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Wakeford A, Nye JA, Grieb ZA, Voisin DA, Mun J, Huhman KL, Albers E, Michopoulos V. Sex influences the effects of social status on socioemotional behavior and serotonin neurochemistry in rhesus monkeys. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:75. [PMID: 37898775 PMCID: PMC10613371 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00562-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite observed sex differences in the prevalence of stress-related psychiatric conditions, most preclinical and translational studies have only included male subjects. Therefore, it has not been possible to effectively assess how sex interacts with other psychosocial risk factors to impact the etiology and maintenance of stress-related psychopathology. One psychosocial factor that interacts with sex to impact risk for stress-related behavioral and physiological deficits is social dominance. The current study was designed to assess sex differences in the effects of social status on socioemotional behavior and serotonin neurochemistry in socially housed rhesus monkeys. We hypothesized that sex and social status interact to influence socioemotional behaviors as well as serotonin 1A receptor binding potential (5HT1AR-BP) in regions of interest (ROIs) implicated in socioemotional behavior. METHODS Behavioral observations were conducted in gonadally intact adult female (n = 14) and male (n = 13) rhesus monkeys. 5HT1AR-BP was assessed via positron emission tomography using 4-(2'-Methoxyphenyl)-1-[2'-(N-2"-pyridinyl)-p[18F]fluorobenzamido]ethylpiperazine ([18F]MPPF). RESULTS Aggression emitted was greater in dominant compared to subordinate animals, regardless of sex. Submission emitted was significantly greater in subordinate versus dominant animals and greater in females than males. Affiliative behaviors emitted were not impacted by sex, status, or their interaction. Anxiety-like behavior emitted was significantly greater in females than in males regardless of social status. Hypothalamic 5HT1AR-BP was significantly greater in females than in males, regardless of social status. 5HT1AR-BP in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus was significantly impacted by a sex by status interaction whereby 5HT1AR-BP in the dentate gyrus was greater in dominant compared to subordinate females but was not different between dominant and subordinate males. There were no effects of sex, status, or their interaction on 5HT1AR-BP in the DRN and in the regions of the PFC studied. CONCLUSIONS These data have important implications for the treatment of stress-related behavioral health outcomes, as they suggest that sex and social status are important factors to consider in the context of serotonergic drug efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Wakeford
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Jonathon A Nye
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Zachary A Grieb
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Dené A Voisin
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jiyoung Mun
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Kim L Huhman
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Elliott Albers
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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2
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Kraynak M, Willging MM, Kuehlmann AL, Kapoor AA, Flowers MT, Colman RJ, Levine JE, Abbott DH. Aromatase Inhibition Eliminates Sexual Receptivity Without Enhancing Weight Gain in Ovariectomized Marmoset Monkeys. J Endocr Soc 2022; 6:bvac063. [PMID: 35592515 PMCID: PMC9113444 DOI: 10.1210/jendso/bvac063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Context Ovarian estradiol supports female sexual behavior and metabolic function. While ovariectomy (OVX) in rodents abolishes sexual behavior and enables obesity, OVX in nonhuman primates decreases, but does not abolish, sexual behavior, and inconsistently alters weight gain. Objective We hypothesize that extra-ovarian estradiol provides key support for both functions, and to test this idea, we employed aromatase inhibition to eliminate extra-ovarian estradiol biosynthesis and diet-induced obesity to enhance weight gain. Methods Thirteen adult female marmosets were OVX and received (1) estradiol-containing capsules and daily oral treatments of vehicle (E2; n = 5); empty capsules and daily oral treatments of either (2) vehicle (VEH, 1 mL/kg, n = 4), or (3) letrozole (LET, 1 mg/kg, n = 4). Results After 7 months, we observed robust sexual receptivity in E2, intermediate frequencies in VEH, and virtually none in LET females (P = .04). By contrast, few rejections of male mounts were observed in E2, intermediate frequencies in VEH, and high frequencies in LET females (P = .04). Receptive head turns were consistently observed in E2, but not in VEH and LET females. LET females, alone, exhibited robust aggressive rejection of males. VEH and LET females demonstrated increased % body weight gain (P = .01). Relative estradiol levels in peripheral serum were E2 >>> VEH > LET, while those in hypothalamus ranked E2 = VEH > LET, confirming inhibition of local hypothalamic estradiol synthesis by letrozole. Conclusion Our findings provide the first evidence for extra-ovarian estradiol contributing to female sexual behavior in a nonhuman primate, and prompt speculation that extra-ovarian estradiol, and in particular neuroestrogens, may similarly regulate sexual motivation in other primates, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa Kraynak
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Molly M Willging
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Center for Women’s Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Alex L Kuehlmann
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Amita A Kapoor
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Matthew T Flowers
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Ricki J Colman
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Jon E Levine
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - David H Abbott
