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Hoglen NEG, Manoli DS. Cupid's quiver: Integrating sensory cues in rodent mating systems. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:944895. [PMID: 35958042 PMCID: PMC9358210 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.944895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In many animal species, males and females exploit different mating strategies, display sex-typical behaviors, and use distinct systems to recognize ethologically relevant cues. Mate selection thus requires mutual recognition across diverse social interactions based on distinct sensory signals. These sex differences in courtship and mating behaviors correspond to differences in sensory systems and downstream neural substrates engaged to recognize and respond to courtship signals. In many rodents, males tend to rely heavily on volatile olfactory and pheromone cues, while females appear to be guided more by a combination of these chemosensory signals with acoustic cues in the form of ultrasonic vocalizations. The mechanisms by which chemical and acoustic cues are integrated to control behavior are understudied in mating but are known to be important in the control of maternal behaviors. Socially monogamous species constitute a behaviorally distinct group of rodents. In these species, anatomic differences between males and females outside the nervous system are less prominent than in species with non-monogamous mating systems, and both sexes engage in more symmetric social behaviors and form attachments. Nevertheless, despite the apparent similarities in behaviors displayed by monogamous males and females, the circuitry supporting social, mating, and attachment behaviors in these species is increasingly thought to differ between the sexes. Sex differences in sensory modalities most important for mate recognition in across species are of particular interest and present a wealth of questions yet to be answered. Here, we discuss how distinct sensory cues may be integrated to drive social and attachment behaviors in rodents, and the differing roles of specific sensory systems in eliciting displays of behavior by females or males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerissa E G Hoglen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Devanand S Manoli
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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2
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Zipple MN, Roberts EK, Alberts SC, Beehner JC. Male-mediated prenatal loss: Functions and mechanisms. Evol Anthropol 2019; 28:114-125. [PMID: 30953577 PMCID: PMC6548597 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Sexually selected infanticide has been the subject of intense empirical and theoretical study for decades; a related phenomenon, male-mediated prenatal loss, has received much less attention in evolutionary studies. Male-mediated prenatal loss occurs when inseminated or pregnant females terminate reproductive effort following exposure to a nonsire male, either through implantation failure or pregnancy termination. Male-mediated prenatal loss encompasses two sub-phenomena: sexually selected feticide and the Bruce effect. In this review, we provide a framework that explains the relationship between feticide and the Bruce effect and describes what is known about the proximate and ultimate mechanisms involved in each. Using a simple model, we demonstrate that male-mediated prenatal loss can provide greater reproductive benefits to males than infanticide. We therefore suggest that, compared to infanticide, male-mediated prenatal loss may be more prevalent in mammalian species and may have played a greater role in their social evolution than has previously been documented.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eila K Roberts
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Jacinta C Beehner
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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3
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Bedos M, Portillo W, Paredes RG. Neurogenesis and sexual behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol 2018; 51:68-79. [PMID: 29438737 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2018.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Different conditions induce proliferation, migration and integration of new neurons in the adult brain. This process of neurogenesis is a clear example of long lasting plastic changes in the brain of different species. Sexual behavior is a motivated behavior that is crucial for the survival of the species, but an individual can spend all his life without displaying sexual behavior. In the present review, we briefly describe some of the effects of pheromones on neurogenesis. We review in detail studies describing the effects of sexual behavior in both males and females on proliferation, migration and integration of new cells and neurons. It will become evident that most of the studies have been done in rodents, assessing the effects of this behavior on neurogenesis within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and in the subventricular zone - rostral migratory stream - olfactory bulb system.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Bedos
- CONACYT - Instituto de Neurobiología - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Blvd Juriquilla 3001, Campus UNAM-Juriquilla, 76230 Querétaro, QRO, México
| | - W Portillo
- Instituto de Neurobiología - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Blvd Juriquilla 3001, Campus UNAM-Juriquilla, 76230 Querétaro, QRO, México
| | - R G Paredes
- Instituto de Neurobiología - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Blvd Juriquilla 3001, Campus UNAM-Juriquilla, 76230 Querétaro, QRO, México.
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Jurek B, Neumann ID. The Oxytocin Receptor: From Intracellular Signaling to Behavior. Physiol Rev 2018; 98:1805-1908. [DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00031.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 408] [Impact Index Per Article: 68.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The many facets of the oxytocin (OXT) system of the brain and periphery elicited nearly 25,000 publications since 1930 (see FIGURE 1 , as listed in PubMed), which revealed central roles for OXT and its receptor (OXTR) in reproduction, and social and emotional behaviors in animal and human studies focusing on mental and physical health and disease. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of OXT expression and release, expression and binding of the OXTR in brain and periphery, OXTR-coupled signaling cascades, and their involvement in behavioral outcomes to assemble a comprehensive picture of the central and peripheral OXT system. Traditionally known for its role in milk let-down and uterine contraction during labor, OXT also has implications in physiological, and also behavioral, aspects of reproduction, such as sexual and maternal behaviors and pair bonding, but also anxiety, trust, sociability, food intake, or even drug abuse. The many facets of OXT are, on a molecular basis, brought about by a single receptor. The OXTR, a 7-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor capable of binding to either Gαior Gαqproteins, activates a set of signaling cascades, such as the MAPK, PKC, PLC, or CaMK pathways, which converge on transcription factors like CREB or MEF-2. The cellular response to OXT includes regulation of neurite outgrowth, cellular viability, and increased survival. OXTergic projections in the brain represent anxiety and stress-regulating circuits connecting the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or the medial prefrontal cortex. Which OXT-induced patterns finally alter the behavior of an animal or a human being is still poorly understood, and studying those OXTR-coupled signaling cascades is one initial step toward a better understanding of the molecular background of those behavioral effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Jurek
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Inga D. Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Huang GZ, Taniguchi M, Zhou YB, Zhang JJ, Okutani F, Murata Y, Yamaguchi M, Kaba H. α 2-Adrenergic receptor activation promotes long-term potentiation at excitatory synapses in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 25:147-157. [PMID: 29545386 PMCID: PMC5855524 DOI: 10.1101/lm.046391.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The formation of mate recognition memory in mice is associated with neural changes at the reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses between glutamatergic mitral cell (MC) projection neurons and GABAergic granule cell (GC) interneurons in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). Although noradrenaline (NA) plays a critical role in the formation of the memory, the mechanism by which it exerts this effect remains unclear. Here we used extracellular field potential and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings to assess the actions of bath-applied NA (10 µM) on the glutamatergic transmission and its plasticity at the MC-to-GC synapse in the AOB. Stimulation (400 stimuli) of MC axons at 10 Hz but not at 100 Hz effectively induced N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP), which exhibited reversibility. NA paired with subthreshold 10-Hz stimulation (200 stimuli) facilitated the induction of NMDA receptor-dependent LTP via the activation of α2-adrenergic receptors (ARs). We next examined how NA, acting at α2-ARs, facilitates LTP induction. In terms of acute actions, NA suppressed GC excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) responses to single pulse stimulation of MC axons by reducing glutamate release from MCs via G-protein coupled inhibition of calcium channels. Consequently, NA reduced recurrent inhibition of MCs, resulting in the enhancement of evoked EPSCs and spike fidelity in GCs during the 10-Hz stimulation used to induce LTP. These results suggest that NA, acting at α2-ARs, facilitates the induction of NMDA receptor-dependent LTP at the MC-to-GC synapse by shifting its threshold through disinhibition of MCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Zhe Huang
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Mutsuo Taniguchi
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Ye-Bo Zhou
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Jing-Ji Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Fumino Okutani
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Murata
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Masahiro Yamaguchi
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Hideto Kaba
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan .,CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.,Division of Adaptation Development, Department of Developmental Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
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Griffiths PR, Brennan PA. Roles for learning in mammalian chemosensory responses. Horm Behav 2015; 68:91-102. [PMID: 25200200 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Revised: 08/08/2014] [Accepted: 08/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Chemosignals and Reproduction". A rich variety of chemosignals have been identified that influence mammalian behaviour, including peptides, proteins and volatiles. Many of these elicit innate effects acting either as pheromones within species or allelochemicals between species. However, even innate pheromonal responses in mammals are not as hard-wired as the original definition of the term would suggest. Many, if not most mammalian pheromonal responses are only elicited in certain behavioural or physiological contexts. Furthermore, certain pheromones are themselves rewarding and act as unconditioned stimuli to link non-pheromonal stimuli to the pheromonal response, via associative learning. The medial amygdala, has emerged as a potential site for this convergence by which learned chemosensory input is able to gain control over innately-driven output circuits. The medial amygdala is also an important site for associating social chemosensory information that enables recognition of conspecifics and heterospecifics by association of their complex chemosensory signatures both within and across olfactory chemosensory systems. Learning can also influence pheromonal responses more directly to adapt them to changing physiological and behavioural context. Neuromodulators such as noradrenaline and oxytocin can plasticise neural circuits to gate transmission of chemosensory information. More recent evidence points to a role for neurogenesis in this adaptation, both at the peripheral level of the sensory neurons and via the incorporation of new neurons into existing olfactory bulb circuits. The emerging picture is of integrated and flexible responses to chemosignals that adapt them to the environmental and physiological context in which they occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip R Griffiths
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Medical Sciences, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Peter A Brennan
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Medical Sciences, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK.
