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Decoster L, Trova S, Zucca S, Bulk J, Gouveia A, Ternier G, Lhomme T, Legrand A, Gallet S, Boehm U, Wyatt A, Wahl V, Wartenberg P, Hrabovszky E, Rácz G, Luzzati F, Nato G, Fogli M, Peretto P, Schriever SC, Bernecker M, Pfluger PT, Steculorum SM, Bovetti S, Rasika S, Prevot V, Silva MSB, Giacobini P. A GnRH neuronal population in the olfactory bulb translates socially relevant odors into reproductive behavior in male mice. Nat Neurosci 2024:10.1038/s41593-024-01724-1. [PMID: 39095587 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01724-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons regulate fertility and integrate hormonal status with environmental cues to ensure reproductive success. Here we show that GnRH neurons in the olfactory bulb (GnRHOB) of adult mice can mediate social recognition. Specifically, we show that GnRHOB neurons extend neurites into the vomeronasal organ and olfactory epithelium and project to the median eminence. GnRHOB neurons in males express vomeronasal and olfactory receptors, are activated by female odors and mediate gonadotropin release in response to female urine. Male preference for female odors required the presence and activation of GnRHOB neurons, was impaired after genetic inhibition or ablation of these cells and relied on GnRH signaling in the posterodorsal medial amygdala. GnRH receptor expression in amygdala kisspeptin neurons appear to be required for GnRHOB neurons' actions on male mounting behavior. Taken together, these results establish GnRHOB neurons as regulating fertility, sex recognition and mating in male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurine Decoster
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, FHU 1000 Days for Health, School of Medicine, Lille, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, Labex DistAlz, Lille, France
| | - Sara Trova
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, FHU 1000 Days for Health, School of Medicine, Lille, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, Labex DistAlz, Lille, France
- Centro CMP3VdA, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Aosta, Italy
| | - Stefano Zucca
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Orbassano, Italy
| | - Janice Bulk
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Max Planck Research Group Neurocircuit Wiring and Function, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ayden Gouveia
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Max Planck Research Group Neurocircuit Wiring and Function, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gaetan Ternier
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, FHU 1000 Days for Health, School of Medicine, Lille, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, Labex DistAlz, Lille, France
| | - Tori Lhomme
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, FHU 1000 Days for Health, School of Medicine, Lille, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, Labex DistAlz, Lille, France
| | - Amandine Legrand
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, FHU 1000 Days for Health, School of Medicine, Lille, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, Labex DistAlz, Lille, France
| | - Sarah Gallet
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, FHU 1000 Days for Health, School of Medicine, Lille, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, Labex DistAlz, Lille, France
| | - Ulrich Boehm
- Experimental Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Center for Gender-specific Biology and Medicine (CGBM), Saarland University School of Medicine, Homburg, Germany
| | - Amanda Wyatt
- Experimental Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Center for Gender-specific Biology and Medicine (CGBM), Saarland University School of Medicine, Homburg, Germany
| | - Vanessa Wahl
- Experimental Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Center for Gender-specific Biology and Medicine (CGBM), Saarland University School of Medicine, Homburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Wartenberg
- Experimental Pharmacology, Center for Molecular Signaling (PZMS), Center for Gender-specific Biology and Medicine (CGBM), Saarland University School of Medicine, Homburg, Germany
| | - Erik Hrabovszky
- Laboratory of Reproductive Neurobiology, Hun-Ren Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gergely Rácz
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Federico Luzzati
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Orbassano, Italy
| | - Giulia Nato
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Orbassano, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Marco Fogli
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Orbassano, Italy
| | - Paolo Peretto
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Orbassano, Italy
| | - Sonja C Schriever
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Research Unit Neurobiology of Diabetes, Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Miriam Bernecker
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Research Unit Neurobiology of Diabetes, Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
- Division of Neurobiology of Diabetes, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Paul T Pfluger
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Research Unit Neurobiology of Diabetes, Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
- Division of Neurobiology of Diabetes, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sophie M Steculorum
- Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Max Planck Research Group Neurocircuit Wiring and Function, Cologne, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Serena Bovetti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Orbassano, Italy
| | - Sowmyalakshmi Rasika
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, FHU 1000 Days for Health, School of Medicine, Lille, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, Labex DistAlz, Lille, France
| | - Vincent Prevot
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, FHU 1000 Days for Health, School of Medicine, Lille, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, Labex DistAlz, Lille, France
| | - Mauro S B Silva
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, FHU 1000 Days for Health, School of Medicine, Lille, France
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, Labex DistAlz, Lille, France
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paolo Giacobini
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, FHU 1000 Days for Health, School of Medicine, Lille, France.
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, UMR-S 1172, Labex DistAlz, Lille, France.