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Endocrinology-Reproductive Physiology Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA
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3
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Socio-sexual behaviors and fecal hormone metabolites but not age predict female aggressive interactions in Macaca arctoides. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03118-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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4
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Reding KM, Styner MM, Wilson ME, Toufexis D, Sanchez MM. Social subordination alters estradiol-induced changes in cortico-limbic brain volumes in adult female rhesus monkeys. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 114:104592. [PMID: 32023501 PMCID: PMC7178918 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Women have a higher risk of developing stress-related disorders compared to men and the experience of a stressful life event is a potent risk-factor. The rodent literature suggests that chronic exposure to stressors as well as 17β-estradiol (E2) can result in alterations in neuronal structure in corticolimbic brain regions, however the translation of these data to humans is limited by the nature of the stressor experienced and issues of brain homology. To address these limitations, we used a well-validated rhesus monkey model of social subordination to examine effects of E2 treatment on subordinate (high stress) and dominant (low stress) female brain structure, including regional gray matter and white matter volumes using structural magnetic resonance imaging. Our results show that one month of E2 treatment in ovariectomized females, compared to control (no) treatment, decreased frontal cortex gray matter volume regardless of social status. In contrast, in the cingulate cortex, an area associated with stress-induced emotional processing, E2 decreased grey matter volume in subordinates but increased it in dominant females. Together these data suggest that physiologically relevant levels of E2 alter cortical gray matter volumes in females after only one month of treatment and interact with chronic social stress to modulate these effects on brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Martin M. Styner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
| | - Mark E. Wilson
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University,,Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University
| | - Donna Toufexis
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont
| | - Mar M. Sanchez
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University,,Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University
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5
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Reding KM, Grayson DS, Miranda-Dominguez O, Ray S, Wilson ME, Toufexis D, Fair DA, Sanchez MM. Effects of social subordination and oestradiol on resting-state amygdala functional connectivity in adult female rhesus monkeys. J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12822. [PMID: 31846515 PMCID: PMC7066536 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Preclinical studies demonstrate that chronic stress modulates the effects of oestradiol (E2) on behaviour through the modification of the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neuronal structure. Clinical studies suggest that alterations in amygdala functional connectivity (FC) with the mPFC may be associated with stress-related phenotypes, including mood and anxiety disorders. Thus, identifying the effects of stress and E2 on amygdala-mPFC circuits is critical for understanding the neurobiology underpinning the vulnerability to stress-related disorders in women. In the present study, we used a well-validated rhesus monkey model of chronic psychosocial stress (subordinate social rank) to examine effects of E2 on subordinate (SUB) (i.e. high stress) and dominant (DOM) (i.e. low stress) female resting-state amygdala FC with the mPFC and with the whole-brain. In the non-E2 treatment control condition, SUB was associated with stronger left amygdala FC to subgenual cingulate (Brodmann area [BA] 25: BA25), a region implicated in several psychopathologies in people. In SUB females, E2 treatment strengthened right amygdala-BA25 FC, induced a net positive amygdala-visual cortex FC that was positively associated with frequency of submissive behaviours, and weakened positive amygdala-para/hippocampus FC. Our findings show that subordinate social rank alters amygdala FC and the impact of E2 on amygdala FC with BA25 and with regions involved in visual processing and memory encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M. Reding
- Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience,
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University
| | - David S. Grayson
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California –
Davis
- Departments of Behavioral Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University
| | - Oscar Miranda-Dominguez
- Departments of Behavioral Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University
| | - Siddarth Ray
- Departments of Behavioral Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University
| | - Mark E. Wilson
- Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience,
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory
University
| | - Donna Toufexis
- Department of Psychological Science, University of
Vermont
| | - Damien A. Fair
- Departments of Behavioral Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and
Advanced Imaging Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University
| | - Mar M. Sanchez
- Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience,
Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory
University
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6