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deCatanzaro D. Sex steroids as pheromones in mammals: the exceptional role of estradiol. Horm Behav 2015; 68:103-16. [PMID: 25125222 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2014] [Revised: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 08/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue (Chemosignals and Reproduction). Whether from endogenous or exogenous sources, 17β-estradiol (E2) has very powerful influences over mammalian female reproductive physiology and behavior. Given its highly lipophilic nature and low molecular mass, E2 readily enters excretions and can be absorbed from exogenous sources via nasal, cutaneous, and other modes of exposure. Indeed, systemic injection of tritiated estradiol ((3)H-E2) into a male mouse or bat has been shown to produce significant levels of radioactivity in the reproductive tissues and brain of cohabiting female conspecifics. Bioactive E2 and other steroids are naturally found in male mouse urine and other excretions, and males actively direct their urine at proximate females. Very low doses of E2 can mimic the Bruce effect (disruption of peri-implantation pregnancy by novel males), the Vandenbergh effect (early reproductive maturation induced by novel males), and male-induced estrus and ovulation. Males' capacities to induce the Bruce and Vandenbergh effects can both be diminished by manipulations that reduce their urinary E2. Uterine dynamics during the Bruce and Vandenbergh effects are consistent with the actions of E2. Collectively, these data demonstrate a critical role of male-sourced E2 in these major mammalian pheromonal effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denys deCatanzaro
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada.
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Brennan P, Keverne EB. Biological complexity and adaptability of simple mammalian olfactory memory systems. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 50:29-40. [PMID: 25451762 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Revised: 08/20/2014] [Accepted: 10/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Chemosensory systems play vital roles in the lives of most mammals, including the detection and identification of predators, as well as sex and reproductive status and the identification of individual conspecifics. All of these capabilities require a process of recognition involving a combination of innate (kairomonal/pheromonal) and learned responses. Across very different phylogenies, the mechanisms for pheromonal and odour learning have much in common. They are frequently associated with plasticity of GABA-ergic feedback at the initial level of processing the chemosensory information, which enhances its pattern separation capability. Association of odourant features into an odour object primarily involves anterior piriform cortex for non-social odours. However, the medial amygdala appears to be involved in both the recognition of social odours and their association with chemosensory information sensed by the vomeronasal system. Unusually not only the sensory neurons themselves, but also the GABA-ergic interneurons in the olfactory bulb are continually being replaced, with implications for the induction and maintenance of learned chemosensory responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Brennan
- School of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - E B Keverne
- Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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Functional hypotheses of the coeruleocortical noradrenergic projection: A review of recent experimentation and theory. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.3758/bf03326514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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10
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Petrulis A. Chemosignals, hormones and mammalian reproduction. Horm Behav 2013; 63:723-41. [PMID: 23545474 PMCID: PMC3667964 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2013] [Revised: 03/18/2013] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Many mammalian species use chemosignals to coordinate reproduction by altering the physiology and behavior of both sexes. Chemosignals prime reproductive physiology so that individuals become sexually mature and active at times when mating is most probable and suppress it when it is not. Once in reproductive condition, odors produced and deposited by both males and females are used to find and select individuals for mating. The production, dissemination and appropriate responses to these cues are modulated heavily by organizational and activational effects of gonadal sex steroids and thereby intrinsically link chemical communication to the broader reproductive context. Many compounds have been identified as "pheromones" but very few have met the expectations of that term: a unitary, species-typical substance that is both necessary and sufficient for an experience-independent behavioral or physiological response. In contrast, most responses to chemosignals are dependent or heavily modulated by experience, either in adulthood or during development. Mechanistically, chemosignals are perceived by both main and accessory (vomeronasal) olfactory systems with the importance of each system tied strongly to the nature of the stimulus rather than to the response. In the central nervous system, the vast majority of responses to chemosignals are mediated by cortical and medial amygdala connections with hypothalamic and other forebrain structures. Despite the importance of chemosignals in mammals, many details of chemical communication differ even among closely related species and defy clear categorization. Although generating much research and public interest, strong evidence for the existence of a robust chemical communication among humans is lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aras Petrulis
- Georgia State University, Neuroscience Institute, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
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Taniguchi M, Yokoi M, Shinohara Y, Okutani F, Murata Y, Nakanishi S, Kaba H. Regulation of synaptic currents by mGluR2 at reciprocal synapses in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb. Eur J Neurosci 2012; 37:351-8. [PMID: 23167899 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2012] [Accepted: 10/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The throughput of information from the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) to downstream structures is controlled by reciprocal dendrodendritic inhibition of mitral cells by granule cells. Given the high expression levels of mGluR2, a metabotropic glutamate receptor, in the AOB and the fact that the activation of mGluR2 permits the formation of a specific olfactory memory, we reasoned that mGluR2 might play an important role in regulating dendrodendritic inhibition. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of pharmacological and genetic manipulations of mGluR2 on synaptic responses measured from mitral or granule cells in slice preparations from 23- to 36-day-old Balb/c mice. To evoke dendrodendritic inhibition, a depolarizing voltage step from -70 to 0 mV or a threshold current stimulus adjusted to elicit action potential(s) was applied to a mitral cell using either a nystatin-perforated or conventional whole-cell configuration. We found that an agonist for group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR2/mGluR3), DCG-IV [(2S,1'R,2'R,3'R)-2-(2,3-dicarboxycyclopropyl)glycine], suppressed, whereas the mGluR2/mGluR3 antagonist LY341495 [(αS)-α-amino-α-[(1S,2S)-2-carboxycyclopropyl]-9H-xanthine-9-propanoic acid] enhanced dendrodendritic inhibition. Genetic ablation of mGluR2 markedly impaired the effects of DCG-IV and LY341495 on dendrodendritic inhibition. DCG-IV reduced both the frequency and the amplitude of spontaneous miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents recorded from granule cells. Additionally, DCG-IV inhibited high-voltage-activated calcium currents in both mitral and granule cells. These results suggest that mGluR2 reduces dendrodendritic inhibition by inhibiting synaptic transmission between mitral cells and granule cells in the AOB.