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Torres T, Adam N, Mhaouty-Kodja S, Naulé L. Reproductive function and behaviors: an update on the role of neural estrogen receptors alpha and beta. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 15:1408677. [PMID: 38978624 PMCID: PMC11228153 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1408677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Infertility is becoming a major public health problem, with increasing frequency due to medical, environmental and societal causes. The increasingly late age of childbearing, growing exposure to endocrine disruptors and other reprotoxic products, and increasing number of medical reproductive dysfunctions (endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, etc.) are among the most common causes. Fertility relies on fine-tuned control of both neuroendocrine function and reproductive behaviors, those are critically regulated by sex steroid hormones. Testosterone and estradiol exert organizational and activational effects throughout life to establish and activate the neural circuits underlying reproductive function. This regulation is mediated through estrogen receptors (ERs) and androgen receptor (AR). Estradiol acts mainly via nuclear estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ. The aim of this review is to summarize the genetic studies that have been undertaken to comprehend the specific contribution of ERα and ERβ in the neural circuits underlying the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and the expression of reproductive behaviors, including sexual and parental behavior. Particular emphasis will be placed on the neural role of these receptors and the underlying sex differences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Lydie Naulé
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR8246, INSERM U1130, Neuroscience Paris Seine – Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France
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Cerbantez-Bueno V, Viñuela-Berni V, Muñoz-Mayorga DE, Morales T, Corona R. Prolactin promotes the recruitment of main olfactory bulb cells and enhances the behavioral exploration toward a socio-sexual stimulus in female mice. Horm Behav 2024; 162:105527. [PMID: 38492348 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Olfactory communication is triggered by pheromones that profoundly influence neuroendocrine responses to drive social interactions. Two principal olfactory systems process pheromones: the main and the vomeronasal or accessory system. Prolactin receptors are expressed in both systems suggesting a participation in the processing of olfactory information. We previously reported that prolactin participates in the sexual and olfactory bulb maturation of females. Therefore, we explored the expression of prolactin receptors within the olfactory bulb during sexual maturation and the direct responses of prolactin upon pheromonal exposure. Additionally, we assessed the behavioral response of adult females exposed to male sawdust after prolactin administration and the consequent activation of main and accessory olfactory bulb and their first central relays, the piriform cortex and the medial amygdala. Last, we investigated the intracellular pathway activated by prolactin within the olfactory bulb. Here, prolactin receptor expression remained constant during all maturation stages within the main olfactory bulb but decreased in adulthood in the accessory olfactory bulb. Behaviorally, females that received prolactin actively explored the male stimulus. An increased cFos activation in the amygdala and in the glomerular cells of the whole olfactory bulb was observed, but an augmented response in the mitral cells was only found within the main olfactory bulb after prolactin administration and the exposure to male stimulus. Interestingly, the ERK pathway was upregulated in the main olfactory bulb after exposure to a male stimulus. Overall, our results suggest that, in female mice, prolactin participates in the processing of chemosignals and behavioral responses by activating the main olfactory system and diminishing the classical vomeronasal response to pheromones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viridiana Cerbantez-Bueno
- Laboratorio de Neuroanatomía Funcional y Neuroendocrinología, Instituto de Neurobiología (INB), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Verónica Viñuela-Berni
- Laboratorio de Neuroanatomía Funcional y Neuroendocrinología, Instituto de Neurobiología (INB), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Daniel Eduardo Muñoz-Mayorga
- Laboratorio de Neuroanatomía Funcional y Neuroendocrinología, Instituto de Neurobiología (INB), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Teresa Morales
- Laboratorio de Neuroanatomía Funcional y Neuroendocrinología, Instituto de Neurobiología (INB), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Rebeca Corona
- Laboratorio de Neuroanatomía Funcional y Neuroendocrinología, Instituto de Neurobiología (INB), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico.
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Mier Quesada Z, Portillo W, Paredes RG. Behavioral evidence of the functional interaction between the main and accessory olfactory system suggests a large olfactory system with a high plastic capability. Front Neuroanat 2023; 17:1211644. [PMID: 37908970 PMCID: PMC10613685 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2023.1211644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Olfaction is fundamental in many species of mammals. In rodents, the integrity of this system is required for the expression of parental and sexual behavior, mate recognition, identification of predators, and finding food. Different anatomical and physiological evidence initially indicated the existence of two anatomically distinct chemosensory systems: The main olfactory system (MOS) and the accessory olfactory system (AOS). It was originally conceived that the MOS detected volatile odorants related to food, giving the animal information about the environment. The AOS, on the other hand, detected non-volatile sexually relevant olfactory cues that influence reproductive behaviors and neuroendocrine functions such as intermale aggression, sexual preference, maternal aggression, pregnancy block (Bruce effect), puberty acceleration (Vandenbergh effect), induction of estrous (Whitten effect) and sexual behavior. Over the last decade, several lines of evidence have demonstrated that although these systems could be anatomically separated, there are neuronal areas in which they are interconnected. Moreover, it is now clear that both the MOS and the AOS process both volatile and no-volatile odorants, indicating that they are also functionally interconnected. In the first part of the review, we will describe the behavioral evidence. In the second part, we will summarize data from our laboratory and other research groups demonstrating that sexual behavior in male and female rodents induces the formation of new neurons that reach the main and accessory olfactory bulbs from the subventricular zone. Three factors are essential for the neurons to reach the AOS and the MOS: The stimulation frequency, the stimulus's temporal presentation, and the release of opioids induced by sexual behavior. We propose that the AOS and the MOS are part of a large olfactory system with a high plastic capability, which favors the adaptation of species to different environmental signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zacnite Mier Quesada
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Wendy Portillo
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Raúl G. Paredes
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
