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Qin Z, He X, Gao Q, Li Y, Zhang Y, Wang H, Qin N, Wang C, Huang B, Shi Y, Liu C, Wang S, Zhang H, Li Y, Shi H, Tian X, Song L. Postweaning sodium citrate exposure induces long-lasting and sex-dependent effects on social behaviours in mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 242:173807. [PMID: 38925482 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Postweaning is a pivotal period for brain development and individual growth. As an important chemical used in medicines, foods and beverages, sodium citrate (SC) is commonly available. Although some effects of SC exposure on individual physiology have been demonstrated, the potential long-lasting effects of postweaning dietary SC exposure on social behaviours are still elusive. METHODS Both postweaning male and female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to SC through drinking water for a total of 3 weeks. A series of behavioural tests, including social dominance test (SDT), social interaction test (SIT), bedding preference test (BPT) and sexual preference test (SPT), were performed in adolescence and adulthood. After these tests, serum oxytocin (OT) levels and gut microbiota were detected. RESULTS The behavioural results revealed that postweaning SC exposure decreased the social dominance of male mice in adulthood and female mice in both adolescence and adulthood. SC exposure also reduced the sexual preference rates of both males and females, while it had no effect on social interaction behaviour. ELISA results indicated that SC exposure decreased the serum OT levels of females but not males. 16S rRNA sequencing analysis revealed a significant difference in β-diversity after SC exposure in both males and females. The correlation coefficient indicated the correlation between social behaviours, OT levels and dominant genera of gut microbiota. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that postweaning SC exposure may have enduring and sex-dependent effects on social behaviours, which may be correlated with altered serum OT levels and gut microbiota composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihan Qin
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Xinyue He
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Qiang Gao
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology (SZX2020013), Hebei Medical University, 050017, China
| | - Yuxin Li
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Huajian Wang
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Na Qin
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Chen Wang
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Boya Huang
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology (SZX2020013), Hebei Medical University, 050017, China
| | - Yun Shi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology (SZX2020013), Hebei Medical University, 050017, China
| | - Congcong Liu
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Early Life Health Research Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Sheng Wang
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology (SZX2020013), Hebei Medical University, 050017, China
| | - Huifeng Zhang
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Department of Pediatrics, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Early Life Health Research Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Youdong Li
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Early Life Health Research Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Haishui Shi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology (SZX2020013), Hebei Medical University, 050017, China; Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Early Life Health Research Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
| | - Xiaoyu Tian
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Department of Pediatrics, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China.
| | - Li Song
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Medical and Health Science of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China; Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology (SZX2020013), Hebei Medical University, 050017, China.
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Zhang Z, Dong X, Liu Z, Liu N. Social status predicts physiological and behavioral responses to chronic stress in rhesus monkeys. iScience 2024; 27:110073. [PMID: 38883834 PMCID: PMC11176666 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Investigating the underlying factors that cause differential individual responses to chronic stress is crucial for developing personalized therapies, especially in the face of pandemics such as COVID-19. However, this question remains elusive, particularly in primates. In the present study, we aimed to address this question by utilizing monkeys as a model to examine the impacts of social rank on stress levels and physiological and behavioral responses to chronic stress primarily caused by social isolation at both the individual and group levels. Our results showed that high-ranking animals were more susceptible to chronic stress. After exposure to chronic stress, although social hierarchies remained the same, the colonies exhibited more harmonious group relationships (e.g., more prosocial behaviors), with notable contributions from low-ranking animals. Overall, this study deepens our understanding of how social status shapes responses to chronic stress and sheds light on developing tailored and personalized therapies for coping with chronic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xueda Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiqiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ning Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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3
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Pouso P, Cabana Á, Francia V, Silva A. Vasotocin but not isotocin is involved in the emergence of the dominant-subordinate status in males of the weakly electric fish, Gymnotus omarorum. Horm Behav 2024; 158:105446. [PMID: 37945472 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The establishment of the dominant-subordinate status implies a clear behavioral asymmetry between contenders that arises immediately after the resolution of the agonistic encounter and persists during the maintenance of stable dominance hierarchies. Changes in the activity of the brain social behavior network (SBN) are postulated to be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the dominant-subordinate status. The hypothalamic nonapeptides of the vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) families are known to modulate the activity of the SBN in a context-dependent manner across vertebrates, including status-dependent modulations. We searched for status-dependent asymmetries in AVP-like (vasotocin, AVT) and OT-like (isotocin, IT) cell number and activation immediately after the establishment of dominance in males of the weakly electric fish, Gymnotus omarorum, which displays the best understood example of non-breeding territorial aggression among teleosts. We used immunolabeling (FOS, AVT, and IT) of preoptic area (POA) neurons after dyadic agonistic encounters. This study is among the first to show in teleosts that AVT, but not IT, is involved in the establishment of the dominant-subordinate status. We also found status-dependent subregion-specific changes of AVT cell number and activation. These results confirm the involvement of AVT in the establishment of dominance and support the speculation that AVT is released from dominants' AVT neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Pouso
- Depto Histología y Embriología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay; Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, IIBCE, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay
| | - Álvaro Cabana
- Instituto de Fundamentos y Métodos, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Virginia Francia
- Depto Histología y Embriología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Ana Silva
- Unidad Bases Neurales de la Conducta, Departamento de Neurofisiología Celular y Molecular, IIBCE, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay.
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4
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Ghosal S, Gebara E, Ramos-Fernández E, Chioino A, Grosse J, Guillot de Suduiraut I, Zanoletti O, Schneider B, Zorzano A, Astori S, Sandi C. Mitofusin-2 in nucleus accumbens D2-MSNs regulates social dominance and neuronal function. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112776. [PMID: 37440411 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a brain hub regulating motivated behaviors, including social competitiveness. Mitochondrial function in the NAc links anxiety with social competitiveness, and the mitochondrial fusion protein mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) in NAc neurons regulates anxiety-related behaviors. However, it remains unexplored whether accumbal Mfn2 levels also affect social behavior and whether Mfn2 actions in the emotional and social domain are driven by distinct cell types. Here, we found that subordinate-prone highly anxious rats show decreased accumbal Mfn2 levels and that Mfn2 overexpression promotes dominant behavior. In mice, selective Mfn2 downregulation in NAc dopamine D2 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (D2-MSNs) induced social subordination, accompanied by decreased accumbal mitochondrial functions and decreased excitability in D2-MSNs. Instead, D1-MSN-targeted Mfn2 downregulation affected competitive ability only transiently and likely because of an increase in anxiety-like behaviors. Our results assign dissociable cell-type specific roles to Mfn2 in the NAc in modulating social dominance and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sriparna Ghosal
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Elias Gebara
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Eva Ramos-Fernández
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alessandro Chioino
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jocelyn Grosse
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Isabelle Guillot de Suduiraut
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Olivia Zanoletti
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bernard Schneider
- Bertarelli Platform for Gene Therapy, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Antonio Zorzano
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Simone Astori
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Carmen Sandi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Jing P, Shan Q. Exogenous oxytocin microinjection into the nucleus accumbens shell attenuates social dominance in group-housed male mice. Physiol Behav 2023:114253. [PMID: 37270150 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc), a part of the brain's limbic system, is involved in a variety of brain functions, including reward motivation and social hierarchy. Here, the study investigated the effect of intra-NAc different subregions microinjections of oxytocin on social hierarchy regulation. The hierarchical ranking of group-housed male mice in laboratory settings was determined through the tube test, and a new reliable and robust behavior assay-the mate competition test-was proposed. The mice were randomly divided into two groups, and the bilateral guide cannula was implanted into the shell and core of the NAc, respectively. After social dominance stabilized, changes in social hierarchy were determined through the tube test, warm spot, and mate competition tests. Intra-NAc shell microinjections of oxytocin (0.5 μg/site), but not the core (0.5 μg/site), significantly reduced the social dominance of mice. In addition, oxytocin microinjection into both the shell and core of the NAc significantly increased locomotor ability without affecting anxious behaviors. These findings are tremendously important in understanding the functions of the NAc subregions for social dominance and are more likely to indicate the potential of an oxytocin therapeutic strategy for psychiatric disorders and social impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengbo Jing
- Laboratory for Synaptic Plasticity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, China
| | - Qiang Shan
- Laboratory for Synaptic Plasticity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, China.