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Okere CO. Differential plasticity of microglial cells in the rostrocaudal neuraxis of the accessory olfactory bulb of female mice following mating and stud male exposure. Neurosci Lett 2012; 514:116-21. [PMID: 22405894 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.02.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2011] [Revised: 01/20/2012] [Accepted: 02/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The formation of an olfactory recognition memory by female mice for the stud male pheromones requires two fundamental conditions: incidence of mating and retention of the stud male with the female for a critical 6h interval following mating. This biologically critical recognition memory results from plasticity of reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). In this study, a microglia marker antibody (ionized calcium-binding adaptor protein, Iba1) was used to determine how mating and stud pheromones affect microglia in the AOB rostrocaudal axis in female mice. The results showed that compared with estrus and mating only, mating and pheromone exposure significantly increased Iba1 immunoreactivity in the AOB evidenced by increased complexity of ramified microglial processes characteristic of resting microglial morphological phenotype, particularly in the rostral AOB. The density of Iba1 staining after mating and stud pheromone exposure was higher in the rostral - compared to caudal - AOB and was most prevalent in the external plexiform layer, the site of reciprocal mitral-granule dendrodendritic synapses. While cells with activated phenotype were observed in caudal AOB during estrus, mating/pheromone exposure appeared to induce a morphological transformation to the resting microglia phenotype. Since previous evidence implicate the rostral AOB in processing pheromonal signals and microglial cells monitor active synapses, these observations have important functional implications for a potential role for microglia in processing pheromonal signals in the AOB during the formation of olfactory memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuma O Okere
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA.
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Thorpe JB, deCatanzaro D. Oestradiol treatment restores the capacity of castrated males to induce both the Vandenbergh and the Bruce effects in mice (Mus musculus). Reproduction 2012; 143:123-32. [DOI: 10.1530/rep-11-0251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Androgen-dependent urinary constituents from males hasten reproductive maturation (the Vandenbergh effect) and disrupt peri-implantation pregnancy (the Bruce effect) in nearby females. Each of these effects can be mimicked in socially isolated females by direct administration of exogenous oestrogens. The current experiments were designed to determine the role of males' urinary 17β-oestradiol (E2) in their capacities to induce these effects. A preliminary experiment showed that both males on a phyto-oestrogen-rich soy-based diet and those on a phyto-oestrogen-free diet could induce both effects. For subsequent experiments, males were castrated and treated with either oil vehicle or E2. Enzyme immunoassay was conducted on non-invasively collected urine samples from these males. Concentrations of urinary testosterone were subnormal in both conditions, but urinary E2 was restored to the normal range for intact males in castrates given E2. Urinary creatinine was also quantified as a measure of hydration and was significantly reduced in males treated with E2. Castration diminished the capacity of males to promote growth of the immature uterus and also their capacity to disrupt blastocyst implantation in inseminated females. Injections of E2 to castrated males restored both capacities. These data converge with other studies indicating that E2 is the main constituent of male urine responsible for induction of both the Vandenbergh and the Bruce effects.
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Moriceau S, Roth TL, Sullivan RM. Rodent model of infant attachment learning and stress. Dev Psychobiol 2011; 52:651-60. [PMID: 20730787 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Here we review the neurobiology of infant odor learning in rats, and discuss the unique role of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) in the learning necessary for the developing rat. During the first 9 postnatal (PN) days, infants readily learn odor preferences, while aversion and fear learning are attenuated. Such restricted learning may ensure that pups only approach their mother. This sensitive period of preference learning overlaps with the stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP, PN4-14) when pups have a reduced CORT response to most stressors. Neural underpinnings responsible for sensitive-period learning include increased activity within the olfactory bulb and piriform "olfactory" cortex due to heightened release of norepinephrine from the locus coeruleus. After PN10 and with the decline of the SHRP, stress-induced CORT release permits amygdala activation and facilitates learned odor aversions and fear. Remarkably, odor preference and attenuated fear learning can be reestablished in PN10-15 pups if the mother is present, an effect due to her ability to suppress pups' CORT and amygdala activity. Together, these data indicate that functional changes in infant learning are modified by a unique interaction between the developing CORT system, the amygdala, and maternal presence, providing a learning system that becomes more flexible as pups mature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Moriceau
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
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Steel E. Effect of Male Proximity on Vaginal Marking by the Female Syrian Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1985.tb01379.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Rajendren G, Dominic CJ. Investigations on the Olfactory Discrimination Exhibited by the Females in the Male-induced Implantation Failure (the Bruce Effect) in Laboratory Mice. Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1987.tb00650.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Takahashi Y, Kaba H. Muscarinic receptor type 1 (M1) stimulation, probably through KCNQ/Kv7 channel closure, increases spontaneous GABA release at the dendrodendritic synapse in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb. Brain Res 2010; 1339:26-40. [PMID: 20385108 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.03.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2010] [Revised: 03/28/2010] [Accepted: 03/30/2010] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Cholinergic modulation of spontaneous GABAergic currents (mIPSC) was studied using whole-cell patch methods in mouse accessory olfactory bulb slices. Carbachol (above 100 microM) administration produced an increase in the mIPSC frequency in mitral cells, but did not affect the responses of mitral cells to GABA. The carbachol effect persisted in the presence of combined ionotropic and metabotropic glutamatergic receptor antagonists. The carbachol effect was reduced by the muscarinic receptor type-1 and -4 (M1 and M4) antagonist pirenzepine (10 microM), but not by the M2 and M4 antagonist himbacine (10 microM). The KCNQ/Kv7 potassium channel openers retigabine (80 microM) and diclofenac (300 microM) blocked the carbachol action, while the KCNQ potassium channel blocker XE-911 (20 microM) increased the mIPSC frequency. XE-911's action persisted in the presence of glutamate receptor blockers. In the presence of carbachol, mIPSCs were abolished by Ni (200 microM), while being insensitive to the calcium channel blocker nimodipine (30 microM), suggesting a role for R-type calcium channels in the GABA release. These results suggest that carbachol closed KCNQ channels by stimulating M1 receptors on granule cell dendrites, and the resulting depolarized and unstable membrane promoted calcium influx, thus increasing the GABA release. The possible role of acetylcholine in facilitating formation of a pheromone memory in mice is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshito Takahashi
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan.