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Amos C, Fox MA, Su J. Collagen XIX is required for pheromone recognition and glutamatergic synapse formation in mouse accessory olfactory bulb. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1157577. [PMID: 37091919 PMCID: PMC10113670 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1157577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammals, the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) receives input from vomeronasal sensory neurons (VSN) which detect pheromones, chemical cues released by animals to regulate the physiology or behaviors of other animals of the same species. Cytoarchitecturally, cells within the AOB are segregated into a glomerular layer (GL), mitral cell layer (MCL), and granule cell layer (GCL). While the cells and circuitry of these layers has been well studied, the molecular mechanism underlying the assembly of such circuitry in the mouse AOB remains unclear. With the goal of identifying synaptogenic mechanisms in AOB, our attention was drawn to Collagen XIX, a non-fibrillar collagen generated by neurons in the mammalian telencephalon that has previously been shown to regulate the assembly of synapses. Here, we used both a targeted mouse mutant that lacks Collagen XIX globally and a conditional allele allowing for cell-specific deletion of this collagen to test if the loss of Collagen XIX causes impaired synaptogenesis in the mouse AOB. These analyses not only revealed defects in excitatory synapse distribution in these Collagen XIX-deficient mutants, but also showed that these mutant mice exhibit altered behavioral responses to pheromones. Although this collagen has been demonstrated to play synaptogenic roles in the telencephalon, those roles are at perisomatic inhibitory synapses, results here are the first to demonstrate the function of this unconventional collagen in glutamatergic synapse formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase Amos
- Center for Neurobiology Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion (VTC), Roanoke, VA, United States
| | - Michael A. Fox
- Center for Neurobiology Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion (VTC), Roanoke, VA, United States
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA, United States
| | - Jianmin Su
- Center for Neurobiology Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion (VTC), Roanoke, VA, United States
- School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
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Spool JA, Lally AP, Remage-Healey L. Top-down, auditory pallial regulation of the social behavior network. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.08.531754. [PMID: 36945416 PMCID: PMC10028912 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.08.531754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Social encounters rely on sensory cues that carry nuanced information to guide social decision-making. While high-level features of social signals are processed in the telencephalic pallium, nuclei controlling social behaviors, called the social behavior network (SBN), reside mainly in the diencephalon. Although it is well known how mammalian olfactory pallium interfaces with the SBN, there is little information for how pallial processing of other sensory modalities can modulate SBN circuits. This is surprising given the importance of complex vocalizations, for example, for social behavior in many vertebrate taxa such as humans and birds. Using gregarious and highly vocal songbirds, female Zebra finches, we asked to what extent auditory pallial circuits provide consequential input to the SBN as it processes social sensory cues. We transiently inactivated auditory pallium of female Zebra finches during song playback and examined song-induced activation in SBN nuclei. Auditory pallial inactivation impaired responses to song specifically within the lateral ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMHl), providing the first evidence in vertebrates of a connection between auditory pallium and the SBN. This same treatment elevated feeding behavior, which also correlated with VMHl activation. This suggests that signals from auditory pallium to VMHl can tune the balance between social attention and feeding drive. A descending influence of sensory pallium on hypothalamic circuits could therefore provide a functional connection for the integration of social stimuli with internal state to influence social decision-making. SIGNIFICANCE Sensory cues such as vocalizations contain important social information. These social signals can be substantially nuanced, containing information about vocalizer identity, prior experience, valence, and emotional state. Processing these features of vocalizations necessitates processing the fast, complex sound streams in song or speech, which depends on circuits in pallial cortex. But whether and how this information is then transferred to social circuits in limbic and hypothalamic regions remains a mystery. Here, we identify a top-down influence of the songbird auditory pallium on one specific node of the social behavior network within the hypothalamus. Descending functional connections such as these may be critical for the wide range of vertebrate species that rely on intricate sensory communication signals to guide social decision-making.
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Effects of paternal deprivation in social rodents. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF THERIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.21.2.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Kulason S, Ratnanather JT, Miller MI, Kamath V, Hua J, Yang K, Ma M, Ishizuka K, Sawa A. A comparative neuroimaging perspective of olfaction and higher-order olfactory processing: on health and disease. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 129:22-30. [PMID: 34462249 PMCID: PMC9900497 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Olfactory dysfunction is often the earliest indicator of disease in a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. One tempting working hypothesis is that pathological changes in the peripheral olfactory system where the body is exposed to many adverse environmental stressors may have a causal role for the brain alteration. Whether and how the peripheral pathology spreads to more central brain regions may be effectively studied in rodent models, and there is successful precedence in experimental models for Parkinson's disease. It is of interest to study whether a similar mechanism may underlie the pathology of psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia. However, direct comparison between rodent models and humans includes challenges under light of comparative neuroanatomy and experimental methodologies used in these two distinct species. We believe that neuroimaging modality that has been the main methodology of human brain studies may be a useful viewpoint to address and fill the knowledge gap between rodents and humans in this scientific question. Accordingly, in the present review article, we focus on brain imaging studies associated with olfaction in healthy humans and patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders, and if available those in rodents. We organize this review article at three levels: 1) olfactory bulb (OB) and peripheral structures of the olfactory system, 2) primary olfactory cortical and subcortical regions, and 3) associated higher-order cortical regions. This research area is still underdeveloped, and we acknowledge that further validation with independent cohorts may be needed for many studies presented here, in particular those with human subjects. Nevertheless, whether and how peripheral olfactory disturbance impacts brain function is becoming even a hotter topic in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, given the risk of long-term changes of mental status associated with olfactory infection of SARS-CoV-2. Together, in this review article, we introduce this underdeveloped but important research area focusing on its implications in neurological and psychiatric disorders, with several pioneered publications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sue Kulason
- Center for Imaging Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - J Tilak Ratnanather
- Center for Imaging Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael I Miller
- Center for Imaging Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vidyulata Kamath
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jun Hua
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kun Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Minghong Ma
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Koko Ishizuka
