The densities of oxytocin receptors, dopamine D2 receptors, and serotonin 1A-receptors within the anterior cingulate cortex were significantly decreased in the physical stress group compared with controls. All the behavioral and physiological changes were similar between the sexes. Finally, we found that the reduced consolation behavior and some anxiety-like syndromes in physical stress voles could be alleviated by pretreatment with an oxytocin receptor, D2 receptors, or serotonin 1A-receptor agonist within the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas injections of corresponding receptor antagonists to the control voles decreased the consolation behavior and increased some anxiety-like behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated that chronic physical stress exposure impaired consolation and induced anxiety-like behaviors in mandarin voles and oxytocin receptors, 5-HT1A receptors, and D2 receptors within the anterior cingulate cortex may play important roles in these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lai-Fu Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China,College of Life Sciences, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang, China
| | - Wei Yuan
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China,Provincial Key Laboratory of Acupuncture and Medications, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, China
| | - Zhi-Xiong He
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Huan Ma
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yu-Feng Xun
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Ling-Rong Meng
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Si-Jing Zhu
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Li-Min Wang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Wen-Qi Cai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xue-Ni Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Qian-Qian Guo
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Zhen-Min Lian
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Rui Jia
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China
| | - Fa-Dao Tai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China,Correspondence: Fa-Dao Tai, PhD, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062, China. E-mail:
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Zhu R, Liu C, Li T, Xu Z, Fung B, Feng C, Wu H, Luo Y, Wang L. Intranasal oxytocin reduces reactive aggression in men but not in women: A computational approach. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 108:172-181. [PMID: 31374475 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Aggression is an important behaviour that concerns individual survival and large-scale social stability. It comprises a variety of psychological subcomponents and is modulated by different biological factors. Two factors in particular, gender and oxytocin, appear to play a robust role in aggressive behaviour. However, whether these two factors interact to impact aggressive behaviour is not currently known. The current study investigated the modulating effect of gender on the relationship between oxytocin and aggression and characterized its underlying mechanisms by combining behavioural economic, pharmacological, and computational approaches. Specifically, we employed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, between-subjects design, in which one hundred participants (50 men and 50 women) completed a norm-training version of the multi-round one-shot ultimatum game (UG) after intranasal oxytocin or placebo administration. Rejection rates in the UG were adopted as an indicator of reactive aggression. The results indicated that oxytocin compared with placebo administration decreased aggression among men but not among women. Further analyses suggested that this decrease in aggression was a result of changes in men's sensitivity to provocation and positive affect, rather than norm adaptation rates or concerns about the cost of aggression. These findings highlight the role of gender in the relationship between oxytocin and reactive aggression and reveal its underlying psychological and computational mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruida Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Li
- Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhenhua Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Bowen Fung
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA
| | - Chunliang Feng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Haiyan Wu
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences and Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA; CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Yi Luo
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, USA.
| | - Li Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment toward Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
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30
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Ajmone-Cat MA, Spinello C, Valenti D, Franchi F, Macrì S, Vacca RA, Laviola G. Brain-Immune Alterations and Mitochondrial Dysfunctions in a Mouse Model of Paediatric Autoimmune Disorder Associated with Streptococcus: Exacerbation by Chronic Psychosocial Stress. J Clin Med 2019; 8:jcm8101514. [PMID: 31547098 PMCID: PMC6833026 DOI: 10.3390/jcm8101514] [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: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Adverse psychosocial experiences have been shown to modulate individual responses to immune challenges and affect mitochondrial functions. The aim of this study was to investigate inflammation and immune responses as well as mitochondrial bioenergetics in an experimental model of Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS). Starting in adolescence (postnatal day 28), male SJL/J mice were exposed to five injections (interspaced by two weeks) with Group-A beta-haemolytic streptococcus (GAS) homogenate. Mice were exposed to chronic psychosocial stress, in the form of protracted visual exposure to an aggressive conspecific, for four weeks. Our results indicate that psychosocial stress exacerbated individual response to GAS administrations whereby mice exposed to both treatments exhibited altered cytokine and immune-related enzyme expression in the hippocampus and hypothalamus. Additionally, they showed impaired mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes IV and V, and reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by mitochondria and ATP content. These brain abnormalities, observed in GAS-Stress mice, were associated with blunted titers of plasma corticosterone. Present data support the hypothesis that challenging environmental conditions, in terms of chronic psychosocial stress, may exacerbate the long-term consequences of exposure to GAS processes through the promotion of central immunomodulatory and oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Antonietta Ajmone-Cat
- National Center for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Chiara Spinello
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy.
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA.
| | - Daniela Valenti
- Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies, National Council of Research, Via Giovanni Amendola 122/O - 70126 Bari, Italy.
| | - Francesca Franchi
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Simone Macrì
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Rosa Anna Vacca
- Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies, National Council of Research, Via Giovanni Amendola 122/O - 70126 Bari, Italy.
| | - Giovanni Laviola
- Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy.