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18
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Pereno G, Beltramino C. Understanding the pathophysiology of epilepsy in an animal model: Pentylenetetrazole induces activation but not death of neurons of the medial extended amygdala. NEUROLOGÍA (ENGLISH EDITION) 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/s2173-5808(10)70030-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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19
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Pereno G, Beltramino C. Descifrando la fisiopatología de la epilepsia en un modelo animal: el pentilentetrazol induce la activación pero no la muerte de las neuronas de la amígdala extendida medial. Neurologia 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/s0213-4853(10)70002-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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20
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Pereno GL, Balaszczuk V, Beltramino CA. Kainic acid-induced early genes activation and neuronal death in the medial extended amygdala of rats. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 63:291-9. [PMID: 20185282 DOI: 10.1016/j.etp.2010.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2009] [Revised: 12/23/2009] [Accepted: 02/08/2010] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The medial extended amygdala modulates pheromonal perception, influencing emotional and social behavior. As the amygdala is part of neuronal circuits that are very sensitive to excitability, its neurons are targets of seizures in temporal lobe epilepsy. It has been suggested that the hippocampus is strongly involved this pathology. There is less consistent information, however, on the effects of this disease in the amygdala. The effects of status epilepticus on the medial extended amygdala were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for neural stress and by the amino-cupric-silver technique for neuronal death in rats after kainic acid (KA) administration. Sixty adult Wistar male rats were used. Thirty animals received an injection of KA, and 30 were injected with saline. After 2, 4, 12, 24 and 48 h survival the brains were stained for Fos and FosB and for neuronal death. In the present study we show that KA induces Fos and FosB expression in neurons of the medial extended amygdala after 2, 4-48 h, with time courses that are different between them and from control animals. While Fos-IR peaks at 2-4 h post KA and then decreases, FosB-IR increases in the same period reaching its highest expression at 24-48 h. Moreover, KA injection produced massive neuronal death with a peak at 24 h. This neurodegeneration paralleled FosB-IR protein expression. These findings show that KA produces neuronal stress and activation of early genes and neuronal death in the medial extended amygdala, demonstrating the vulnerability of its neurons to the epileptogenic effects of KA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Germán L Pereno
- Cátedra de Neurofisiología y Psicofisiología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba 5000, Córdoba, Argentina.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Intranasal insulin has proven useful to control hyperglycemia in diabetics but its mechanism of action has not been well defined. We attempted to understand several aspects of human insulin metabolism by measurement of and interaction of insulin and its associated moieties in nasal mucus, saliva and blood plasma under various physiological and pathological conditions. METHODS Insulin, insulin receptors, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and insulin-like growth receptor 3 (IGFR3) were measured in nasal mucus, saliva and blood plasma in normal subjects, in thin and obese subjects and in diabetics under fasting and fed conditions. RESULTS There are complex relationships among each of these moieties in each biological fluid. Insulin and its associated moieties are present in both nasal mucus and saliva. These moieties in nasal mucus and saliva report on physiological and pathological changes in glucose metabolism as do these moieties in plasma. Indeed, insulin and its associated moieties in nasal mucus may offer specific data on how insulin enters the brain and thereby play essential roles in control of insulin metabolism. INTERPRETATION These data support the concept that insulin is synthesized not only in parotid glands but also in nasal serous glands. They also support the concept that insulin enters the brain following intranasal administration either 1) by direct entry through the cribriform plate, along the olfactory nerves and into brain parenchyma, 2) by entry through specific receptors in blood-brain barrier and thereby into the brain or 3) some combination of 1) and 2). Conversely, data also show that insulin introduced directly into the brain is secreted out of brain into the peripheral circulation. Data in this study demonstrate for the first time that insulin and its associated moieties are present not only in saliva but also in nasal mucus. How these complex relationships among nasal mucus, saliva and plasma occur are unclear but results demonstrate these relationships play separate yet interrelated roles in physiology and pathology of human insulin metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- R I Henkin
- Center for Molecular Nutrition and Sensory Disorders, The Taste and Smell Clinic, Washington, DC, USA.
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22
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Pereno G, Beltramino C. Differential role of gonadal hormones on kainic acid–induced neurodegeneration in medial amygdaloid nucleus of female and male rats. Neuroscience 2009; 163:952-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.06.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2009] [Revised: 06/24/2009] [Accepted: 06/27/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Becker SD, Hurst JL. Female behaviour plays a critical role in controlling murine pregnancy block. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 276:1723-9. [PMID: 19324836 PMCID: PMC2660991 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.1780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2008] [Accepted: 01/07/2009] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure of recently mated female rodents to unfamiliar male scents during daily prolactin surges results in pregnancy failure (the 'Bruce effect'). Control of nasal contact with male scents during these narrow windows of sensitivity could allow females to maintain or terminate pregnancy, but female behavioural changes specifically during this critical period have not been investigated. We examined the approach or avoidance of familiar stud strain and unfamiliar male scents by recently mated female mice. Females that maintained pregnancy avoided both unfamiliar and familiar male scent during critical periods of susceptibility for the Bruce effect. By contrast, females that did not maintain pregnancy showed a sharp rise in the time spent with unfamiliar male scent during this critical period. Manipulation of the social status of unfamiliar and stud strain scent donors did not affect the likelihood of pregnancy block, although females spent more time with dominant male scents across all time periods. The ability to control the Bruce effect through behaviour during brief sensitivity just before dusk, when females are likely to be in nest sites, provides a mechanism by which females may adjust their reproductive investment according to nest site social stability and likelihood of offspring survival.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jane L. Hurst
- Veterinary Preclinical Science, University of LiverpoolLeahurst Campus, Neston CH64 7TE, UK
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Gracceva G, Venerosi A, Santucci D, Calamandrei G, Ricceri L. Early social enrichment affects responsiveness to different social cues in female mice. Behav Brain Res 2009; 196:304-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2008] [Revised: 09/15/2008] [Accepted: 09/19/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Abstract
For many mammals, individual recognition of conspecifics relies on olfactory cues. Certain individual recognition memories are thought to be stored when conspecific odor cues coincide with surges of noradrenaline (NA) triggered by intensely arousing social events. Such familiar stimuli elicit reduced behavioral responses, a change likely related to NA-dependent plasticity in the olfactory bulb (OB). In addition to its role in these ethological memories, NA signaling in the OB appears to be relevant for the discrimination of more arbitrary odorants as well. Nonetheless, no NA-gated mechanism of long-term plasticity in the OB has ever been directly observed in vivo. Here, we report that NA release from locus ceruleus (LC), when coupled to odor presentation, acts locally in the main OB to cause a specific long-lasting suppression of responses to paired odors. These effects were observed for both food odors and urine, an important social recognition cue. Moreover, in subsequent behavioral tests, mice exhibited habituation to paired urine stimuli, suggesting that this LC-mediated olfactory neural plasticity, induced under anesthesia, can store an individual recognition memory that is observable after recovery.
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26
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Serguera C, Triaca V, Kelly-Barrett J, Banchaabouchi MA, Minichiello L. Increased dopamine after mating impairs olfaction and prevents odor interference with pregnancy. Nat Neurosci 2008; 11:949-56. [PMID: 18641644 DOI: 10.1038/nn.2154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2008] [Accepted: 06/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In rodents, social odor sensing influences female reproductive status by affecting neuroendocrine cascades. The odor of male mouse urine can induce ovulation or block pregnancy within 3 d post coitus. Females avoid the action of such olfactory stimuli after embryonic implantation. The mechanisms underlying these changes are unknown. Here we report that shortly after mating, a surge in dopamine in the mouse main olfactory bulb impairs the perception of social odors contained in male urine. Treatment of females at 6.5 d post coitus with a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist restores social odor sensing and favors disruption of pregnancy by inhibition of prolactin release, when administered in the presence of alien male urine odors. These results show that an active sensory barrier blocks social olfactory cues detrimental to pregnancy, consistent with the main olfactory bulb being a major relay through which social odor modulates reproductive status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che Serguera
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Mouse Biology Unit, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
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27
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Scent marking behavior as an odorant communication in mice. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2008; 32:1236-48. [PMID: 18565582 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2008] [Revised: 05/06/2008] [Accepted: 05/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In rodents, where chemical signals play a particularly important role in determining intraspecies interactions including social dominance and intersexual relationships, various studies have shown that behavior is sensitive to conspecific odor cues. Mice use urinary scent marks for communication with individual conspecifics in many social contexts. Urinary scent involves genetic information about individuals such as species, sex, and individual identity as well as metabolic information such as social dominance, and reproductive and health status, which are mediated by chemical proteins in scent marks including the major histocompatibility complex and the major urinary proteins. The odor of the predator which can be considered to be a threatening signal for the prey also modulate mouse behavior in which scent marking is suppressed in response to the cat odor exposure in mice. These odorant chemicals are detected and recognized through two olfactory bulbs, the role of which in detection of chemosignals with biological relevant appears to be differential, but partly overlapped. Mice deposit scent marks toward conspecifics to maintain their social relationships, and inhibit scent marking in a context where natural predator, cat odor is contained. This suppression of scent marking is long-lasting (for at least 7 days) and context-dependent, while the odorant signaling to conspecifics tends to appear frequently (over 24h but less than 7 days intervals) depending on the familiarity of each signal-recipient. It has been discussed that scent marking is a communicative behavior associated with territoriality toward conspecifics, indicating that the social signaling within species are sensitive to predator odor cues in terms of vulnerability to predation risk.