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Akira Sawa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Johns Hopkins Schizophrenia Center, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Hoglen NEG, Manoli DS. Cupid's quiver: Integrating sensory cues in rodent mating systems. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:944895. [PMID: 35958042 PMCID: PMC9358210 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.944895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In many animal species, males and females exploit different mating strategies, display sex-typical behaviors, and use distinct systems to recognize ethologically relevant cues. Mate selection thus requires mutual recognition across diverse social interactions based on distinct sensory signals. These sex differences in courtship and mating behaviors correspond to differences in sensory systems and downstream neural substrates engaged to recognize and respond to courtship signals. In many rodents, males tend to rely heavily on volatile olfactory and pheromone cues, while females appear to be guided more by a combination of these chemosensory signals with acoustic cues in the form of ultrasonic vocalizations. The mechanisms by which chemical and acoustic cues are integrated to control behavior are understudied in mating but are known to be important in the control of maternal behaviors. Socially monogamous species constitute a behaviorally distinct group of rodents. In these species, anatomic differences between males and females outside the nervous system are less prominent than in species with non-monogamous mating systems, and both sexes engage in more symmetric social behaviors and form attachments. Nevertheless, despite the apparent similarities in behaviors displayed by monogamous males and females, the circuitry supporting social, mating, and attachment behaviors in these species is increasingly thought to differ between the sexes. Sex differences in sensory modalities most important for mate recognition in across species are of particular interest and present a wealth of questions yet to be answered. Here, we discuss how distinct sensory cues may be integrated to drive social and attachment behaviors in rodents, and the differing roles of specific sensory systems in eliciting displays of behavior by females or males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerissa E G Hoglen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Devanand S Manoli
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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10
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The role of ciliopathy-associated type 3 adenylyl cyclase in infanticidal behavior in virgin adult male mice. iScience 2022; 25:104534. [PMID: 35754726 PMCID: PMC9218507 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Virgin adult male mice often display killing of alien newborns, defined as infanticide, and this behavior is dependent on olfactory signaling. Olfactory perception is achieved by the main olfactory system (MOS) or vomeronasal system (VNS). Although it has been established that the VNS is crucial for infanticide in male mice, the role of the MOS in infanticide remains unknown. Herein, by producing lesions via ZnSO4 perfusion and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid stereotactic injection, we demonstrated that the main olfactory epithelium (MOE), anterior olfactory nucleus (AON), or ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is crucial for infanticide in adult males. By using CRISPR-Cas9 coupled with adeno-associated viruses to induce specific knockdown of type 3 adenylyl cyclase (AC3) in these tissues, we further demonstrated that AC3, a ciliopathy-associated protein, in the MOE and the expression of related proteins in the AON or VMH are necessary for infanticidal behavior in virgin adult male mice. MOE lesions and knockdown of AC3 in the MOE result in abnormal infanticidal behavior The infanticidal behavior of male mice is impaired by lesioning of the AON or VMH AC3 knockdown in the AON or VMH affects the infanticidal behavior of male mice
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Biggs LM, Meredith M. Functional connectivity of intercalated nucleus with medial amygdala: A circuit relevant for chemosignal processing. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2022; 12:170-181. [PMID: 35199098 PMCID: PMC8850325 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Medial amygdala processes social/reproductive chemosensory input, and its projections to preoptic and hypothalamic areas evoke appropriate behavioral and physiological responses. We and others have shown that different chemosensory signals elicit differential responses in medial amygdala subregions and in adjacent main intercalated nucleus (mICN). The largely GABAergic mICN receives no direct chemosensory input but, as we show, mICN has functional circuit connections with medial amygdala that could be responsible both for mICN chemosensitivity and for a feedforward inhibitory effect on posterior medial amygdala; which, in turn would affect chemosignal response. mICN is subject to inhibition by dopamine and is probably regulated by neuropeptides and input from frontal cortex. Thus, mICN is in position to modify chemosensory processing in medial amygdala and behavioral responses to social signals, according to internal brain state. Patch-clamp recordings from neurons in each relevant nucleus in horizontal brain-slices, with electrical stimulation in adjacent nuclei, reveal multiple functional connections between medial amygdala subregions and mICN. We highlight a triangular circuit which may underlie mICN chemosensitivity and its potential for modifying chemosensory information transmitted to basal forebrain. Anterior medial amygdala, which receives most of the chemosensory input, connects to posterior medial amygdala directly and both areas send information on to basal forebrain. Anterior medial amygdala can also modulate posterior medial amygdala indirectly via the mICN side-loop, which also provides a pathway for modulation by cortical input or, when inhibited by dopamine, could allow a more automatic response - as proposed for other amygdala circuits with similar ICN side loops.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Meredith
- Program in Neuroscience and Dept. Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
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12
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Social interactions increase activation of vasopressin-responsive neurons in the dorsal raphe. Neuroscience 2022; 495:25-46. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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13
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Wright KN, Johnson NL, Dossat AM, Wilson JT, Wesson DW. Reducing local synthesis of estrogen in the tubular striatum promotes attraction to same-sex odors in female mice. Horm Behav 2022; 140:105122. [PMID: 35101702 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Brain-derived 17β-estradiol (E2) confers rapid effects on neural activity. The tubular striatum (TuS, also called the olfactory tubercle) is both capable of local E2 synthesis due to its abundant expression of aromatase and is a critical locus for odor-guided motivated behavior and odor hedonics. TuS neurons also contain mRNA for estrogen receptors α, β, and the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor. We demonstrate here that mRNA for estrogen receptors appears to be expressed upon TuS dopamine 1 receptor-expressing neurons, suggesting that E2 may play a neuromodulatory role in circuits which are important for motivated behavior. Therefore, we reasoned that E2 in the TuS may influence attraction to urinary odors which are highly attractive. Using whole-body plethysmography, we examined odor-evoked high-frequency sniffing as a measure of odor attaction. Bilateral infusion of the aromatase inhibitor letrozole into the TuS of gonadectomized female adult mice induced a resistance to habituation over successive trials in their investigatory sniffing for female mouse urinary odors, indicative of an enhanced attraction. All males displayed resistance to habituation for female urinary odors, indicative of enhanced attraction that is independent from E2 manipulation. Letrozole's effects were not due to group differences in basal respiration, nor changes in the ability to detect or discriminate between odors (both monomolecular odorants and urinary odors). Therefore, de novo E2 synthesis in the TuS impacts females' but not males' attraction to female urinary odors, suggesting a sex-specific influence of E2 in odor hedonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine N Wright