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6
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Coccia G, La Greca F, Di Luca M, Scheggia D. Dissecting social decision-making: A spotlight on oxytocinergic transmission. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1061934. [PMID: 36618824 PMCID: PMC9813388 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1061934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Social decision-making requires the ability to balance both the interests of the self and the interests of others to survive in social environments. Empathy is essential to the regulation of this type of interaction, and it often sustains relevant prosocial behaviors such as altruism and helping behavior. In the last decade, our capacity to assess affective and empathy-like behaviors in rodents has expanded our understanding of the neurobiological substrates that underly social decision-making processes such as prosocial behaviors. Within this context, oxytocinergic transmission is profoundly implicated in modulating some of the major components of social decision-making. Thus, this review will present evidence of the association between oxytocin and empathy-like and prosocial behaviors in nonhuman animals. Then, we will dissect the involvement of oxytocinergic transmission-across different brain regions and pathways-in some of the key elements of social decision-making such as emotional discrimination, social recognition, emotional contagion, social dominance, and social memory. Evidence of the modulatory role of oxytocin on social decision-making has raised considerable interest in its clinical relevance, therefore we will also discuss the controversial findings on intranasal oxytocin administration.
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7
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Ku BS, Aberizk K, Addington J, Bearden CE, Cadenhead KS, Cannon TD, Carrión RE, Compton MT, Cornblatt BA, Druss BG, Mathalon DH, Perkins DO, Tsuang MT, Woods SW, Walker EF. The Association Between Neighborhood Poverty and Hippocampal Volume Among Individuals at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis: The Moderating Role of Social Engagement. Schizophr Bull 2022; 48:1032-1042. [PMID: 35689540 PMCID: PMC9434451 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbac055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Reductions in hippocampal volume (HV) have been associated with both prolonged exposure to stress and psychotic illness. This study sought to determine whether higher levels of neighborhood poverty would be associated with reduced HV among individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR-P), and whether social engagement would moderate this association. This cross-sectional study included a sample of participants (N = 174, age-range = 12-33 years, 35.1% female) recruited for the second phase of the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study. Generalized linear mixed models tested the association between neighborhood poverty and bilateral HV, as well as the moderating role of social engagement on this association. Higher levels of neighborhood poverty were associated with reduced left (β = -0.180, P = .016) and right HV (β = -0.185, P = .016). Social engagement significantly moderated the relation between neighborhood poverty and bilateral HV. In participants with lower levels of social engagement (n = 77), neighborhood poverty was associated with reduced left (β = -0.266, P = .006) and right HV (β = -0.316, P = .002). Among participants with higher levels of social engagement (n = 97), neighborhood poverty was not significantly associated with left (β = -0.010, P = .932) or right HV (β = 0.087, P = .473). In this study, social engagement moderated the inverse relation between neighborhood poverty and HV. These findings demonstrate the importance of including broader environmental influences and indices of social engagement when conceptualizing adversity and potential interventions for individuals at CHR-P.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benson S Ku
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GAUSA
| | | | - Jean Addington
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Carrie E Bearden
- Departments of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Psychology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
| | | | - Tyrone D Cannon
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CTUSA
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CTUSA
| | - Ricardo E Carrión
- Division of Psychiatry Research, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Glen Oaks, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Michael T Compton
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Barbara A Cornblatt
- Division of Psychiatry Research, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Glen Oaks, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
| | - Benjamin G Druss
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GAUSA
| | - Daniel H Mathalon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CAUSA
| | - Diana O Perkins
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Ming T Tsuang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Scott W Woods
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CTUSA
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Lee W, Dwortz MF, Milewski TM, Champagne FA, Curley JP. Social status mediated variation in hypothalamic transcriptional profiles of male mice. Horm Behav 2022; 142:105176. [PMID: 35500322 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animals of different social status exhibit variation in aggression, territorial and reproductive behavior as well as activity patterns, feeding, drinking and status signaling. This behavioral and physiological plasticity is coordinated by underlying changes in brain gene transcription. Using Tag-based RNA sequencing (Tag-seq), we explore RNA transcriptomes from the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and ventral hypothalamus (vHYP) of male mice of different social ranks in a dominance hierarchy and detect candidate genes and cellular pathways that underlie status-related plasticity. Within the mPOA, oxytocin (Oxt) and vasopressin (Avp) are more highly expressed in subdominant mice compared to other ranks, while nitric oxide synthase (Nos1) has lower expression in subdominant mice. Within the vHYP, we find that both orexigenic and anorexigenic genes involved in feeding behavior, including agouti-related peptide (Agrp), neuropeptide-Y (Npy), galanin (Gal), proopiomelanocortin (Pomc), and Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein prepropeptide (Cartpt), are less expressed in dominant animals compared to more subordinate ranks. We suggest that this may represent a reshaping of feeding circuits in dominant compared to subdominant and subordinate animals. Furthermore, we determine several genes that are positively and negatively associated with the level of despotism (aggression) in dominant males. Ultimately, we identify hypothalamic genes controlling feeding and social behaviors that are differentially transcribed across animals of varying social status. These changes in brain transcriptomics likely support phenotypic variation that enable animals to adapt to their current social status.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Department of In Vivo Pharmacology Services, The Jackson Laboratory, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - M F Dwortz
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - T M Milewski
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - F A Champagne
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - J P Curley
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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Levine AS, Jewett DC, Kotz CM, Olszewski PK. Behavioral plasticity: Role of neuropeptides in shaping feeding responses. Appetite 2022; 174:106031. [PMID: 35395362 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral plasticity refers to changes occurring due to external influences on an organism, including adaptation, learning, memory and enduring influences from early life experience. There are 2 types of behavioral plasticity: "developmental", which refers to gene/environment interactions affecting a phenotype, and "activational" which refers to innate physiology and can involve structural physiological changes of the body. In this review, we focus on feeding behavior, and studies involving neuropeptides that influence behavioral plasticity - primarily opioids, orexin, neuropeptide Y, and oxytocin. In each section of the review, we include examples of behavioral plasticity as it relates to actions of these neuropeptides. It can be concluded from this review that eating behavior is influenced by a number of external factors, including time of day, type of food available, energy balance state, and stressors. The reviewed work underscores that environmental factors play a critical role in feeding behavior and energy balance, but changes in eating behavior also result from a multitude of non-environmental factors, such that there can be no single mechanism or variable that can explain ingestive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen S Levine
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55113, USA.