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Social status alters chromatin accessibility and the gene regulatory response to glucocorticoid stimulation in rhesus macaques. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 116:1219-1228. [PMID: 30538209 PMCID: PMC6347725 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1811758115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Low social status is an important predictor of disease susceptibility and mortality risk in humans and other social mammals. These effects are thought to stem in part from dysregulation of the glucocorticoid (GC)-mediated stress response. However, the molecular mechanisms that connect low social status and GC dysregulation to downstream health outcomes remain elusive. Here, we used an in vitro GC challenge to investigate the consequences of experimentally manipulated social status (i.e., dominance rank) for immune cell gene regulation in female rhesus macaques, using paired control and GC-treated peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples. We show that social status not only influences immune cell gene expression but also chromatin accessibility at hundreds of regions in the genome. Social status effects on gene expression were less pronounced following GC treatment than under control conditions. In contrast, social status effects on chromatin accessibility were stable across conditions, resulting in an attenuated relationship between social status, chromatin accessibility, and gene expression after GC exposure. Regions that were more accessible in high-status animals and regions that become more accessible following GC treatment were enriched for a highly concordant set of transcription factor binding motifs, including motifs for the GC receptor cofactor AP-1. Together, our findings support the hypothesis that social status alters the dynamics of GC-mediated gene regulation and identify chromatin accessibility as a mechanism involved in social stress-driven GC resistance. More broadly, they emphasize the context-dependent nature of social status effects on gene regulation and implicate epigenetic remodeling of chromatin accessibility as a contributing factor.
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7
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Sominsky L, Hodgson DM, McLaughlin EA, Smith R, Wall HM, Spencer SJ. Linking Stress and Infertility: A Novel Role for Ghrelin. Endocr Rev 2017; 38:432-467. [PMID: 28938425 DOI: 10.1210/er.2016-1133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Infertility affects a remarkable one in four couples in developing countries. Psychological stress is a ubiquitous facet of life, and although stress affects us all at some point, prolonged or unmanageable stress may become harmful for some individuals, negatively impacting on their health, including fertility. For instance, women who struggle to conceive are twice as likely to suffer from emotional distress than fertile women. Assisted reproductive technology treatments place an additional physical, emotional, and financial burden of stress, particularly on women, who are often exposed to invasive techniques associated with treatment. Stress-reduction interventions can reduce negative affect and in some cases to improve in vitro fertilization outcomes. Although it has been well-established that stress negatively affects fertility in animal models, human research remains inconsistent due to individual differences and methodological flaws. Attempts to isolate single causal links between stress and infertility have not yet been successful due to their multifaceted etiologies. In this review, we will discuss the current literature in the field of stress-induced reproductive dysfunction based on animal and human models, and introduce a recently unexplored link between stress and infertility, the gut-derived hormone, ghrelin. We also present evidence from recent seminal studies demonstrating that ghrelin has a principal role in the stress response and reward processing, as well as in regulating reproductive function, and that these roles are tightly interlinked. Collectively, these data support the hypothesis that stress may negatively impact upon fertility at least in part by stimulating a dysregulation in ghrelin signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luba Sominsky
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - Deborah M Hodgson
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science and IT, The University of Newcastle, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Eileen A McLaughlin
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.,School of Environmental & Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and IT, The University of Newcastle, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Roger Smith
- Mothers and Babies Research Centre, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Lookout Road, New Lambton Heights, New South Wales 2305, Australia.,Priority Research Centre in Reproductive Science, The University of Newcastle, New South Wales 2308, Australia
| | - Hannah M Wall
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - Sarah J Spencer
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3083, Australia
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8
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Toufexis D, King SB, Michopoulos V. Socially Housed Female Macaques: a Translational Model for the Interaction of Chronic Stress and Estrogen in Aging. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2017; 19:78. [PMID: 28905316 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-017-0833-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Estrogen's role in cognitive aging remains unclear. Despite evidence implicating stress in pathological aging, the interaction of stress with estrogen on cognition in older women has received little attention, and few animal models exist with which to examine this interaction. RECENT FINDINGS We present evidence that aging socially subordinate female macaques that experience chronic psychosocial stress constitute a suitable model to investigate this. First, we review studies showing that estrogen modulates cognition in animal models, as well as studies demonstrating that estrogen's action on certain types of cognition is impaired by stress. Next, we discuss data showing that middle-aged socially subordinate female macaques exhibit distinct stress-induced phenotypes, and review our investigations indicating that estrogen modulates behavior and physiology differently in subordinate female monkeys. We conclude that socially housed female macaques represent a translational animal model for investigating the interplay of chronic stress and estrogen on cognitive aging in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna Toufexis