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Fang LY, Quan RD, Kaba H. Oxytocin facilitates the induction of long-term potentiation in the accessory olfactory bulb. Neurosci Lett 2008; 438:133-7. [PMID: 18468792 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2007.12.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2007] [Revised: 12/15/2007] [Accepted: 12/18/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
When female mice are mated, they form a memory to the pheromonal signal of their male partner. Several lines of evidence indicate that the neural changes underlying this memory occur in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) at the first stage of the vomeronasal system. The formation of this memory depends on the mating-induced release of noradrenaline in the AOB. In addition to noradrenaline, the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) is also released within the central nervous system during mating. Because OT has been implicated in social memory and its receptors are expressed in the AOB, we hypothesized that OT might promote the strength of synaptic transmission from mitral to granule cells in the AOB. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the lateral olfactory tract-evoked field potential that represents the granule cell response to mitral cell activation and its plasticity in parasagittal slices of the AOB. Of the 10-, 20-, 50-, and 100-Hz stimulations tested, the 100-Hz stimulation was optimal for inducing long-term potentiation (LTP). OT paired with 100-Hz stimulation that only produced short-term potentiation enhanced LTP induction in a dose-dependent manner. OT-paired LTP was blocked by both the selective OT antagonist desGly-NH(2),d(CH(2))(5)[Tyr(Me)(2),Thr(4)]-ornithine vasotocin and the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist dl-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid. These results indicate that OT can function as a gate to modulate the establishment of NMDA receptor-dependent LTP at the mitral-to-granule cell synapse in the AOB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long-Yun Fang
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
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29
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Larsen CM, Kokay IC, Grattan DR. Male pheromones initiate prolactin-induced neurogenesis and advance maternal behavior in female mice. Horm Behav 2008; 53:509-17. [PMID: 18258236 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2007] [Revised: 11/23/2007] [Accepted: 11/27/2007] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Prolactin is required for rapid onset of maternal behavior after parturition, inducing adaptive changes in the maternal brain including enhanced neurogenesis in the subventricular zone during pregnancy. The resultant increase in olfactory interneurons may be required for altered processing of olfactory cues during the establishment of maternal behavior. Pheromones act through olfactory pathways to exert powerful effects on behavior in rodents and also affect prolactin secretion. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the effect of male pheromones on neurogenesis and maternal behavior in female mice. Virgin female mice were housed individually or in split-cages where they had pheromonal but not physical contact with a male. Maternal behavior was assessed in a foster pup retrieval paradigm. Some mice were injected with bromodeoxyuridine, and the labeled cells visualized using immunohistochemistry. The data show that exposure to male pheromones, for a duration equivalent to a murine pregnancy, advanced maternal behavior in both virgin and postpartum female mice. The pheromone action was dependent on prolactin and ovarian steroids, and was associated with increased cell proliferation in the subventricular zone and subsequent increases in new neurons in the olfactory bulb. Moreover, the effect of pheromones on both cell proliferation and maternal behavior could be induced solely through administration of exogenous prolactin to mimic the pheromone-induced changes in prolactin secretion. The data suggest that male pheromones induce a prolactin-mediated increase in neurogenesis in female mice, resulting in advanced maternal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M Larsen
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Box 913, University of Otago, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand.
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30
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Brennan PA, Kendrick KM. Mammalian social odours: attraction and individual recognition. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2007; 361:2061-78. [PMID: 17118924 PMCID: PMC1764843 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2006.1931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 333] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian social systems rely on signals passed between individuals conveying information including sex, reproductive status, individual identity, ownership, competitive ability and health status. Many of these signals take the form of complex mixtures of molecules sensed by chemosensory systems and have important influences on a variety of behaviours that are vital for reproductive success, such as parent-offspring attachment, mate choice and territorial marking. This article aims to review the nature of these chemosensory cues and the neural pathways mediating their physiological and behavioural effects. Despite the complexities of mammalian societies, there are instances where single molecules can act as classical pheromones attracting interest and approach behaviour. Chemosignals with relatively high volatility can be used to signal at a distance and are sensed by the main olfactory system. Most mammals also possess a vomeronasal system, which is specialized to detect relatively non-volatile chemosensory cues following direct contact. Single attractant molecules are sensed by highly specific receptors using a labelled line pathway. These act alongside more complex mixtures of signals that are required to signal individual identity. There are multiple sources of such individuality chemosignals, based on the highly polymorphic genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) or lipocalins such as the mouse major urinary proteins. The individual profile of volatile components that make up an individual odour signature can be sensed by the main olfactory system, as the pattern of activity across an array of broadly tuned receptor types. In addition, the vomeronasal system can respond highly selectively to non-volatile peptide ligands associated with the MHC, acting at the V2r class of vomeronasal receptor. The ability to recognize individuals or their genetic relatedness plays an important role in mammalian social behaviour. Thus robust systems for olfactory learning and recognition of chemosensory individuality have evolved, often associated with major life events, such as mating, parturition or neonatal development. These forms of learning share common features, such as increased noradrenaline evoked by somatosensory stimulation, which results in neural changes at the level of the olfactory bulb. In the main olfactory bulb, these changes are likely to refine the pattern of activity in response to the learned odour, enhancing its discrimination from those of similar odours. In the accessory olfactory bulb, memory formation is hypothesized to involve a selective inhibition, which disrupts the transmission of the learned chemosignal from the mating male. Information from the main olfactory and vomeronasal systems is integrated at the level of the corticomedial amygdala, which forms the most important pathway by which social odours mediate their behavioural and physiological effects. Recent evidence suggests that this region may also play an important role in the learning and recognition of social chemosignals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A Brennan
- Department of Physiology, University of Bristol, Medical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK.
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31
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Abstract
The vomeronasal pathway in rodents runs parallel to the main olfactory pathway and mediates responses to different classes of chemosensory stimuli. Both olfactory systems can converge and synergize to control reproductive behaviors and hormonal changes triggered by chemosensory cues. Novel experimental approaches expressing genetic transneuronal tracers in hypothalamic neurons regulating reproduction have set the stage to analyze how chemosensory inputs are integrated in the brain to elicit reproductive behaviors and hormonal changes, and how neuroendocrine status might modulate susceptibility to chemosensory cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Boehm
- Center for Molecular Neurobiology, Institute for Neural Signal Transduction, Falkenried 94, 20251 Hamburg, Germany.