| | - David C Jewett
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA
| | - Catherine M Kotz
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, USA; Geriatric, Research, Education and Clinical Center, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health, Minneapolis, MN, 55417, USA
| | - Pawel K Olszewski
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55113, USA; Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55414, USA; Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Waikato, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
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Fulenwider HD, Caruso MA, Ryabinin AE. Manifestations of domination: Assessments of social dominance in rodents. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 21:e12731. [PMID: 33769667 PMCID: PMC8464621 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Social hierarchies are ubiquitous features of virtually all animal groups. The varying social ranks of members within these groups have profound effects on both physical and emotional health, with lower-ranked individuals typically being the most adversely affected by their respective ranks. Thus, reliable measures of social dominance in preclinical rodent models are necessary to better understand the effects of an individual's social rank on other behaviors and physiological processes. In this review, we outline the primary methodologies used to assess social dominance in various rodent species: those that are based on analyses of agonistic behaviors, and those that are based on resource competition. In synthesizing this review, we conclude that assays based on resource competition may be better suited to characterize social dominance in a wider variety of rodent species and strains, and in both males and females. Lastly, albeit expectedly, we demonstrate that similarly to many other areas of preclinical research, studies incorporating female subjects are lacking in comparison to those using males. These findings emphasize the need for an increased number of studies assessing social dominance in females to form a more comprehensive understanding of this behavioral phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah D. Fulenwider
- Department of Behavioral NeuroscienceOregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandORUSA
| | - Maya A. Caruso
- Department of Behavioral NeuroscienceOregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandORUSA
| | - Andrey E. Ryabinin
- Department of Behavioral NeuroscienceOregon Health & Science UniversityPortlandORUSA
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Pandey A, Bloch G. Krüppel-homologue 1 Mediates Hormonally Regulated Dominance Rank in a Social Bee. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10111188. [PMID: 34827180 PMCID: PMC8614866 DOI: 10.3390/biology10111188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Dominance hierarchies are ubiquitous in invertebrates and vertebrates, but little is known on how genes influence dominance rank. Our gaps in knowledge are specifically significant concerning female hierarchies, particularly in insects. To start filling these gaps, we studied the social bumble bee Bombus terrestris, in which social hierarchies among females are common and functionally significant. Dominance rank in this bee is influenced by multiple factors, including juvenile hormone (JH) that is a major gonadotropin in this species. We tested the hypothesis that the JH responsive transcription factor Krüppel homologue 1 (Kr-h1) mediates hormonal influences on dominance behavior. We first developed and validated a perfluorocarbon nanoparticles-based RNA interference protocol for knocking down Kr-h1 expression. We then used this procedure to show that Kr-h1 mediates the influence of JH, not only on oogenesis and wax production, but also on aggression and dominance rank. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study causally linking a gene to dominance rank in social insects, and one of only a few such studies on insects or on female hierarchies. These findings are important for determining whether there are general molecular principles governing dominance rank across gender and taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atul Pandey
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Correspondence: (A.P.); (G.B.)
| | - Guy Bloch
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
- Correspondence: (A.P.); (G.B.)
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12
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Rijnders RJP, Dykstra AH, Terburg D, Kempes MM, van Honk J. Sniffing submissiveness? Oxytocin administration in severe psychopathy. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 131:105330. [PMID: 34182248 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Psychopathy is a personality disorder associated with criminal behavior and violent recidivism, and therefore a burden to society. Social dominance is one of the characteristics of psychopathy that might contribute to these problems. Nevertheless, only few studies have objectively measured the relationship between socially dominant behavior and psychopathy. Therefore, the current study assessed performance of 21 forensic PCL-R confirmed psychopathic patients and 24 normal controls on a gaze aversion task, in which slower gaze aversion from masked angry faces compared to masked happy faces is a measure of reactive dominance. Moreover, the current study assessed the potential beneficial effects of the neuropeptide oxytocin. The results showed that psychopaths were not more dominant on the gaze aversion task compared to normal controls. However, the severity of psychopathy was positively correlated with reactive dominance. Crucially, a single nasal spray administration of oxytocin abolished the connection between psychopathy and reactive dominance. This implies that socially dominant psychopaths might benefit from oxytocin administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald J P Rijnders
- Netherlands Institute of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, Forensic Observation Clinic "Pieter Baan Centrum", Carl Barksweg 3, 1336 ZL Almere, the Netherlands; Utrecht University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 CS Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Anouk H Dykstra
- Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Postbox: 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - David Terburg
- Utrecht University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 CS Utrecht, the Netherlands; University of Cape Town, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, 7925 Cape Town, South Africa.
| | - Maaike M Kempes
- Leiden University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Child and Education Studies, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, the Netherlands; Netherlands Institute of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology, Department of Science and Education, Herman Gorterstraat 5, 3511 EW Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Jack van Honk
- Utrecht University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Heidelberglaan 8, 3584 CS Utrecht, the Netherlands; University of Cape Town, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, J-Block, Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, 7925 Cape Town, South Africa; University of Cape Town, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Anzio Rd, Observatory, 7925 Cape Town, South Africa.
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13
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Costa DF, Moita MA, Márquez C. Novel competition test for food rewards reveals stable dominance status in adult male rats. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14599. [PMID: 34272430 PMCID: PMC8285491 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93818-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Social hierarchy is a potent modulator of behavior, that is typically established through overt agonistic interactions between individuals in the group. Once established, social ranks are maintained through subtler interactions allowing the redirection of energy away from agonistic interactions towards other needs. The available tasks for assessing social rank in rats allow the study of the mechanisms by which social hierarches are formed in early phases but fail to assess the maintenance of established hierarchies between stable pairs of animals, which might rely on distinct neurobiological mechanisms. Here we present and validate a novel trial-based dominancy assay, the modified Food Competition test, where established social hierarchies can be identified in the home cage of non-food deprived pairs of male rats. In this task, we introduce a small conflict in the home cage, where access to a new feeder containing palatable pellets can only be gained by one animal at a time. We found that this subtle conflict triggered asymmetric social interactions and resulted in higher consumption of food by one of the animals in the pair, which reliably predicted hierarchy in other tests. Our findings reveal stable dominance status in pair-housed rats and provide a novel tool for the evaluation of established social hierarchies, the modified Food Competition test, that is robust and easy to implement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana F Costa
- Neural Circuits of Social Behavior Laboratory, Instituto de Neurociencias (CSIC-UMH), Avenida Ramon y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant, 03550, Alicante, Spain
| | - Marta A Moita
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Av. Brasilia, 1400-038, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Cristina Márquez
- Neural Circuits of Social Behavior Laboratory, Instituto de Neurociencias (CSIC-UMH), Avenida Ramon y Cajal s/n, Sant Joan d'Alacant, 03550, Alicante, Spain.
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14
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Grieb ZA, Ross AP, McCann KE, Lee S, Welch M, Gomez MG, Norvelle A, Michopoulos V, Huhman KL, Albers HE. Sex-dependent effects of social status on the regulation of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) V1a, oxytocin (OT), and serotonin (5-HT) 1A receptor binding and aggression in Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Horm Behav 2021; 127:104878. [PMID: 33148500 PMCID: PMC8889570 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Dominance status in hamsters is driven by interactions between arginine-vasopressin V1a, oxytocin (OT), and serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptors. Activation of V1a and OT receptors in the anterior hypothalamus (AH) increases aggression in males, while decreasing aggression in females. In contrast, activation of 5-HT1A receptors in the AH decreases aggression in males and increases aggression in females. The mechanism underlying these differences is not known. The purpose of this study was to determine if dominance status and sex interact to regulate V1a, OT, and 5-HT1A receptor binding. Same-sex hamsters (N = 47) were paired 12 times across six days in five min sessions. Brains from paired and unpaired (non-social control) hamsters were collected immediately after the last interaction and processed for receptor binding using autoradiography. Differences in V1a, OT, and 5-HT1A receptor binding densities were observed in several brain regions as a function of social status and sex. For example, in the AH, there was an interaction between sex and social status, such that V1a binding in subordinate males was lower than in subordinate females and V1a receptor density in dominant males was higher than in dominant females. There was also an interaction in 5-HT1A receptor binding, such that social pairing increased 5-HT1A binding in the AH of males but decreased 5-HT1A binding in females compared with unpaired controls. These results indicate that dominance status and sex play important roles in shaping the binding profiles of key receptor subtypes across the neural circuitry that regulates social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z A Grieb
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America.
| | - A P Ross
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - K E McCann
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - S Lee
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - M Welch
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - M G Gomez
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - A Norvelle
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - V Michopoulos
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - K L Huhman
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
| | - H E Albers
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, United State of America
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15
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Stress in groups: Lessons from non-traditional rodent species and housing models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 113:354-372. [PMID: 32278793 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A major feature of life in groups is that individuals experience social stressors of varying intensity and type. Social stress can have profound effects on health, social behavior, and ongoing relationships. Relationships can also buffer the experience of exogenous stressors. Social stress has most commonly been investigated in dyadic contexts in mice and rats that produce intense stress. Here we review findings from studies of diverse rodents and non-traditional group housing paradigms, focusing on laboratory studies of mice and rats housed in visible burrow systems, prairie and meadow voles, and mole-rats. We argue that the use of methods informed by the natural ecology of rodent species provides novel insights into the relationship between social stress, behavior and physiology. In particular, we describe how this ethologically inspired approach reveals how individuals vary in their experience of and response to social stress, and how ecological and social contexts impact the effects of stress. Social stress induces adaptive changes, as well as long-term disruptive effects on behavior and physiology.