- University of Florida, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Center for Smell and Taste, Center for Addiction Research and Education, 1200 Newell Dr., Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
| | - Natalie L Johnson
- University of Florida, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Center for Smell and Taste, Center for Addiction Research and Education, 1200 Newell Dr., Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Amanda M Dossat
- University of Florida, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Center for Smell and Taste, Center for Addiction Research and Education, 1200 Newell Dr., Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Jamie T Wilson
- University of Florida, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Center for Smell and Taste, Center for Addiction Research and Education, 1200 Newell Dr., Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Daniel W Wesson
- University of Florida, Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Center for Smell and Taste, Center for Addiction Research and Education, 1200 Newell Dr., Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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Abstract
In this review, we describe proposed circuits mediating the mechanism of action of pherines, a new class of synthetic neuroactive steroids with demonstrated antianxiety and antidepressant properties, that engage nasal chemosensory receptors. We hypothesize that afferent signals triggered by activation of these peripheral receptors could reach subgroups of olfactory bulb neurons broadcasting information to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the limbic amygdala. We propose that chemosensory inputs triggered by pherines project to centrolateral (CeL) and centromedial (CeM) amygdala neurons, with downstream effects mediating behavioral actions. Anxiolytic pherines could activate the forward inhibitory GABAergic neurons that facilitate the release of neuropeptide S (NPS) in the locus coeruleus (LC) and GABA in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and inhibit catecholamine release in the LC and ventral tegmental area (VTA) leading to rapid anxiolytic effect. Alternatively, antidepressant pherines could facilitate the CRH and GABAergic neurons that inhibit the release of NPS from the LC, increase glutamate release from the BNST, and increase norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and serotonin release from the LC, VTA, and raphe nucleus, respectively. Activation of these neural circuits leads to rapid antidepressant effect. The information provided is consistent with this model, but it should be noted that some steps on these pathways have not been demonstrated conclusively in the human brain.
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Mishor E, Amir D, Weiss T, Honigstein D, Weissbrod A, Livne E, Gorodisky L, Karagach S, Ravia A, Snitz K, Karawani D, Zirler R, Weissgross R, Soroka T, Endevelt-Shapira Y, Agron S, Rozenkrantz L, Reshef N, Furman-Haran E, Breer H, Strotmann J, Uebi T, Ozaki M, Sobel N. Sniffing the human body volatile hexadecanal blocks aggression in men but triggers aggression in women. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabg1530. [PMID: 34797713 PMCID: PMC8604408 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg1530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
In terrestrial mammals, body volatiles can effectively trigger or block conspecific aggression. Here, we tested whether hexadecanal (HEX), a human body volatile implicated as a mammalian-wide social chemosignal, affects human aggression. Using validated behavioral paradigms, we observed a marked dissociation: Sniffing HEX blocked aggression in men but triggered aggression in women. Next, using functional brain imaging, we uncovered a pattern of brain activity mirroring behavior: In both men and women, HEX increased activity in the left angular gyrus, an area implicated in perception of social cues. HEX then modulated functional connectivity between the angular gyrus and a brain network implicated in social appraisal (temporal pole) and aggressive execution (amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex) in a sex-dependent manner consistent with behavior: increasing connectivity in men but decreasing connectivity in women. These findings implicate sex-specific social chemosignaling at the mechanistic heart of human aggressive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Mishor
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Daniel Amir
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Tali Weiss
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Danielle Honigstein
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Aharon Weissbrod
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ethan Livne
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Lior Gorodisky
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shiri Karagach
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Aharon Ravia
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Kobi Snitz
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Diyala Karawani
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Rotem Zirler
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Reut Weissgross
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Timna Soroka
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yaara Endevelt-Shapira
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shani Agron
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Liron Rozenkrantz
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Netta Reshef
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Edna Furman-Haran
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Heinz Breer
- Institute of Physiology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Joerg Strotmann
- Institute of Physiology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Tatsuya Uebi
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Mamiko Ozaki
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Noam Sobel
- Azrieli National Center for Brain Imaging and Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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Jean A, Mhaouty-Kodja S, Hardin-Pouzet H. Hypothalamic cellular and molecular plasticity linked to sexual experience in male rats and mice. Front Neuroendocrinol 2021; 63:100949. [PMID: 34687674 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Male sexual behavior is subject to learning, resulting in increased efficiency of experienced males compared to naive ones. The improvement in behavioral parameters is underpinned by cellular and molecular changes in the neural circuit controlling sexual behavior, particularly in the hypothalamic medial preoptic area. This review provides an update on the mechanisms related to the sexual experience in male rodents, emphasizing the differences between rats and mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Jean
- Sorbonne Université - Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie, Neuroplasticité des Comportements de la Reproduction, Neurosciences Paris Seine, UM119 - CNRS UMR 8246 - INSERM UMRS 1130, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75 005 Paris, France
| | - Sakina Mhaouty-Kodja
- Sorbonne Université - Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie, Neuroplasticité des Comportements de la Reproduction, Neurosciences Paris Seine, UM119 - CNRS UMR 8246 - INSERM UMRS 1130, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75 005 Paris, France
| | - Hélène Hardin-Pouzet
- Sorbonne Université - Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie, Neuroplasticité des Comportements de la Reproduction, Neurosciences Paris Seine, UM119 - CNRS UMR 8246 - INSERM UMRS 1130, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75 005 Paris, France.