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Witt M, Hummel T. Vomeronasal versus olfactory epithelium: is there a cellular basis for human vomeronasal perception? INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 2006; 248:209-59. [PMID: 16487792 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(06)48004-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The vomeronasal organ (VNO) constitutes an accessory olfactory organ that receives chemical stimuli, pheromones, which elicit behavioral, reproductive, or neuroendocrine responses among individuals of the same species. In many macrosmatic animals, the morphological substrate constitutes a separate organ system consisting of a vomeronasal duct (ductus vomeronasalis, VND), equipped with chemosensory cells, and a vomeronasal nerve (nervus vomeronasalis, VNN) conducting information into the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) in the central nervous system (CNS). Recent data require that the long-accepted dual functionality of a main olfactory system and the VNO be reexamined, since all species without a VNO are nevertheless sexually active, and species possessing a VNO also can sense other than "vomeronasal" stimuli via the vomeronasal epithelium (VNE). The human case constitutes a borderline situation, as its embryonic VNO anlage exerts a developmental track common to most macrosmatics, but later typical structures such as the VNN, AOB, and probably most of the chemoreceptor cells within the still existent VND are lost. This review also presents recent information on the VND including immunohistochemical expression of neuronal markers, intermediate filaments, lectins, integrins, caveolin, CD44, and aquaporins. Further, we will address the issue of human pheromone candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Witt
- Department of Anatomy, University of Technology Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Restrepo D, Arellano J, Oliva AM, Schaefer ML, Lin W. Emerging views on the distinct but related roles of the main and accessory olfactory systems in responsiveness to chemosensory signals in mice. Horm Behav 2004; 46:247-56. [PMID: 15325226 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2004.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2003] [Revised: 02/17/2004] [Accepted: 02/19/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In rodents, the nasal cavity contains two separate chemosensory epithelia, the main olfactory epithelium, located in the posterior dorsal aspect of the nasal cavity, and the vomeronasal/accessory olfactory epithelium, located in a capsule in the anterior aspect of the ventral floor of the nasal cavity. Both the main and accessory olfactory systems play a role in detection of biologically relevant odors. The accessory olfactory system has been implicated in response to pheromones, while the main olfactory system is thought to be a general molecular analyzer capable of detecting subtle differences in molecular structure of volatile odorants. However, the role of the two systems in detection of biologically relevant chemical signals appears to be partially overlapping. Thus, while it is clear that the accessory olfactory system is responsive to putative pheromones, the main olfactory system can also respond to some pheromones. Conversely, while the main olfactory system can mediate recognition of differences in genetic makeup by smell, the vomeronasal organ (VNO) also appears to participate in recognition of chemosensory differences between genetically distinct individuals. The most salient feature of our review of the literature is that there are no general rules that allow classification of the accessory olfactory system as a pheromone detector and the main olfactory system as a detector of general odorants. Instead, each behavior must be considered within a specific behavioral context to determine the role of these two chemosensory systems. In each case, one system or the other (or both) participates in a specific behavioral or hormonal response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Restrepo
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Program and Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA.
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Brennan PA. The nose knows who's who: chemosensory individuality and mate recognition in mice. Horm Behav 2004; 46:231-40. [PMID: 15325224 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2004.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2003] [Revised: 01/07/2004] [Accepted: 01/09/2004] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Individual recognition is an important component of behaviors, such as mate choice and maternal bonding that are vital for reproductive success. This article highlights recent developments in our understanding of the chemosensory cues and the neural pathways involved in individuality discrimination in rodents. There appear to be several types of chemosensory signal of individuality that are influenced by the highly polymorphic families of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins or major urinary proteins (MUPs). Both have the capability of binding small molecules and may influence the individual profile of these chemosignals in biological fluids such as urine, skin secretions, or saliva. Moreover, these proteins, or peptides associated with them, can be taken up into the vomeronasal organ (VNO) where they can potentially interact directly with the vomeronasal receptors. This is particularly interesting given the expression of major histocompatibility complex Ib proteins by the V2R class of vomeronasal receptor and the highly selective responses of accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) mitral cells to strain identity. These findings are consistent with the role of the vomeronasal system in mediating individual discrimination that allows mate recognition in the context of the pregnancy block effect. This is hypothesized to involve a selective increase in the inhibitory control of mitral cells in the accessory olfactory bulb at the first level of processing of the vomeronasal stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A Brennan
- Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Cambridge, Madingley, Cambridge CB3 8AA, UK.
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35
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Moffatt CA. Steroid hormone modulation of olfactory processing in the context of socio-sexual behaviors in rodents and humans. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2003; 43:192-206. [PMID: 14572914 DOI: 10.1016/s0165-0173(03)00208-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Primer pheromones and other chemosensory cues are important factors governing social interactions and reproductive physiology in many species of mammals. Responses to these chemosignals can vary substantially within and between individuals. This variability can stem, at least in part, from the modulating effects steroid and non-steroid hormones exert on olfactory processing. Such modulation frequently augments or facilitates the effects that prevailing social and environmental conditions have on the reproductive axis. The mechanisms underlying the hormonal regulation of responses to chemosensory cues are diverse. They are in part behavioral, achieved through the modulation of chemoinvestigative behaviors, and in part a product of the modulation of the intrinsic responsiveness of the main and accessory olfactory systems to conspecific, as well as other classes, of chemosignals. The behavioral and non-behavioral effects complement one another to ensure that mating and other reproductive processes are confined to reproductively favorable conditions.
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Dulac C, Torello AT. Molecular detection of pheromone signals in mammals: from genes to behaviour. Nat Rev Neurosci 2003; 4:551-62. [PMID: 12838330 DOI: 10.1038/nrn1140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 425] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Dulac
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
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Matsuoka M, Yamagata K, Sugiura H, Yoshida-Matsuoka J, Norita M, Ichikawa M. Expression and regulation of the immediate-early gene product Arc in the accessory olfactory bulb after mating in male rat. Neuroscience 2002; 111:251-8. [PMID: 11983312 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(01)00620-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies of the accessory olfactory bulb have shown that the expression of immediate-early genes, e.g., c-fos, c-jun and egr-1, can be used as a marker of neuronal activity in response to pheromonal cues. In this study, we analyzed the expression pattern, in response to mating, of the novel immediate-early gene product Arc (an activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein). Arc is hypothesized to play a role in activity-dependent neuronal plasticity in the hippocampus. In a control group of male rats, only a small number of Arc-immunoreactive cells were observed in the accessory olfactory bulb. In a mating group, however, a marked increase in the number of Arc-immunoreactive cells was observed only in the granule cell layer of the accessory olfactory bulb. The increase in the number of Arc-immunoreactive cells after mating was similar to that observed for other immediate-early genes. However, for the mating group, the increase in Arc-positive cells was limited to the granule cell layer. Granule cells have been shown to exhibit a strong synaptic plasticity in response to pheromonal stimulation. From these findings we suggest that Arc plays an important role in neuronal plasticity in the accessory olfactory bulb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Matsuoka
- Division of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Japan.