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16
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Komori T, Makinodan M, Kishimoto T. Social status and modern-type depression: A review. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01464. [PMID: 31743626 PMCID: PMC6908884 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2019] [Revised: 10/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS Social hierarchy is one of the most influential social structures employed by social species. While dominants in such hierarchies can preferentially access rich resources, subordinates are forced into lower social statuses and lifestyles with inferior resources. Previous studies have indicated that the social rank regulates social behaviors and emotion in a variety of species, whereby individual organisms live within the framework of their ranks. However, in human societies, people, particularly young men, who cannot accept their own social status may show social withdrawal behaviors such as hikikomori to avoid confronting their circumstances. METHODS This article reviews the neural mechanisms underlying social status identified in animal studies with rodents and primates, and assesses how social rank affects animal's social behaviors and emotion which may be relevant to modern type depression. RESULTS Several brain regions such as medial prefrontal cortex are implicated in the formation of animal's social status, which leads to the differences in vulnerability and resilience to social stress. CONCLUSION On the basis of these findings, we propose that physical interventions such as voluntary exercise, diet, transcranial direct current stimulation, and psychotherapy, rather than psychotropic drugs, may be useful therapeutic approaches for modern type depression, which is a typical example of social status conflict and a phenotype of adjustment disorder to the traditional hierarchical social order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Komori
- Department of Psychiatry, Nara Medical University School of Medicine, Kashihara, Japan
| | - Manabu Makinodan
- Department of Psychiatry, Nara Medical University School of Medicine, Kashihara, Japan
| | - Toshifumi Kishimoto
- Department of Psychiatry, Nara Medical University School of Medicine, Kashihara, Japan
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17
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Lee W, Hiura LC, Yang E, Broekman KA, Ophir AG, Curley JP. Social status in mouse social hierarchies is associated with variation in oxytocin and vasopressin 1a receptor densities. Horm Behav 2019; 114:104551. [PMID: 31279703 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin and their receptors have established roles in the regulation of mammalian social behavior including parental care, sex, affiliation and pair-bonding, but less is known regarding their relationship to social dominance and subordination within social hierarchies. We have previously demonstrated that male mice can form stable linear dominance hierarchies with individuals occupying one of three classes of social status: alpha, subdominant, subordinate. Alpha males exhibit high levels of aggression and rarely receive aggression. Subdominant males exhibit aggression towards subordinate males but also receive aggression from more dominant individuals. Subordinate males rarely exhibit aggression and receive aggression from more dominant males. Here, we examined whether variation in social status was associated with levels of oxytocin (OTR) and vasopressin 1a (V1aR) receptor binding in socially relevant brain regions. We found that socially dominant males had significantly higher OTR binding in the nucleus accumbens core than subordinate animals. Alpha males also had higher OTR binding in the anterior olfactory nucleus, posterior part of the cortical amygdala and rostral lateral septum compared to more subordinate individuals. Conversely, alpha males had lower V1aR binding in the rostral lateral septum and lateral preoptic area compared to subordinates. These observed relationships have two potential explanations. Preexisting individual differences in the patterns of OTR and V1aR binding may underlie behavioral differences that promote or inhibit the acquisition of social status. More likely, the differential social environments experienced by dominant and subordinate animals may shift receptor expression, potentially facilitating the expression of adaptive social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won Lee
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lisa C Hiura
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Eilene Yang
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katherine A Broekman
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; SUNY Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | | | - James P Curley
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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18
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Lozano-Montes L, Astori S, Abad S, Guillot de Suduiraut I, Sandi C, Zalachoras I. Latency to Reward Predicts Social Dominance in Rats: A Causal Role for the Dopaminergic Mesolimbic System. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:69. [PMID: 31024272 PMCID: PMC6460316 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Reward signals encoded in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system guide approach/seeking behaviors to all varieties of life-supporting stimuli (rewards). Differences in dopamine (DA) levels have been found between dominant and submissive animals. However, it is still unclear whether these differences arise as a consequence of the rewarding nature of the acquisition of a dominant rank, or whether they preexist and favor dominance by promoting reward-seeking behavior. Given that acquisition of a social rank determines animals' priority access to resources, we hypothesized that differences in reward-seeking behavior might affect hierarchy establishment and that modulation of the dopaminergic system could affect the outcome of a social competition. We characterized reward-seeking behaviors based on rats' latency to get a palatable-reward when given temporary access to it. Subsequently, rats exhibiting short (SL) and long (LL) latency to get the rewards cohabitated for more than 2 weeks, in order to establish a stable hierarchy. We found that SL animals exhibited dominant behavior consistently in social competition tests [for palatable-rewards and two water competition tests (WCTs)] after hierarchy was established, indicating that individual latency to rewards predicted dominance. Moreover, because SL animals showed higher mesolimbic levels of DA than LL rats, we tested whether stimulation of mesolimbic DA neurons could affect the outcome of a social competition. Indeed, a combination of optical stimulation of mesolimbic DA neurons during individual training and during a social competition test for palatable rewards resulted in improved performance on this test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lozano-Montes
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Simone Astori
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sonia Abad
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Isabelle Guillot de Suduiraut
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Sandi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ioannis Zalachoras
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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19
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Ghosal S, Sandi C, van der Kooij MA. Neuropharmacology of the mesolimbic system and associated circuits on social hierarchies. Neuropharmacology 2019; 159:107498. [PMID: 30660627 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Most socially living species are organized hierarchically, primarily based on individual differences in social dominance. Dominant individuals typically gain privileged access to important resources, such as food, mating partners and territories, whereas submissive conspecifics are often devoid of such benefits. The benefits associated with a high social status provide a strong incentive to become dominant. Importantly, motivational- and reward-related processes are regulated, to a large extent, by the mesolimbic system. Consequently, several studies point to a key role for the mesolimbic system in social hierarchy formation. This review summarizes the growing body of literature that implicates the mesolimbic system, and associated neural circuits, on social hierarchies. In particular, we discuss the neurochemical and pharmacological studies that have highlighted the contributions of the mesolimbic system and associated circuits including dopamine signaling through the D1 or D2 receptors, GABAergic neurotransmission, the androgen receptor system, and mitochondria and bioenergetics. Given that low social status has been linked to the emergence of anxiety- and depressive-like disorders, a greater understanding of the neurochemistry underlying social dominance could be of tremendous benefit for the development of pharmacological treatments to dysfunctions in social behaviors. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'The neuropharmacology of social behavior: from bench to bedside'.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ghosal
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 19, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - C Sandi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 19, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - M A van der Kooij
- Translational Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Focus Program Translational Neurosciences, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany; German Resilience Center, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
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20
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Lee NS, Beery AK. Neural Circuits Underlying Rodent Sociality: A Comparative Approach. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2019; 43:211-238. [PMID: 30710222 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
All mammals begin life in social groups, but for some species, social relationships persist and develop throughout the course of an individual's life. Research in multiple rodent species provides evidence of relatively conserved circuitry underlying social behaviors and processes such as social recognition and memory, social reward, and social approach/avoidance. Species exhibiting different complex social behaviors and social systems (such as social monogamy or familiarity preferences) can be characterized in part by when and how they display specific social behaviors. Prairie and meadow voles are closely related species that exhibit similarly selective peer preferences but different mating systems, aiding direct comparison of the mechanisms underlying affiliative behavior. This chapter draws on research in voles as well as other rodents to explore the mechanisms involved in individual social behavior processes, as well as specific complex social patterns. Contrasts between vole species exemplify how the laboratory study of diverse species improves our understanding of the mechanisms underlying social behavior. We identify several additional rodent species whose interesting social structures and available ecological and behavioral field data make them good candidates for study. New techniques and integration across laboratory and field settings will provide exciting opportunities for future mechanistic work in non-model species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole S Lee
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
| | - Annaliese K Beery
- Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA. .,Department of Psychology, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA. .,Neuroscience Program, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA.