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Abellán-Álvaro M, Ayala G, Barneo-Muñoz M, Martínez-García F, Agustín-Pavón C, Lanuza E. Motherhood-induced gene expression in the mouse medial amygdala: Changes induced by pregnancy and lactation but not by pup stimuli. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21806. [PMID: 34369605 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202100163rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
During lactation, adult female mice display aggressive responses toward male intruders, triggered by male-derived chemosensory signals. This aggressive behavior is not shown by pup-sensitized virgin females sharing pup care with dams. The genetic mechanisms underlying the switch from attraction to aggression are unknown. In this work, we investigate the differential gene expression in lactating females expressing maternal aggression compared to pup-sensitized virgin females in the medial amygdala (Me), a key neural structure integrating chemosensory and hormonal information. The results showed 197 genes upregulated in dams, including genes encoding hormones such as prolactin, growth hormone, or follicle-stimulating hormone, neuropeptides such as galanin, oxytocin, and pro-opiomelanocortin, and genes related to catecholaminergic and cholinergic neurotransmission. In contrast, 99 genes were downregulated in dams, among which we find those encoding for inhibins and transcription factors of the Fos and early growth response families. The gene set analysis revealed numerous Gene Ontology functional groups with higher expression in dams than in pup-sensitized virgin females, including those related with the regulation of the Jak/Stat cascade. Of note, a number of olfactory and vomeronasal receptor genes was expressed in the Me, although without differences between dams and virgins. For prolactin and growth hormone, a qPCR experiment comparing dams, pup-sensitized, and pup-naïve virgin females showed that dams expressed higher levels of both hormones than pup-naïve virgins, with pup-sensitized virgins showing intermediate levels. Altogether, the results show important gene expression changes in the Me, which may underlie some of the behavioral responses characterizing maternal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Abellán-Álvaro
- Unitat mixta UV-UJI de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Biologia Funcional i Antropologia Física, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Guillermo Ayala
- Department d'Estadística i Investigació Operativa, Facultat de Matemàtiques, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Manuela Barneo-Muñoz
- Unitat mixta UV-UJI de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Fac. Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Fernando Martínez-García
- Unitat mixta UV-UJI de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Fac. Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Carmen Agustín-Pavón
- Unitat mixta UV-UJI de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Biologia Funcional i Antropologia Física, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Unitat mixta UV-UJI de Neuroanatomia Funcional Comparada, Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Biologia Funcional i Antropologia Física, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València, València, Spain
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18
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Neural and Hormonal Basis of Opposite-Sex Preference by Chemosensory Signals. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22158311. [PMID: 34361077 PMCID: PMC8347621 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22158311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In mammalian reproduction, sexually active males seek female conspecifics, while estrous females try to approach males. This sex-specific response tendency is called sexual preference. In small rodents, sexual preference cues are mainly chemosensory signals, including pheromones. In this article, we review the physiological mechanisms involved in sexual preference for opposite-sex chemosensory signals in well-studied laboratory rodents, mice, rats, and hamsters of both sexes, especially an overview of peripheral sensory receptors, and hormonal and central regulation. In the hormonal regulation section, we discuss potential rodent brain bisexuality, as it includes neural substrates controlling both masculine and feminine sexual preferences, i.e., masculine preference for female odors and the opposite. In the central regulation section, we show the substantial circuit regulating sexual preference and also the influence of sexual experience that innate attractants activate in the brain reward system to establish the learned attractant. Finally, we review the regulation of sexual preference by neuropeptides, oxytocin, vasopressin, and kisspeptin. Through this review, we clarified the contradictions and deficiencies in our current knowledge on the neuroendocrine regulation of sexual preference and sought to present problems requiring further study.