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31
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Zoratto F, Franchi F, Macrì S, Laviola G. Methylphenidate administration promotes sociability and reduces aggression in a mouse model of callousness. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:2593-2611. [PMID: 30955107 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05229-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Deficits in empathy constitute a distinctive feature of several psychopathologies, including conduct disorder (CD). The co-occurrence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits, excess rates of aggression and violation of societal norms confers specific risk for adult psychopathy. To date, the off-label use of methylphenidate (MPH) constitutes the drug treatment of choice. OBJECTIVES Herein, we tested the therapeutic potential of MPH in a recently devised mouse model recapitulating the core phenotypic abnormalities of CD. METHODS Two subgroups of BALB/cJ male mice exhibiting opposite profiles of emotional contagion (i.e. socially transmitted adoption of another's emotional states) were investigated for reactive aggression, sociability, attention control, anxiety-related behaviours and locomotor activity, in response to MPH administration (0.0, 3.0 or 6.0 mg/kg). RESULTS Our data indicate that mice selected for excess callousness exhibit phenotypic abnormalities isomorphic to the symptoms of CD: stability of the low emotional contagion trait, increased aggression and reduced sociability. In accordance with our predictions, MPH reduced aggression and increased sociability in callous mice; yet, it failed to restore the low responsiveness to the emotions of a conspecific in pain, isomorphic to CU traits. CONCLUSIONS Although our data support the notion that MPH may contribute to the management of excess aggression in CD patients, additional studies shall identify specific treatments to target the callousness domain. The latter, unaffected by MPH in our experimental model, demands focused consideration whereby it constitutes a specifier associated with a worse prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Zoratto
- Reference Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, I-00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - Francesca Franchi
- Reference Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, I-00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Macrì
- Reference Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, I-00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Laviola
- Reference Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, I-00161, Rome, Italy.
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32
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Bowen MT. Does peripherally administered oxytocin enter the brain? Compelling new evidence in a long-running debate. Pharmacol Res 2019; 146:104325. [PMID: 31233803 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2019.104325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael T Bowen
- The University of Sydney, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; The University of Sydney, Faculty of Science, School of Psychology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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van Heukelum S, Mogavero F, van de Wal MAE, Geers FE, França ASC, Buitelaar JK, Beckmann CF, Glennon JC, Havenith MN. Gradient of Parvalbumin- and Somatostatin-Expressing Interneurons Across Cingulate Cortex Is Differentially Linked to Aggression and Sociability in BALB/cJ Mice. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:809. [PMID: 31803076 PMCID: PMC6873752 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Successfully navigating social interactions requires the precise and balanced integration of social and environmental cues. When such flexible information integration fails, maladaptive behavioral patterns arise, including excessive aggression, empathy deficits, and social withdrawal, as seen in disorders such as conduct disorder and autism spectrum disorder. One of the main hubs for the context-dependent regulation of behavior is cingulate cortex, specifically anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and midcingulate cortex (MCC). While volumetric abnormalities of ACC and MCC have been demonstrated in patients, little is known about the exact structural changes responsible for the dysregulation of behaviors such as aggression and social withdrawal. Here, we demonstrate that the distribution of parvalbumin (PV) and somatostatin (SOM) interneurons across ACC and MCC differentially predicts aggression and social withdrawal in BALB/cJ mice. BALB/cJ mice were phenotyped for their social behavior (three-chamber task) and aggression (resident-intruder task) compared to control (BALB/cByJ) mice. In line with previous studies, BALB/cJ mice behaved more aggressively than controls. The three-chamber task revealed two sub-groups of highly-sociable versus less-sociable BALB/cJ mice. Highly-sociable BALB/cJ mice were as aggressive as the less-sociable group-in fact, they committed more acts of socially acceptable aggression (threats and harmless bites). PV and SOM immunostaining revealed that a lack of specificity in the distribution of SOM and PV interneurons across cingulate cortex coincided with social withdrawal: both control mice and highly-sociable BALB/cJ mice showed a differential distribution of PV and SOM interneurons across the sub-areas of cingulate cortex, while for less-sociable BALB/cJ mice, the distributions were near-flat. In contrast, both highly-sociable and less-sociable BALB/cJ mice had a decreased concentration of PV interneurons in MCC compared to controls, which was therefore linked to aggressive behavior. Together, these results suggest that the dynamic balance of excitatory and inhibitory activity across ACC and MCC shapes both social and aggressive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina van Heukelum
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Floriana Mogavero
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Melissa A E van de Wal
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Femke E Geers
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Arthur S C França
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Christian F Beckmann
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Martha N Havenith
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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