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21
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Park MJ, Seo BA, Lee B, Shin HS, Kang MG. Stress-induced changes in social dominance are scaled by AMPA-type glutamate receptor phosphorylation in the medial prefrontal cortex. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15008. [PMID: 30301947 PMCID: PMC6177388 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33410-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The establishment and maintenance of social dominance are critical for social stability and the survival and health of individual animals. Stress lead to depression and a decrease in the social status of depressed persons is a risk factor for suicide. Therefore, we explored the mechanistic and behavioral links among stress, depression, and social dominance and found that mice subjected to chronic restraint stress (CRS), an animal model of stress-induced depression, showed decreased social dominance as measured by a dominance tube test. Importantly, this submissive behavior was occluded by the antidepressant, fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It is known that social dominance is controlled by synaptic efficacy in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and that AMPA-type glutamate receptor (AMPA-R) is a key molecule for synaptic efficacy. We found that the phosphorylation on AMPA-R was bidirectionally changed by CRS and fluoxetine in the mPFC of mice with CRS. Moreover, we found a strong correlation between social dominance and AMPA-R phosphorylation that regulates synaptic efficacy by modulating the synaptic targeting of AMPA-R. Our correlational analysis of the behavior and biochemistry of the CRS model suggests that AMPA-R phosphorylation in the mPFC may serve as a biomarker of social dominance related to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Jung Park
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Bo Am Seo
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Boyoung Lee
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Sup Shin
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Myoung-Goo Kang
- Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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22
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Morozov A, Ito W. Social modulation of fear: Facilitation vs buffering. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 18:e12491. [PMID: 29896766 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Social behaviors largely constitute mutual exchanges of social cues and the responses to them. The adaptive response also requires proper interpretation of the current context. In fear behaviors, social signals have bidirectional effects-some cues elicit or enhance fear whereas other suppress or buffer it. Studies on the social facilitation and social buffering of fear provide evidence of competition between social cues of opposing meanings. Co-expression of opposing cues by the same animal may explain the contradicting outcomes from the interaction between naive and frightened conspecifics, which reflect the fine balance between fear facilitation and buffering. The neuronal mechanisms that determine that balance provide an exciting target for future studies to probe the brain circuits underlying social modulation of emotional behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei Morozov
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke, Virginia.,School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia
| | - Wataru Ito
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke, Virginia
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23
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Williamson CM, Klein IS, Lee W, Curley JP. Immediate early gene activation throughout the brain is associated with dynamic changes in social context. Soc Neurosci 2018; 14:253-265. [PMID: 29781376 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2018.1479303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Social competence is dependent on successful processing of social context information. The social opportunity paradigm is a methodology in which dynamic shifts in social context are induced through removal of the alpha male in a dominance hierarchy, leading to rapid ascent in the hierarchy of the beta male and of other subordinate males in the social group. In the current study, we use the social opportunity paradigm to determine what brain regions respond to this dynamic change in social context, allowing an individual to recognize the absence of the alpha male and subsequently perform status-appropriate social behaviors. Replicating our previous work, we show that following removal of the alpha male, beta males rapidly ascend the social hierarchy and attain dominant status by increasing aggression towards more subordinate individuals. Analysis of patterns of Fos immunoreactivity throughout the brain indicates that in individuals undergoing social ascent, there is increased activity in regions of the social behavior network, as well as the infralimbic and prelimbic regions of the prefrontal cortex and areas of the hippocampus. Our findings demonstrate that male mice are able to respond to changes in social context and provide insight into the how the brain processes these complex behavioral changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cait M Williamson
- a Department of Psychology , Columbia University , New York , NY , USA
| | - Inbal S Klein
- a Department of Psychology , Columbia University , New York , NY , USA
| | - Won Lee
- a Department of Psychology , Columbia University , New York , NY , USA
| | - James P Curley
- a Department of Psychology , Columbia University , New York , NY , USA.,b Department of Psychology , UT Austin , Austin , TX , USA
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Increased brain glucocorticoid actions following social defeat in rats facilitates the long-term establishment of social subordination. Physiol Behav 2018; 186:31-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Revised: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Zhou T, Sandi C, Hu H. Advances in understanding neural mechanisms of social dominance. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 49:99-107. [PMID: 29428628 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2017] [Revised: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Dominance hierarchy profoundly impacts social animals' survival, physical and mental health and reproductive success. As the measurements of dominance hierarchy in rodents become established, it is now possible to understand the neural mechanism mediating the intrinsic and extrinsic factors determining social hierarchy. This review summarizes the latest advances in assay development for measuring dominance hierarchy in laboratory mice. It also reviews our current understandings on how activity and plasticity of specific neural circuits shape the dominance trait and mediate the 'winner effect'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Zhou
- Center for Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, School of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China; Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310013, PR China; Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, PR China
| | - Carmen Sandi
- Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Hailan Hu
- Center for Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, School of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China; Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310013, PR China.
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Du P, He Z, Cai Z, Hao X, Dong N, Yuan W, Hou W, Yang J, Jia R, Tai F. Chronic central oxytocin infusion impairs sociability in mandarin voles. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2017; 161:38-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2017.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Revised: 09/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Kalman E, Keay KA. Hippocampal volume, social interactions, and the expression of the normal repertoire of resident-intruder behavior. Brain Behav 2017; 7:e00775. [PMID: 28948073 PMCID: PMC5607542 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Reduced hippocampal volumes are reported in individuals with disrupted emotional coping behaviors in both human clinical conditions and in experimental animal models of these populations. In a number of experimental animal models, it has been shown that social interactions can promote resilience and buffer the negative neural consequences of stimuli that disrupt effective coping. METHODS Hippocampal and dentate gyrus volumes were calculated in 54 male Sprague Dawley rats; (1) single housed (n = 12), (2) single housed and exposed to daily 6-min social interactions testing in a resident-intruder paradigm (n = 11); (3) group housed (n = 12); (4) single housed and sham injured (n = 12); (5) single housed, sham injured, and social interactions tested (n = 7). RESULTS We present data which shows that even a brief daily exposure to a conspecific in resident-intruder social interactions test is sufficient to prevent the reduction in hippocampal volume triggered by single housing. CONCLUSION When considered with previously published data, these findings suggest that the expression of the full repertoire of social, nonsocial, dominance, and submissive behaviors in response to the physical presence of an intruder in the home cage plays a significant role in this maintenance of hippocampal volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eszter Kalman
- School of Medical Sciences (Anatomy & Histology) The University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Kevin A Keay
- School of Medical Sciences (Anatomy & Histology) The University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
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Opendak M, Gould E, Sullivan R. Early life adversity during the infant sensitive period for attachment: Programming of behavioral neurobiology of threat processing and social behavior. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 25:145-159. [PMID: 28254197 PMCID: PMC5478471 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2016] [Revised: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/04/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals, including humans, require a highly coordinated and flexible system of social behavior and threat evaluation. However, trauma can disrupt this system, with the amygdala implicated as a mediator of these impairments in behavior. Recent evidence has further highlighted the context of infant trauma as a critical variable in determining its immediate and enduring consequences, with trauma experienced from an attachment figure, such as occurs in cases of caregiver-child maltreatment, as particularly detrimental. This review focuses on the unique role of caregiver presence during early-life trauma in programming deficits in social behavior and threat processing. Using data primarily from rodent models, we describe the interaction between trauma and attachment during a sensitive period in early life, which highlights the role of the caregiver's presence in engagement of attachment brain circuitry and suppressing threat processing by the amygdala. These data suggest that trauma experienced directly from an abusive caregiver and trauma experienced in the presence of caregiver cues produce similar neurobehavioral deficits, which are unique from those resulting from trauma alone. We go on to integrate this information into social experience throughout the lifespan, including consequences for complex scenarios, such as dominance hierarchy formation and maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Opendak
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Gould
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Regina Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
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29
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Jones CE, Monfils MH. Dominance status predicts social fear transmission in laboratory rats. Anim Cogn 2016; 19:1051-1069. [PMID: 27411940 PMCID: PMC5054054 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-016-1013-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Acquiring information about stimuli that predict danger, through either direct experience or inference from a social context, is crucial for individuals’ ability to generate appropriate behaviors in response to threats. Utilizing a modified demonstrator–observer paradigm (fear conditioning by proxy) that allows for free interaction between subjects, we show that social dominance hierarchy, and the interactive social behaviors of caged rats, is predictive of social fear transmission, with subordinate rats displaying increased fear responses after interacting with a fear-conditioned dominant rat during fear retrieval. Fear conditioning by proxy conserves some of the pathways necessary for direct fear learning (e.g., lateral amygdala) but is unique in that it requires regions necessary for emotional regulation (e.g., anterior cingulate cortex), making this paradigm an important tool for evaluating learning and behavior in the laboratory setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn E Jones
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Stop A8000, Austin, TX, 78712-1043, USA.