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Pfau D, Jordan CL, Breedlove SM. The De-Scent of Sexuality: Did Loss of a Pheromone Signaling Protein Permit the Evolution of Same-Sex Sexual Behavior in Primates? ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2021; 50:2267-2276. [PMID: 31016493 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-018-1377-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Primate same-sex sexual behavior (SSSB) is rarely observed in strepsirrhine species, and only somewhat more common in platyrrhines, but is observed in nearly all catarrhine species, including humans, suggesting the common catarrhine ancestor as the origin of routine SSSB. In mice, disruption of the transient receptor potential cation channel 2 (TRPC2) gene, which is crucial for transducing chemosensory signals from pheromones in the vomeronasal organ, greatly increased the likelihood of SSSB. We note that catarrhine primates share a common deleterious mutation in this gene, indicating that the protein was dysfunctional in the common catarrhine ancestral primate approximately 25 mya (million years ago). We hypothesize that the loss of this protein for processing pheromonal signals in males and females made SSSB more likely in a primate ancestral species by effectively lifting a pheromonally mediated barrier to SSSB and that this was an important precursor to the evolution of such behavior in humans. Additional comparisons between SSSB and the functional status of the TRPC2 gene or related proteins across primate species could lend support to or falsify this hypothesis. Our current research indicates that loss of TRPC2 function in developing mice leads to the loss or attenuation of sexually dimorphisms in the adult brain, which may help us to understand the biological underpinnings of SSSB. Our hypothesis offers an ultimate evolutionary explanation for SSSB in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Pfau
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, Room 108, East Lansing, MI, 48824-1101, USA.
| | - Cynthia L Jordan
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, Room 108, East Lansing, MI, 48824-1101, USA
| | - S Marc Breedlove
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, Giltner Hall, 293 Farm Lane, Room 108, East Lansing, MI, 48824-1101, USA
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Qiu Q, Wu Y, Ma L, Xu W, Hills M, Ramalingam V, Yu CR. Acquisition of innate odor preference depends on spontaneous and experiential activities during critical period. eLife 2021; 10:e60546. [PMID: 33769278 PMCID: PMC8032394 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals possess an inborn ability to recognize certain odors to avoid predators, seek food, and find mates. Innate odor preference is thought to be genetically hardwired. Here we report that acquisition of innate odor recognition requires spontaneous neural activity and is influenced by sensory experience during early postnatal development. Genetic silencing of mouse olfactory sensory neurons during the critical period has little impact on odor sensitivity, discrimination, and recognition later in life. However, it abolishes innate odor preference and alters the patterns of activation in brain centers. Exposure to innately recognized odors during the critical period abolishes the associated valence in adulthood in an odor-specific manner. The changes are associated with broadened projection of olfactory sensory neurons and expression of axon guidance molecules. Thus, a delicate balance of neural activity is needed during the critical period in establishing innate odor preference and convergent axon input is required to encode innate odor valence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Qiu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Yunming Wu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Limei Ma
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Wenjing Xu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Max Hills
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
| | - Vivekanandan Ramalingam
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityUnited States
| | - C Ron Yu
- Stowers Institute for Medical ResearchKansas CityUnited States
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityUnited States
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityUnited States
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21
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Qiu Q, Wu Y, Ma L, Yu CR. Encoding innately recognized odors via a generalized population code. Curr Biol 2021; 31:1813-1825.e4. [PMID: 33651991 PMCID: PMC8119320 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.01.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Odors carrying intrinsic values often trigger instinctive aversive or attractive responses. It is not known how innate valence is encoded. An intuitive model suggests that the information is conveyed through specific channels in hardwired circuits along the olfactory pathway, insulated from influences of other odors, to trigger innate responses. Here, we show that in mice, mixing innately aversive or attractive odors with a neutral odor and, surprisingly, mixing two odors with the same valence, abolish the innate behavioral responses. Recordings from the olfactory bulb indicate that odors are not masked at the level of peripheral activation and glomeruli independently encode components in the mixture. In contrast, crosstalk among the mitral and tufted (M/T) cells changes their patterns of activity such that those elicited by the mixtures can no longer be linearly decoded as separate components. The changes in behavioral and M/T cell responses are associated with reduced activation of brain areas linked to odor preferences. Thus, crosstalk among odor channels at the earliest processing stage in the olfactory pathway leads to re-coding of odor identity to abolish valence associated with the odors. These results are inconsistent with insulated labeled lines and support a model of a common mechanism of odor recognition for both innate and learned valence associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Qiu
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Yunming Wu
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Limei Ma
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - C Ron Yu
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 East 50(th) Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
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Corona R, Jayakumar P, Carbajo Mata MA, Del Valle-Díaz MF, Luna-García LA, Morales T. Sexually dimorphic effects of prolactin treatment on the onset of puberty and olfactory function in mice. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 301:113652. [PMID: 33122037 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2020.113652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The onset of puberty is associated with the psychophysiological maturation of the adolescent to an adult capable of reproduction when olfactory signals play an important role. This period begins with the secretion of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from GnRH neurons within the hypothalamus. This is regulated by kisspeptin neurons that express high levels of transmembrane prolactin receptors (PRLR) that bind to and are activated by prolactin (PRL). The elevated levels of serum PRL found during lactation, or caused by chronic PRL infusion, decreases the secretion of gonadotropins and kisspeptin and compromised the estrous cyclicity and the ovulation. In the present work, we aimed to evaluate the effects of either increased or decreased PRL circulating levels within the peripubertal murine brain by administration of PRL or treatment with cabergoline (Cab) respectively. We showed that either treatment delayed the onset of puberty in females, but not in males. This was associated with the augmentation of the PRL receptor (Prlr) mRNA expression in the arcuate nucleus and decreased Kiss1 expression in the anteroventral periventricular zone. Then, during adulthood, we assessed the activation of the mitral and granular cells of the main (MOB) and accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) by cFos immunoreactivity (ir) after the exposure to soiled bedding of the opposite sex. In the MOB, the PRL treatment promoted an increased cFos-ir of the mitral cells of males and females. In the granular cells of male of either treatment an augmented activation was observed. In the AOB, an impaired cFos-ir was observed in PRL and Cab treated females after exposure to male soiled bedding. However, in males, only Cab impaired its activation. No effects were observed in the AOB-mitral cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that PRL contributes to pubertal development and maturation of the MOB-AOB during the murine juvenile period in a sex-dependent way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebeca Corona
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico.