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38
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Gheusi G, Bluthé RM, Goodall G, Dantzer R. Social and individual recognition in rodents: Methodological aspects and neurobiological bases. Behav Processes 2002; 33:59-87. [PMID: 24925240 DOI: 10.1016/0376-6357(94)90060-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/16/1994] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
What animals know about each other, and how they construct and use knowledge of their social world involves at least an ability to recognise different social categories. Although much evidence has accumulated that animals are able to identify and classify other individuals into different categories, few studies have definitively demonstrated true individual recognition, i.e. discrimination between individuals on the basis of their idiosyncratic characteristics. Furthermore, the neural structures and pathways involved in social and, a fortiori, individual recognition have as yet been poorly investigated. This paper discusses various methods and measures currently used to assess different forms of social categorisations in animals, with special reference to rodents. Recent progress concerning the neurobiological bases involved in social recognition is also discussed. Finally, integrative perspectives for studying individual recognition in the context of social cognition is underlined in relation to different approaches investigating rodents' ability to use learned olfactory information.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Gheusi
- Neurobiologie Intégrative, Inserm Unité 394, 1 rue Camille Saint-Saëns, 33077 Bordeaux, France
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39
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Abstract
Reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses between mitral and granule cells in the accessory olfactory bulb have been implicated in a specialized form of olfactory learning in mice, in which a female forms a memory to the pheromonal signal of the male that mates with her. Relatively little is known, however, about the mechanism of synaptic transmission at the reciprocal synapses. We analyzed synaptic currents generated in accessory olfactory bulb mitral cells in slice preparations with the patch-clamp technique in nystatin-perforated whole-cell configuration. A brief (5-20-ms) depolarizing voltage step from -70 to 0 mV applied to a single mitral cell evoked GABA(A) receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents. The inhibitory postsynaptic currents persisted in the presence of tetrodotoxin, indicating that the inhibitory postsynaptic current in mitral cells can be elicited through purely dendritic interactions. The inhibitory postsynaptic currents were greatly enhanced by washout of extracellular Mg(2+). In Mg(2+)-free solution, the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist D,L-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid greatly reduced the inhibitory postsynaptic currents, whereas the non-NMDA receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-(1H,4H)-dione (CNQX) slightly reduced them. These data demonstrate that NMDA receptors play an important role in the generation of dendrodendritic inhibition in mitral cells of the mouse accessory olfactory bulb.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Taniguchi
- Department of Physiology, Kochi Medical School, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan.
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Otsuka T, Ishii K, Osako Y, Okutani F, Taniguchi M, Oka T, Kaba H. Modulation of dendrodendritic interactions and mitral cell excitability in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb by vaginocervical stimulation. Eur J Neurosci 2001; 13:1833-8. [PMID: 11359535 DOI: 10.1046/j.0953-816x.2001.01557.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
When female mice are mated, they form a memory to the pheromonal signal of their male partner. The neural changes underlying this memory occur in the accessory olfactory bulb, depend upon vaginocervical stimulation at mating and involve changes at the reciprocal synapses between mitral and granule cells. However, the action of vaginocervical stimulation on the reciprocal interactions between mitral and granule cells remains to be elucidated. We have examined the effects of vaginocervical stimulation on paired-pulse depression of amygdala-evoked field potentials recorded in the external plexiform layer of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) and the single-unit activity of mitral cells antidromically stimulated from the amygdala in urethane-anaesthetized female mice. Artificial vaginocervical stimulation reduced paired-pulse depression (considered to be due to feedback inhibition of the mitral cell dendrites from the granule cells via reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses) recorded in the AOB external plexiform layer. As would be expected from this result, vaginocervical stimulation also enhanced the spontaneous activity of a proportion of the mitral cells tested. These results suggest that vaginocervical stimulation reduces dendrodendritic feedback inhibition to mitral cells and enhances their activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Otsuka
- Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
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Otsuka T, Hashida M, Oka T, Kaba H. Activation of GABA(A) receptors in the accessory olfactory bulb does not prevent the formation of an olfactory memory in mice. J Vet Med Sci 2001; 63:807-9. [PMID: 11503910 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.63.807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
When female mice are mated, they form a memory to the pheromonal signal of their male partner. The neural mechanisms underlying this memory involve changes at the reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses between glutamatergic mitral cells and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic granule cells in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). Blockade of GABA(A) receptors in the AOB leads to the formation of an olfactory memory. In an attempt to disrupt memory formation at mating, we used local infusions of the GABA(A) receptor agonist muscimol into the AOB during the critical period for memory formation. Muscimol across a wide range of doses (1-1000 pmol) did not prevent memory formation. The resistance of this memory to GABA(A) receptor activation may reflect the complexity of synaptic microcircuits in the AOB.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Otsuka
- Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Japan
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42
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Dluzen DE, Muraoka S, Engelmann M, Ebner K, Landgraf R. Oxytocin induces preservation of social recognition in male rats by activating alpha-adrenoceptors of the olfactory bulb. Eur J Neurosci 2000; 12:760-6. [PMID: 10712656 DOI: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2000.00952.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In this report, a series of four experiments was performed to evaluate the relationship between the olfactory bulb norepinephrine system and intra-olfactory bulb infusion of oxytocin in the preservation of social memory responses. The present data indicate that oxytocin exerts this preservation of social recognition through a specific, receptor-mediated mechanism within the olfactory bulb (experiment 1). The involvement of the olfactory bulb norepinephrine system is revealed by the demonstration that retrodialysis of oxytocin into the olfactory bulb increases norepinephrine release (experiment 4). Our data suggest that the increased output of olfactory bulb norepinephrine resulting from oxytocin appears to activate alpha-adrenoceptors to produce this preservation in recognition because infusions of clonidine into the olfactory bulb preserve recognition responses in a manner similar to that observed with oxytocin (experiment 2). In addition, a co-infusion of oxytocin with phentolamine abolishes recognition responses (experiment 3). Accordingly, this model affords the opportunity to study neuropeptide-catecholamine interactions, link these interactions with a specific behavioural outcome and identify a novel function/site of action for oxytocin in the male.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Dluzen
- Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
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Yokosuka M, Matsuoka M, Ohtani-Kaneko R, Iigo M, Hara M, Hirata K, Ichikawa M. Female-soiled bedding induced fos immunoreactivity in the ventral part of the premammillary nucleus (PMv) of the male mouse. Physiol Behav 1999; 68:257-61. [PMID: 10627089 DOI: 10.1016/s0031-9384(99)00160-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have indicated that the ventral part of the premammillary nucleus (PMv) of rodents is involved in the regulation of aggressive and male mating behavior, although the precise physiological function of the PMv is still unclear. To analyze the physiological role of the PMv in male mating behavior, the effects of exposure to bedding soiled by female mice on Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-ir), an early marker of neuronal activation, were studied in the PMv and some sex-related nuclei. We observed that exposure to female-soiled bedding induced Fos-ir expression in the PMv of the male mouse. Although Fos-ir positive cells were found in the posterodorsal part of the medial amygdaloid nucleus and in the posteromedial cortical amygdaloid nucleus, which are terminals of the neuronal projections from the main and accessory olfactory bulbs, the numbers of Fos-ir cells in those nuclei were not affected by exposure to female-soiled bedding. Moreover, Fos-ir was not detected in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. It is well established that soiled bedding is useful as a source of chemosensory substances, which include "pheromones." Thus, our findings, in agreement with previous behavioral and anatomical data, suggest that the PMv plays a role in initiating male copulative behavior that is induced by a female mice pheromone(s).
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Affiliation(s)
- M Yokosuka
- Department of Anatomy, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Japan.