- Department of Psychological Science, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.,Division of Development and Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - S Bradley King
- Department of Psychological Science, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Division of Development and Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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9
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delBarco-Trillo J, Greene LK, Goncalves IB, Fenkes M, Wisse JH, Drewe JA, Manser MB, Clutton-Brock T, Drea CM. Beyond aggression: Androgen-receptor blockade modulates social interaction in wild meerkats. Horm Behav 2016; 78:95-106. [PMID: 26545817 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2015] [Revised: 11/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In male vertebrates, androgens are inextricably linked to reproduction, social dominance, and aggression, often at the cost of paternal investment or prosociality. Testosterone is invoked to explain rank-related reproductive differences, but its role within a status class, particularly among subordinates, is underappreciated. Recent evidence, especially for monogamous and cooperatively breeding species, suggests broader androgenic mediation of adult social interaction. We explored the actions of androgens in subordinate, male members of a cooperatively breeding species, the meerkat (Suricata suricatta). Although male meerkats show no rank-related testosterone differences, subordinate helpers rarely reproduce. We blocked androgen receptors, in the field, by treating subordinate males with the antiandrogen, flutamide. We monitored androgen concentrations (via baseline serum and time-sequential fecal sampling) and recorded behavior within their groups (via focal observation). Relative to controls, flutamide-treated animals initiated less and received more high-intensity aggression (biting, threatening, feeding competition), engaged in more prosocial behavior (social sniffing, grooming, huddling), and less frequently initiated play or assumed a 'dominant' role during play, revealing significant androgenic effects across a broad range of social behavior. By contrast, guarding or vigilance and measures of olfactory and vocal communication in subordinate males appeared unaffected by flutamide treatment. Thus, androgens in male meerkat helpers are aligned with the traditional trade-off between promoting reproductive and aggressive behavior at a cost to affiliation. Our findings, based on rare endocrine manipulation in wild mammals, show a more pervasive role for androgens in adult social behavior than is often recognized, with possible relevance for understanding tradeoffs in cooperative systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier delBarco-Trillo
- Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, USA; School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Lydia K Greene
- Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, USA; University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Ines Braga Goncalves
- Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa; Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Miriam Fenkes
- Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa; Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jillian H Wisse
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Julian A Drewe
- Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa; Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London, UK
| | - Marta B Manser
- Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa; Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Tim Clutton-Brock
- Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa; Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christine M Drea
- Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, USA; University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Durham, USA; Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, USA.
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10
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Estradiol and cortisol interactions in youth externalizing psychopathology. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2015; 55:146-53. [PMID: 25765756 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Revised: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Growing evidence has indicated that gonadal and stress hormones interact to shape socially dominant behavior and externalizing psychopathology; however, such work to date has focused exclusively on the testosterone-cortisol interaction, despite expectations that estradiol should be associated with similar behavioral outcomes to testosterone. Here, we present the first empirical test of the hypothesis that adolescent males and females (N=105, ages 13-18) with high estradiol and low cortisol concentrations are at highest risk for externalizing problems, but - replicating previous work - only among adolescents high on pathological personality traits. Parents reported on youth psychopathology and personality, and hormone concentrations were measured via passive drool. Results confirmed the hypothesis: high estradiol was associated with more externalizing behaviors, but only when cortisol was low and personality traits of disagreeableness and emotional instability were high. Further, these associations held when controlling for testosterone concentrations. These findings provide the first empirical evidence of a hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA)×hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis interaction that extends the "dual hormone" hypothesis beyond testosterone.