| | - Marie-H Monfils
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Stop A8000, Austin, TX, 78712-1043, USA
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Steinman MQ, Trainor BC. Sex differences in the effects of social defeat on brain and behavior in the California mouse: Insights from a monogamous rodent. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2016; 61:92-98. [PMID: 27375045 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder, yet the use of female animal models in studying the biological basis of depression lags behind that of males. The social defeat model uses social stress to generate depression-like symptoms in order to study the neurobiological mechanisms. In general, social defeat is difficult to apply in female rodents. However, male and female California mice (Peromyscus californicus) are territorial. This allows defeat to be studied in both sexes. Males exposed to defeat tend to exhibit proactive coping mechanisms and demonstrate aggression and reduced cognitive flexibility. Females exposed to defeat engage more in reactive coping mechanisms which is highlighted by social avoidance and low aggression. Importantly, effects of defeat on social interaction behavior in females is independent of adult gonadal steroids. These behavioral phenotypes are associated with sex-specific changes in arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT), closely related peptides that regulate social behavior and stress reactivity. In brain regions associated with stress responses and social behavior, defeat induced long term decreases in AVP activity and increases in OT activity in males and females respectively. Intranasal OT administration was shown to mimic the effects of defeat-induced increases in endogenous OT activity, causing social withdrawal in undefeated females. This suggests that inhibition of OT activity could reduce the impact of stress on behavior in females. These results highlight the value of maintaining diverse rodent models in the search for sex-specific pharmacological approaches to treating mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Q Steinman
- Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, U.S.A
| | - Brian C Trainor
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A..
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Olszewski PK, Klockars A, Levine AS. Oxytocin: A Conditional Anorexigen whose Effects on Appetite Depend on the Physiological, Behavioural and Social Contexts. J Neuroendocrinol 2016; 28. [PMID: 26918919 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Revised: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 02/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Central oxytocin suppresses appetite. Neuronal activity and the release of oxytocin coincide with satiation, as well as with adverse events (e.g. hyperosmolality, toxicity or excessive stomach distension) that necessitate an immediate termination of eating behaviour. Oxytocin also decreases consumption driven by reward, especially as derived from ingesting carbohydrates and sweet tastants. This review summarises current knowledge of the role of oxytocin in food intake regulation and highlights a growing body of evidence showing that oxytocin is a conditional anorexigen [i.e. its effects on appetite differ significantly with respect to certain (patho)physiological, behavioural and social contexts].
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Affiliation(s)
- P K Olszewski
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - A Klockars
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - A S Levine
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA
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Hathaway GA, Faykoo-Martinez M, Peragine DE, Mooney SJ, Holmes MM. Subcaste differences in neural activation suggest a prosocial role for oxytocin in eusocial naked mole-rats. Horm Behav 2016; 79:1-7. [PMID: 26718226 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2015] [Revised: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 12/19/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) influences prosocial behavior(s), aggression, and stress responsiveness, and these diverse effects are regulated in a species- and context-specific manner. The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a unique species with which to study context-dependent effects of OT, exhibiting a strict social hierarchy with behavioral specialization within the subordinate caste: soldiers are aggressive and defend colonies against unfamiliar conspecifics while workers are prosocial and contribute to in-colony behaviors such as pup care. To determine if OT is involved in subcaste-specific behaviors, we compared behavioral responses between workers and soldiers of both sexes during a modified resident/intruder paradigm, and quantified activation of OT neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) using the immediate-early-gene marker c-fos co-localized with OT neurons. Resident workers and soldiers were age-matched with unfamiliar worker stimulus animals as intruders, and encounters were videorecorded and scored for aggressive behaviors. Colony-matched controls were left in their home colony for the duration of the encounters. Brains were extracted and cell counts were conducted for OT immunoreactive (ir), c-fos-ir, and percentage of OT-c-fos double-labeled cells. Results indicate that resident workers were less aggressive but showed greater OT neural activity than soldiers. Furthermore, a linear model including social treatment, cortisol, and subcaste revealed that subcaste was the only significant predictor of OT-c-fos double-labeled cells in the PVN. These data suggest that in naked mole-rats OT promotes prosocial behaviors rather than aggression and that even within subordinates status exerts robust effects on brain and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia A Hathaway
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Mariela Faykoo-Martinez
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Deane E Peragine
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Skyler J Mooney
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Melissa M Holmes
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada; Departments of Cell & Systems Biology and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada.
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Neuroligin-2 Expression in the Prefrontal Cortex is Involved in Attention Deficits Induced by Peripubertal Stress. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:751-61. [PMID: 26152839 PMCID: PMC4707821 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Revised: 06/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Emerging evidence indicates that attention deficits, which are frequently observed as core symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders, may be elicited by early life stress. However, the mechanisms mediating these stress effects remain unknown. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been implicated in the regulation of attention, including dysfunctions in GABAergic transmission, and it is highly sensitive to stress. Here, we investigated the involvement of neuroligin-2 (NLGN-2), a synaptic cell adhesion molecule involved in the stabilization and maturation of GABAergic synapses, in the PFC in the link between stress and attention deficits. First, we established that exposure of rats to stress during the peripubertal period impairs attention in the five-choice serial reaction time task and results in reductions in the GABA-synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase in different PFC subregions (ie, prelimbic (PL), infralimbic, and medial and ventral orbitofrontal (OFC) cortex) and in NLGN-2 in the PL cortex. In peripubertally stressed animals, NLGN-2 expression in the PL and OFC cortex correlated with attention measurements. Subsequently, we found that adeno-associated virus-induced rescue of NLGN-2 in the PFC reverses the stress-induced attention deficits regarding omitted trials. Therefore, our findings highlight peripuberty as a period that is highly vulnerable to stress, leading to the development of attention deficits and a dysfunction in the PFC GABAergic system and NLGN-2 expression. Furthermore, NLGN-2 is underscored as a promising target to treat stress-induced cognitive alterations, and in particular attentional deficits as manifested by augmented omissions in a continuous performance task.
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Caldwell HK, Albers HE. Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and the Motivational Forces that Drive Social Behaviors. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2016; 27:51-103. [PMID: 26472550 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2015_390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The motivation to engage in social behaviors is influenced by past experience and internal state, but also depends on the behavior of other animals. Across species, the oxytocin (Oxt) and vasopressin (Avp) systems have consistently been linked to the modulation of motivated social behaviors. However, how they interact with other systems, such as the mesolimbic dopamine system, remains understudied. Further, while the neurobiological mechanisms that regulate prosocial/cooperative behaviors have been extensively examined, far less is understood about competitive behaviors, particularly in females. In this chapter, we highlight the specific contributions of Oxt and Avp to several cooperative and competitive behaviors and discuss their relevance to the concept of social motivation across species, including humans. Further, we discuss the implications for neuropsychiatric diseases and suggest future areas of investigation.