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Matsuoka M, Yokosuka M, Mori Y, Ichikawa M. Specific expression pattern of Fos in the accessory olfactory bulb of male mice after exposure to soiled bedding of females. Neurosci Res 1999; 35:189-95. [PMID: 10605942 DOI: 10.1016/s0168-0102(99)00082-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The heterogeneous structure of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) has been demonstrated immunocytochemically. In this study, we analyzed the expression of an immediate-early gene protein, c-Fos, as a marker of neuronal activity in response to chemosensory cues was analyzed. The number of c-Fos-immunoreactive (Fos-ir) cells was measured in the rostral and caudal zones of the AOB in male ICR mice after exposure to the soiled bedding of female mice. The results revealed no significant difference in the number of Fos-ir cells in the caudal zone of the AOB between exposure to the soiled bedding of female ICR mice (ICR group) and exposure to that of female Balb mice (Balb group). In the rostral zone, however, the number of Fos-ir cells in the glomerular layer and granule cell layer was larger in the ICR group than in the Balb group. The difference in the expression of c-Fos in response to different pheromonal stimuli between the rostral and caudal zones in the mouse AOB has been shown for the first time in this study. These results strongly suggest that the heterogeneous structure of the AOB has an important role in the perception and processing of pheromones.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Matsuoka
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
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45
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Abstract
The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is a chemoreceptor organ enclosed in a cartilaginous capsule and separated from the main olfactory epithelium. The vomeronasal neurons have two distinct types of receptor that differ from each other and from the large family of odorant receptors. The VNO receptors are seven-transmembrane receptors coupled to GTP-binding protein, but appear to activate inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate signaling as opposed to cyclic adenosine monophosphate. The nature of stimulus access suggests that the VNO responds to nonvolatile cues, leading to activation of the hypothalamus by way of the accessory olfactory bulb and amygdala. The areas of hypothalamus innervated regulate reproductive, defensive, and ingestive behavior as well as neuroendocrine secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- E B Keverne
- Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Cambridge, Madingley, Cambridge CB3 8AA, UK.
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Brennan PA, Schellinck HM, Keverne EB. Patterns of expression of the immediate-early gene egr-1 in the accessory olfactory bulb of female mice exposed to pheromonal constituents of male urine. Neuroscience 1999; 90:1463-70. [PMID: 10338312 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(98)00556-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Male mice excrete large quantities of major urinary proteins that have been proposed to have an important pheromonal role either alone or by way of their bound ligands. We have found that these major urinary proteins are not only likely to mediate the pregnancy blocking effects of male urine, but that they also convey the strain recognition signal of the male pheromone. Recent molecular biological investigations have characterized two classes of pheromonal receptor in the vomeronasal organ that appear to project separately to anterior and posterior regions of the accessory olfactory bulb. However, it is not known whether these separate pathways handle fundamentally different types of pheromonal information. We have attempted to investigate this question using the expression of the immediate-early gene egr-1 as a marker for activity of neurons in the accessory olfactory bulb of female mice in response to putative pheromonal constituents. Exposure to 2,3 dihydro-exo-brevicomin and 2-sec-butyl-4,5-dihydro-thiazole, the main ligands bound to the major urinary proteins, elicited expression of egr-1 in clusters of presumed mitral neurons at the medial and lateral margins of the posterior accessory olfactory bulb. Whole male urine and a preparation of major urinary proteins that had been stripped of their ligands induced egr-1 expression in mitral cells of the anterior half of the accessory olfactory bulb in addition to the posterior clusters. This would suggest that the anterior and posterior halves of the accessory olfactory bulb are processing different aspects of the male pheromone signal with the anterior region, which responds preferentially to major urinary proteins, being principally concerned with the strain recognition component.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A Brennan
- Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Cambridge, Madingley, UK
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47
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de Catanzaro D, Muir C, Sullivan C, Boissy A. Pheromones and novel male-induced pregnancy disruptions in mice: exposure to conspecifics is necessary for urine alone to induce an effect. Physiol Behav 1999; 66:153-7. [PMID: 10222488 DOI: 10.1016/s0031-9384(98)00277-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Previous research indicates a role of pheromones in novel male-induced early pregnancy disruptions. Although some reports suggest that urine alone is sufficient to produce this effect, others raise procedural concerns and fail to replicate such effects. On Days 1 to 5 after insemination, female CF-1 mice had their nasal regions repeatedly painted with water, urine from males housed in isolation, or urine from males housed in proximity to females. Almost all (87.5%) of the control females delivered litters. There was a small nonsignificant reduction in proportion parturient (78.5%) among females exposed to urine of males housed without social contact. The proportion of females parturient (57.1%) after treatment with urine from males housed in proximity to females was significantly different from controls. The magnitude of the effect of socially stimulated male urine is substantially less than that recorded when males are housed directly above inseminated females separated by a wire-mesh grid. These data suggest that production of pregnancy-disrupting male pheromones is stimulated by contact with conspecifics.
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Affiliation(s)
- D de Catanzaro
- Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
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48
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Dluzen DE, Muraoka S, Engelmann M, Landgraf R. The effects of infusion of arginine vasopressin, oxytocin, or their antagonists into the olfactory bulb upon social recognition responses in male rats. Peptides 1998; 19:999-1005. [PMID: 9700747 DOI: 10.1016/s0196-9781(98)00047-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In the present report, the peptides arginine vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin (OXT) or their respective antagonists were infused bilaterally into the olfactory bulb to assess their effects upon recognition responses. Recognition responses were determined in a social discrimination paradigm and consisted of measuring the amount of investigation directed to either the same (previously exposed) or novel juvenile rats under conditions in which clear recognition responses are either present as tested with a 30 min inter-exposure interval or absent as tested with a 120 min inter-exposure interval. Infusion of AVP or OXT resulted in preserved recognition responses, as tested with a 120 min inter-exposure interval, compared with that observed in vehicle-infused controls. When animals were infused with the AVP or OXT antagonists using two different doses and tested for the display of recognition as tested with the 30 min inter-exposure interval, no effects of these antagonists were obtained with either dose. These results demonstrate that the olfactory bulb represents an additional important central nervous system target site where these peptides can act to preserve social recognition responses. Moreover, our results suggest that the underlying mechanisms by which peptides function within the olfactory bulb differ as a function of whether they are involved with the display versus preservation of recognition responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Dluzen
- Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
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49
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Abstract
The roles of norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine in behavior were investigated by targeted disruption of the dopamine beta-hydroxylase (Dbh) gene, thereby eliminating these compounds in vivo. Most heterozygous pups born to Dbh-/- females died within several days of birth and were often found scattered within the bedding. Potential causes including deficits in olfaction and lactation were not apparent. A deficit in maternal behavior was confirmed by the lack of pup retrieval exhibited by Dbh-/- virgin females. Restoration of NE shortly before but not after birth induced females that previously abandoned their litters to act maternally. Our results suggest that NE is responsible for long-lasting changes that promote maternal behavior during both development and parturition in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Thomas
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA
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50
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Demas GE, Williams JM, Nelson RJ. Amygdala but not hippocampal lesions impair olfactory memory for mate in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY 1997; 273:R1683-9. [PMID: 9374810 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.1997.273.5.r1683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to an unfamiliar male conspecific results in pregnancy interruption (i.e., the Bruce effect) in rodents. Unlike most laboratory rodents, female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are induced into estrus by chemosensory stimuli contained in the urine of male conspecifics while grooming the anogenital (A-G) region of unfamiliar males. Female prairie voles maintain a brief "memory" for the stud male for 8-10 days after mating. Subsequent exposure to the same mate within this 8- to 10-day window does not elicit A-G investigation by the female and pregnancy block does not result. However, exposure to the original male after 10 days evokes A-G investigation and pregnancy block. To determine the neuroanatomic area(s) involved in olfactory memory for mate, female voles received bilateral electrolytic lesions of either the amygdala or hippocampus. Females were subsequently exposed to males for 48 h, separated for 3 days, then reintroduced to their original mate for 24 h. Although pregnancy rate did not differ among the experimental groups, a greater proportion of amygdala-lesioned females displayed pregnancy block when reexposed to their previous mates compared with hippocampal- or sham-lesioned voles. Amygdala-lesioned voles also displayed a greater number of A-G investigations compared with the other groups. Performance on olfactory tests was not impaired. Taken together, these results suggest that the amygdala plays an important role in olfactory memory for mate in prairie voles.
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Affiliation(s)
- G E Demas
- Department of Psychology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
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