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11
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Ziomkiewicz A, Wichary S, Gomula A, Pawlowski B. Trait anxiety moderates the association between estradiol and dominance in women. Physiol Behav 2015; 143:97-103. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.02.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2014] [Revised: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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12
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Toufexis D, Rivarola MA, Lara H, Viau V. Stress and the reproductive axis. J Neuroendocrinol 2014; 26:573-86. [PMID: 25040027 PMCID: PMC4166402 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Revised: 07/10/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
There exists a reciprocal relationship between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes, wherein the activation of one affects the function of the other and vice versa. For example, both testosterone and oestrogen modulate the response of the HPA axis, whereas activation of the stress axis, especially activation that is repeating or chronic, has an inhibitory effect upon oestrogen and testosterone secretion. Alterations in maternal care can produce significant effects on both HPG and HPA physiology, as well as behaviour in the offspring at adulthood. For example, changes in reproductive behaviour induced by altered maternal care may alter the expression of sex hormone receptors such as oestrogen receptor (ER)α that govern sexual behaviour, and may be particularly important in determining the sexual strategies utilised by females. Stress in adulthood continues to mediate HPG activity in females through activation of a sympathetic neural pathway originating in the hypothalamus and releasing norepinephrine into the ovary, which produces a noncyclic anovulatory ovary that develops cysts. In the opposite direction, sex differences and sex steroid hormones regulate the HPA axis. For example, although serotonin (5-HT) has a stimulatory effect on the HPA axis in humans and rodents that is mediated by the 5-HT1A receptor, only male rodents respond to 5-HT1A antagonism to show increased corticosterone responses to stress. Furthermore, oestrogen appears to decrease 5-HT1A receptor function at presynaptic sites, yet increases 5-HT1A receptor expression at postsynaptic sites. These mechanisms could explain the heightened stress HPA axis responses in females compared to males. Studies on female rhesus macaques show that chronic stress in socially subordinate female monkeys produces a distinct behavioural phenotype that is largely unaffected by oestrogen, a hyporesponsive HPA axis that is hypersensitive to the modulating effects of oestrogen, and changes in 5-HT1A receptor binding in the hippocampus and hypothalamus of social subordinate female monkeys that are restored or inverted by oestrogen replacement. This review summarises all of these studies, emphasising the profound effect that the interaction of the reproductive and stress axes may have on human reproductive health and emotional wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna Toufexis
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington VT USA
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta GA USA
| | | | - Hernan Lara
- Laboratory of Neurobiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de Chile. Santiago, Chile
| | - Victor Viau
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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13
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Tung J, Gilad Y. Social environmental effects on gene regulation. Cell Mol Life Sci 2013; 70:4323-39. [PMID: 23685902 PMCID: PMC3809334 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-013-1357-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2013] [Revised: 04/09/2013] [Accepted: 04/29/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Social environmental conditions, particularly the experience of social adversity, have long been connected with health and mortality in humans and other social mammals. Efforts to identify the physiological basis for these effects have historically focused on their neurological, endocrinological, and immunological consequences. Recently, this search has been extended to understanding the role of gene regulation in sensing, mediating, and determining susceptibility to social environmental variation. Studies in laboratory rodents, captive primates, and human populations have revealed correlations between social conditions and the regulation of a large number of genes, some of which are likely causal. Gene expression responses to the social environment are, in turn, mediated by a set of underlying regulatory mechanisms, of which epigenetic marks are the best studied to date. Importantly, a number of genes involved in the response to the social environment are also associated with susceptibility to other external stressors, as well as certain diseases. Hence, gene regulatory studies are a promising avenue for understanding, and potentially developing strategies to address, the effects of social adversity on health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Box 90383, Durham, NC, 27708, USA,
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14
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Li X, Xu F, Xie L, Ji Y, Cheng K, Zhou Q, Wang T, Shively C, Wu Q, Gong W, Fang L, Zhan Q, Melgiri ND, Xie P. Depression-like behavioral phenotypes by social and social plus visual isolation in the adult female Macaca fascicularis. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73293. [PMID: 24023857 PMCID: PMC3762720 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating psychiatric mood disorder that affects millions of individuals globally. Our understanding of the biological basis of MDD is poor, and current treatments are ineffective in a significant proportion of cases. This current situation may relate to the dominant rodent animal models of depression, which possess translational limitations due to limited homologies with humans. Therefore, a more homologous primate model of depression is needed to advance investigation into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying depression and to conduct pre-clinical therapeutic trials. Here, we report two convenient methods--social isolation and social plus visual isolation--which can be applied to construct a non-human primate model of depression in the adult female cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis). Both social and social plus visual isolation were shown to be effective in inducing depression-like behavior by significantly reducing socially dominant aggressive conflict behavior, communicative behavior, sexual behavior, and parental behavior. The addition of visual isolation produced more profound behavioral changes than social isolation alone by further reducing parental behavior and sexual behavior. Thus, the degree of behavioral pathology may be manipulated by the degree of isolation. These methods can be applied to construct a non-human primate model of depression in order to assess physiological, behavioral, and social phenomena in a controlled laboratory setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Li