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36
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van Honk J, Bos PA, Terburg D, Heany S, Stein DJ. Neuroendocrine models of social anxiety disorder. DIALOGUES IN CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE 2015. [PMID: 26487809 PMCID: PMC4610613 DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2015.17.3/jhonk] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent and disabling disorder with key behavioral traits of social fearfulness, social avoidance, and submissiveness. Here we argue that hormonal systems play a key role in mediating social anxiety, and so may be important in SAD. Hormonal alterations, often established early in development through the interaction between biological and psychological factors (eg, genetic predisposition x early trauma), predispose to socially fearful, avoidant, and submissive behavior. However, whereas gene variants and histories of trauma persist, hormonal systems can be remodeled over the course of life. Hormones play a key role during the periods of all sensitive developmental windows (ie, prenatal, neonatal, puberty, aging), and are capable of opening up new developmental windows in adulthood. Indeed, the developmental plasticity of our social brain, and thus of social behavior in adulthood, critically depends on steroid hormones such as testosterone and peptide hormones such as oxytocin. These steroid and peptide hormones in interaction with social experiences may have potential for reprogramming the socially anxious brain. Certainly, single administrations of oxytocin and testosterone in humans reduce socially fearful, avoidant, and submissive behavior. Such work may ultimately lead to new approaches to the treatment of SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack van Honk
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands; Institute of Infectious Diseases, and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Peter A Bos
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - David Terburg
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - Sarah Heany
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Dan J Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa; MRC Unit on Anxiety & Stress Disorders, Cape Town, South Africa
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37
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So N, Franks B, Lim S, Curley JP. A Social Network Approach Reveals Associations between Mouse Social Dominance and Brain Gene Expression. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0134509. [PMID: 26226265 PMCID: PMC4520683 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Modelling complex social behavior in the laboratory is challenging and requires analyses of dyadic interactions occurring over time in a physically and socially complex environment. In the current study, we approached the analyses of complex social interactions in group-housed male CD1 mice living in a large vivarium. Intensive observations of social interactions during a 3-week period indicated that male mice form a highly linear and steep dominance hierarchy that is maintained by fighting and chasing behaviors. Individual animals were classified as dominant, sub-dominant or subordinate according to their David’s Scores and I& SI ranking. Using a novel dynamic temporal Glicko rating method, we ascertained that the dominance hierarchy was stable across time. Using social network analyses, we characterized the behavior of individuals within 66 unique relationships in the social group. We identified two individual network metrics, Kleinberg’s Hub Centrality and Bonacich’s Power Centrality, as accurate predictors of individual dominance and power. Comparing across behaviors, we establish that agonistic, grooming and sniffing social networks possess their own distinctive characteristics in terms of density, average path length, reciprocity out-degree centralization and out-closeness centralization. Though grooming ties between individuals were largely independent of other social networks, sniffing relationships were highly predictive of the directionality of agonistic relationships. Individual variation in dominance status was associated with brain gene expression, with more dominant individuals having higher levels of corticotropin releasing factor mRNA in the medial and central nuclei of the amygdala and the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus, as well as higher levels of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA. This study demonstrates the potential and significance of combining complex social housing and intensive behavioral characterization of group-living animals with the utilization of novel statistical methods to further our understanding of the neurobiological basis of social behavior at the individual, relationship and group levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina So
- Psychology Department, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States of America
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY 10025, United States of America
| | - Becca Franks
- Psychology Department, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States of America
- UBC Animal Welfare Program, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Sean Lim
- Psychology Department, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States of America
| | - James P. Curley
- Psychology Department, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Mouse model of OPRM1 (A118G) polymorphism increases sociability and dominance and confers resilience to social defeat. J Neurosci 2015; 35:3582-90. [PMID: 25716856 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4685-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the human μ-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1 A118G) has been widely studied for its association in drug addiction, pain sensitivity, and, more recently, social behavior. The endogenous opioid system has been shown to regulate social distress and reward in a variety of animal models. However, mechanisms underlying the associations between the OPRM1 A118G SNP and these behaviors have not been clarified. We used a mouse model possessing the human equivalent nucleotide/amino acid substitution to study social affiliation and social defeat behaviors. In mice with the Oprm1 A112G SNP, we demonstrate that the G allele is associated with an increase in home-cage dominance and increased motivation for nonaggressive social interactions, similar to what is reported in human populations. When challenged by a resident aggressor, G-allele carriers expressed less submissive behavior and exhibited resilience to social defeat, demonstrated by a lack of subsequent social avoidance and reductions in anhedonia as measured by intracranial self-stimulation. Protection from social defeat in G-allele carriers was associated with a greater induction of c-fos in a resilience circuit comprising the nucleus accumbens and periaqueductal gray. These findings led us to test the role of endogenous opioids in the A112G mice. We demonstrate that the increase in social affiliation in G carriers is blocked by pretreatment with naloxone. Together, these data suggest a mechanism involving altered hedonic state and neural activation as well as altered endogenous opioid tone in the differential response to aversive and rewarding social stimuli in G-allele carriers.
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39
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Sandi C, Haller J. Stress and the social brain: behavioural effects and neurobiological mechanisms. Nat Rev Neurosci 2015; 16:290-304. [PMID: 25891510 DOI: 10.1038/nrn3918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 374] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Stress often affects our social lives. When undergoing high-level or persistent stress, individuals frequently retract from social interactions and become irritable and hostile. Predisposition to antisocial behaviours - including social detachment and violence - is also modulated by early life adversity; however, the effects of early life stress depend on the timing of exposure and genetic factors. Research in animals and humans has revealed some of the structural, functional and molecular changes in the brain that underlie the effects of stress on social behaviour. Findings in this emerging field will have implications both for the clinic and for society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Sandi
- Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne CH-1050, Switzerland
| | - József Haller
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest H-1450, Hungary
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40
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Watanabe N, Yamamoto M. Neural mechanisms of social dominance. Front Neurosci 2015; 9:154. [PMID: 26136644 PMCID: PMC4469834 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In a group setting, individuals' perceptions of their own level of dominance or of the dominance level of others, and the ability to adequately control their behavior based on these perceptions are crucial for living within a social environment. Recent advances in neural imaging and molecular technology have enabled researchers to investigate the neural substrates that support the perception of social dominance and the formation of a social hierarchy in humans. At the systems' level, recent studies showed that dominance perception is represented in broad brain regions which include the amygdala, hippocampus, striatum, and various cortical networks such as the prefrontal, and parietal cortices. Additionally, neurotransmitter systems such as the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, modulate and are modulated by the formation of the social hierarchy in a group. While these monoamine systems have a wide distribution and multiple functions, it was recently found that the Neuropeptide B/W contributes to the perception of dominance and is present in neurons that have a limited projection primarily to the amygdala. The present review discusses the specific roles of these neural regions and neurotransmitter systems in the perception of dominance and in hierarchy formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriya Watanabe
- Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of ScienceTokyo, Japan
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya UniversityNagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications TechnologySuita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Miyuki Yamamoto
- Faculty of Human Sciences, University of TsukubaTsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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Benner S, Endo T, Kakeyama M, Tohyama C. Environmental insults in early life and submissiveness later in life in mouse models. Front Neurosci 2015; 9:91. [PMID: 25873851 PMCID: PMC4379894 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Dominant and subordinate dispositions are not only determined genetically but also nurtured by environmental stimuli during neuroendocrine development. However, the relationship between early life environment and dominance behavior remains elusive. Using the IntelliCage-based competition task for group-housed mice, we have previously described two cases in which environmental insults during the developmental period altered the outcome of dominance behavior later in life. First, mice that were repeatedly isolated from their mother and their littermates (early deprivation; ED), and second, mice perinatally exposed to an environmental pollutant, dioxin, both exhibited subordinate phenotypes, defined by decreased occupancy of limited resource sites under highly competitive circumstances. Similar alterations found in the cortex and limbic area of these two models are suggestive of the presence of neural systems shared across generalized dominance behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seico Benner
- Laboratory of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Endo
- Laboratory of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan ; Department of Neurochemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaki Kakeyama