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Fan Xu
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Liang Xie
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Yongjia Ji
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Ke Cheng
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Qinmin Zhou
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Carol Shively
- Department of Pathology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Qingyuan Wu
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Wei Gong
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Liang Fang
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Qunlin Zhan
- Department of Neurology, the Fifth People’s Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - N. D. Melgiri
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
| | - Peng Xie
- Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Institute of Neuroscience, Chongqing Medical University, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chongqing, China
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15
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Michopoulos V, Embree M, Reding K, Sanchez MM, Toufexis D, Votaw JR, Voll RJ, Goodman MM, Rivier J, Wilson ME, Berga SL. CRH receptor antagonism reverses the effect of social subordination upon central GABAA receptor binding in estradiol-treated ovariectomized female rhesus monkeys. Neuroscience 2013; 250:300-8. [PMID: 23856065 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2013] [Revised: 06/28/2013] [Accepted: 07/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Persistent exposure to environmental stressors causes dysregulation of the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis and alters GABAA receptor (GABAAR) levels throughout the brain. Social subordination in socially housed female rhesus results in distinctive stress-related physiological and behavioral phenotypes that are dependent on the ovarian hormone estradiol (E2). In the present study, we utilized ovariectomized adult female rhesus monkeys undergoing hormone replacement with E2 to test the hypothesis that the chronic psychosocial stress of subordination alters GABAAR binding potential (GABAAR BPND) in limbic regions implicated in emotional processing including the prefrontal cortex, temporal lobe (amygdala and hippocampus), and hypothalamus. Furthermore, we tested the hypothesis that peripheral administration of a corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) receptor antagonist (astressin B) would reverse the alterations in GABAAR binding within these regions in subordinate females. After subjects received astressin B or saline for three consecutive days, GABAAR BPND was determined by positron emission tomography (PET) using (18)F-flumazenil as a radioligand. T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were also acquired for PET scan co-registration, in order to perform a region of interest analysis using the pons as a reference region. Compared to socially dominant females, subordinate females exhibited increased GABAAR BPND in the prefrontal cortex but not in the temporal lobe or the hypothalamus. Administration of astressin B eliminated the status difference in GABAAR BPND in the prefrontal cortex, suggesting that the chronic stressor of social subordination modulates GABAergic tone via effects on CRH and the LHPA axis, at least in prefrontal regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Michopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States; Division of Developmental & Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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16
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Asher J, Michopoulos V, Reding KM, Wilson ME, Toufexis D. Social stress and the polymorphic region of the serotonin reuptake transporter gene modify oestradiol-induced changes on central monoamine concentrations in female rhesus monkeys. J Neuroendocrinol 2013; 25:321-8. [PMID: 23253112 PMCID: PMC3605214 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2012] [Revised: 11/09/2012] [Accepted: 12/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Psychosocial stress exposure is linked to the disruption of emotional regulation that can manifest as anxiety and depression. Women are more likely to suffer from such psychopathologies than men, indicating that sex-based differences in gonadal steroids may be a key factor in the aetiology of stress-induced adverse health outcomes. Oestradiol (E2 ) positively influences mood and cognition in females, an effect likely related to the ability of E2 to modulate the serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitter systems. Furthermore, genetic variation as a result of the polymorphism in the promoter region of the gene (SLC6A4) encoding the serotonin transporter (5HTTLPR) also can influence the ability of E2 to modulate behaviour and physiology. However, it remains uncertain whether exposure to social stress interacts with the 5HTTLPR to influence E2 -induced changes in behaviour and physiology. The present study used ovariectomised adult female rhesus monkeys to investigate acute and chronic effects of E2 on central monoamine metabolite concentrations using cerobrospinal fluid sampling. We further assessed how E2 -induced changes in monoamine metabolite levels are modified by the unpredictable stress of social subordination and the 5HTTLPR polymorphism. Levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid decreased significantly during chronic E2 treatment only in dominant females with the long promoter length of SLC6A4. Chronic administration of E2 decreased levels of the dopamine metabolite dihydrophenylacetic acid in a manner independent of the social status, 5HTTLPR genotype, or their interactions. Overall levels of dopamine and serotonin metabolites were increased in subordinate females, although this effect of social stress was not influenced by 5HTTLPR genotype. Together, these data emphasise how E2 can modulate central neurotransmitter systems and indicate that social subordination in female monkeys is a valid model for examining how chronic psychosocial stress alters sensitivity to E2 . Future studies are necessary to elaborate how changes in central neurotransmitter metabolism affect behaviour and physiology as a result of E2 and prolonged exposure to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Asher
- Division of Animal Resources, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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