- Laboratory of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan ; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Nagasaki University Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Chiharu Tohyama
- Laboratory of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Tokyo, Japan
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de Esch C, van den Berg W, Buijsen R, Jaafar I, Nieuwenhuizen-Bakker I, Gasparini F, Kushner S, Willemsen R. Fragile X mice have robust mGluR5-dependent alterations of social behaviour in the Automated Tube Test. Neurobiol Dis 2015; 75:31-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2014.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Revised: 12/08/2014] [Accepted: 12/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Coplan JD, Karim A, Chandra P, St Germain G, Abdallah CG, Altemus M. Neurobiology of Maternal Stress: Role of Social Rank and Central Oxytocin in Hypothalamic-Pituitary Adrenal Axis Modulation. Front Psychiatry 2015; 6:100. [PMID: 26217242 PMCID: PMC4493323 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic stress may conceivably require plasticity of maternal physiology and behavior to cope with the conflicting primary demands of infant rearing and foraging for food. In addition, social rank may play a pivotal role in mandating divergent homeostatic adaptations in cohesive social groups. We examined cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) oxytocin (OT) levels and hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis regulation in the context of maternal social stress and assessed the contribution of social rank to dyadic distance as reflective of distraction from normative maternal-infant interaction. METHODS Twelve socially housed mother-infant bonnet macaque dyads were studied after variable foraging demand (VFD) exposure compared to 11 unstressed dyads. Dyadic distance was determined by behavioral observation. Social ranking was performed blindly by two observers. Post-VFD maternal plasma cortisol and CSF OT were compared to corresponding measures in non-VFD-exposed mothers. RESULTS High-social rank was associated with increased dyadic distance only in VFD-exposed dyads and not in control dyads. In mothers unexposed to VFD, social rank was not related to maternal cortisol levels, whereas VFD-exposed dominant versus subordinate mothers exhibited increased plasma cortisol. Maternal CSF OT directly predicted maternal cortisol only in VFD-exposed mothers. CSF OT was higher in dominant versus subordinate mothers. VFD-exposed mothers with "high" cortisol specifically exhibited CSF OT elevations in comparison to control groups. CONCLUSION Pairing of maternal social rank to dyadic distance in VFD presumably reduces maternal contingent responsivity, with ensuing long-term sequelae. VFD-exposure dichotomizes maternal HPA-axis response as a function of social rank with relatively reduced cortisol in subordinates. OT may serve as a homeostatic buffer during maternal stress exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy D Coplan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nonhuman Primate Facility, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center , Brooklyn, NY , USA
| | - Asif Karim
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nonhuman Primate Facility, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center , Brooklyn, NY , USA
| | - Prakash Chandra
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Kansas University Medical Center , Kansas City, KS , USA
| | - Garleen St Germain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Nonhuman Primate Facility, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center , Brooklyn, NY , USA
| | - Chadi G Abdallah
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine , New Haven, CT , USA
| | - Margaret Altemus
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College , New York, NY , USA
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Wang F, Kessels HW, Hu H. The mouse that roared: neural mechanisms of social hierarchy. Trends Neurosci 2014; 37:674-82. [PMID: 25160682 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2014.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2014] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Hierarchical social status greatly influences behavior and health. Human and animal studies have begun to identify the brain regions that are activated during the formation of social hierarchies. They point towards the prefrontal cortex (PFC) as a central regulator, with brain areas upstream of the PFC conveying information about social status, and downstream brain regions executing dominance behavior. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the neural circuits that control social status. We discuss how the neural mechanisms for various types of dominance behavior can be studied in laboratory rodents by selective manipulation of neuronal activity or synaptic plasticity. These studies may help in finding the cause of social stress-related mental and physical health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Helmut W Kessels
- The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, The Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam 1019 RG, The Netherlands.
| | - Hailan Hu
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
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Anacker AMJ, Beery AK. Life in groups: the roles of oxytocin in mammalian sociality. Front Behav Neurosci 2013; 7:185. [PMID: 24376404 PMCID: PMC3858648 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2013] [Accepted: 11/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, scientific understanding of the many roles of oxytocin (OT) in social behavior has advanced tremendously. The focus of this research has been on maternal attachments and reproductive pair-bonds, and much less is known about the substrates of sociality outside of reproductive contexts. It is now apparent that OT influences many aspects of social behavior including recognition, trust, empathy, and other components of the behavioral repertoire of social species. This review provides a comparative perspective on the contributions of OT to life in mammalian social groups. We provide background on the functions of OT in maternal attachments and the early social environment, and give an overview of the role of OT circuitry in support of different mating systems. We then introduce peer relationships in group-living rodents as a means for studying the importance of OT in non-reproductive affiliative behaviors. We review species differences in oxytocin receptor (OTR) distributions in solitary and group-living species of South American tuco-tucos and in African mole-rats, as well as singing mice. We discuss variation in OTR levels with seasonal changes in social behavior in female meadow voles, and the effects of OT manipulations on peer huddling behavior. Finally, we discuss avenues of promise for future investigation, and relate current findings to research in humans and non-human primates. There is growing evidence that OT is involved in social selectivity, including increases in aggression toward social outgroups and decreased huddling with unfamiliar individuals, which may support existing social structures or relationships at the expense of others. OT’s effects reach beyond maternal attachment and pair bonds to play a role in affiliative behavior underlying “friendships”, organization of broad social structures, and maintenance of established social relationships with individuals or groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Annaliese K Beery
- Neuroscience Program, Smith College Northampton, MA, USA ; Departments of Psychology and Biology, Smith College Northampton, MA, USA
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Jozifkova E. Consensual sadomasochistic sex (BDSM): the roots, the risks, and the distinctions between BDSM and violence. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2013; 15:392. [PMID: 23933978 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-013-0392-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
When practiced consensually, sadomasochistic sex is being increasingly accepted as an alternative sexuality. Here I suggest the possible evolutionary roots of the preferences, draw distinctions between violent, abusive and "healthy" practitioners' partnership, provide clear behavioural markers of the respective situations, and underline some specific problems connected to this sexual preference. Some of the problems are well-known in the community of its practitioners, although they have not yet been described in medical nor scientific sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Jozifkova
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, J.E. Purkynje University in Usti nad Labem, Za valcovnou 1000/8, Usti nad Labem, 400 96, Czech Republic.
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Neumann ID, Landgraf R. Balance of brain oxytocin and vasopressin: implications for anxiety, depression, and social behaviors. Trends Neurosci 2012; 35:649-59. [PMID: 22974560 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2012.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 644] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2011] [Revised: 05/24/2012] [Accepted: 08/13/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin and vasopressin are regulators of anxiety, stress-coping, and sociality. They are released within hypothalamic and limbic areas from dendrites, axons, and perikarya independently of, or coordinated with, secretion from neurohypophysial terminals. Central oxytocin exerts anxiolytic and antidepressive effects, whereas vasopressin tends to show anxiogenic and depressive actions. Evidence from pharmacological and genetic association studies confirms their involvement in individual variation of emotional traits extending to psychopathology. Based on their opposing effects on emotional behaviors, we propose that a balanced activity of both brain neuropeptide systems is important for appropriate emotional behaviors. Shifting the balance between the neuropeptide systems towards oxytocin, by positive social stimuli and/or psychopharmacotherapy, may help to improve emotional behaviors and reinstate mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioral and Molecular Neurobiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
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van der Kooij MA, Sandi C. Social memories in rodents: Methods, mechanisms and modulation by stress. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2012; 36:1763-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2011] [Revised: 10/20/2011] [Accepted: 10/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The suggestion that the neurohormone oxytocin may have clinical application in the treatment of schizophrenia was first published in 1972. Since then, a considerable body of research on a variety of fronts--including several recent double-blind treatment trials-has buttressed these early reports, providing support for the assertion that the oxytocin system is a promising and novel therapeutic target for this devastating malady. Herein, we review the diverse, convergent lines of evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of oxytocin in psychotic illness. METHODS We performed a systematic review of preclinical and clinical literature pertaining to oxytocin's role in schizophrenia. RESULTS Multiple lines of evidence converge to support the antipsychotic potential of oxytocin. These include several animal models of schizophrenia, pharmacological studies examining the impact of antipsychotics on the oxytocin system, human trials in patients examining aspects of the oxytocin system, and several double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical treatment trials. CONCLUSIONS There exists considerable, convergent evidence that oxytocin has potential as a novel antipsychotic with a unique mechanism of action. Auspiciously, based on the few chronic trials to date, its safety profile and tolerability appear very good. That said, several critical clinical questions await investigation before widespread use is clinically warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Macdonald
- University of California, San Diego Medical Center Department of Psychiatry
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