| | - Preethi Jayakumar
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | | | | | | | - Teresa Morales
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
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23
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Processing of intraspecific chemical signals in the rodent brain. Cell Tissue Res 2021; 383:525-533. [PMID: 33404846 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03383-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In the rodent brain, the central processing of ecologically relevant chemical stimuli involves many different areas located at various levels within the neuraxis: the main and accessory olfactory bulbs, some nuclei in the amygdala, the hypothalamus, and brainstem. These areas allow the integration of the chemosensory stimuli with other sensory information and the selection of the appropriate neurohormonal and behavioral response. This review is a brief introduction to the processing of intraspecific chemosensory stimuli beyond the secondary projection, focusing on the activity of the relevant amygdala and hypothalamic nuclei, namely the medial amygdala and ventromedial hypothalamus. These areas are involved in the appropriate interpretation of chemosensory information and drive the selection of the proper response, which may be behavioral or hormonal and may affect the neural activity of other areas in the telencephalon and brainstem.Recent data support the notion that the processing of intraspecific chemical signals is not unique to one chemosensory system and some molecules may activate both the main and the accessory olfactory system. Moreover, both these systems have mixed projections and cooperate for the correct identification of the stimuli and selection of relevant responses.
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24
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Kermen F, Mandairon N, Chalençon L. Odor hedonics coding in the vertebrate olfactory bulb. Cell Tissue Res 2021; 383:485-493. [PMID: 33515292 PMCID: PMC7873110 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03372-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Whether an odorant is perceived as pleasant or unpleasant (hedonic value) governs a range of crucial behaviors: foraging, escaping danger, and social interaction. Despite its importance in olfactory perception, little is known regarding how odor hedonics is represented and encoded in the brain. Here, we review recent findings describing how odorant hedonic value is represented in the first olfaction processing center, the olfactory bulb. We discuss how olfactory bulb circuits might contribute to the coding of innate and learned odorant hedonics in addition to the odorant's physicochemical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence Kermen
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7030, Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Nathalie Mandairon
- CNRS. UMR 5292: INSERM, U1028: Lyon Neuroscience Research Center Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, University Lyon, University Lyon1, F-69000, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Laura Chalençon
- CNRS. UMR 5292: INSERM, U1028: Lyon Neuroscience Research Center Neuroplasticity and Neuropathology of Olfactory Perception Team, University Lyon, University Lyon1, F-69000, Villeurbanne, France
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25
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Vihani A, Hu XS, Gundala S, Koyama S, Block E, Matsunami H. Semiochemical responsive olfactory sensory neurons are sexually dimorphic and plastic. eLife 2020; 9:e54501. [PMID: 33231170 PMCID: PMC7732343 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how genes and experience work in concert to generate phenotypic variability will provide a better understanding of individuality. Here, we considered this in the main olfactory epithelium, a chemosensory structure with over a thousand distinct cell types in mice. We identified a subpopulation of olfactory sensory neurons, defined by receptor expression, whose abundances were sexually dimorphic. This subpopulation of olfactory sensory neurons was over-represented in sex-separated mice and robustly responsive to sex-specific semiochemicals. Sex-combined housing led to an attenuation of the dimorphic representations. Single-cell sequencing analysis revealed an axis of activity-dependent gene expression amongst a subset of the dimorphic OSN populations. Finally, the pro-apoptotic gene Baxwas necessary to generate the dimorphic representations. Altogether, our results suggest a role of experience and activity in influencing homeostatic mechanisms to generate a robust sexually dimorphic phenotype in the main olfactory epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aashutosh Vihani
- Department of Neurobiology, Neurobiology Graduate Program, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
| | - Xiaoyang Serene Hu
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
| | - Sivaji Gundala
- Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, State University of New YorkAlbanyUnited States
| | - Sachiko Koyama
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences, Indiana UniversityBloomingtonUnited States
| | - Eric Block
- Department of Chemistry, University at Albany, State University of New YorkAlbanyUnited States
| | - Hiroaki Matsunami
- Department of Neurobiology, Neurobiology Graduate Program, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical CenterDurhamUnited States
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
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26
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Abstract
Gonadal hormones contribute to the sexual differentiation of brain and behavior throughout the lifespan, from initial neural patterning to "activation" of adult circuits. Sexual behavior is an ideal system in which to investigate the mechanisms underlying hormonal activation of neural circuits. Sexual behavior is a hormonally regulated, innate social behavior found across species. Although both sexes seek out and engage in sexual behavior, the specific actions involved in mating are sexually dimorphic. Thus, the neural circuits mediating sexual motivation and behavior in males and females are overlapping yet distinct. Furthermore, sexual behavior is strongly dependent on circulating gonadal hormones in both sexes. There has been significant recent progress on elucidating how gonadal hormones modulate physiological properties within sexual behavior circuits with consequences for behavior. Therefore, in this mini-review we review the neural circuits of male and female sexual motivation and behavior, from initial sensory detection of pheromones to the extended amygdala and on to medial hypothalamic nuclei and reward systems. We also discuss how gonadal hormones impact the physiology and functioning of each node within these circuits. By better understanding the myriad of ways in which gonadal hormones impact sexual behavior circuits, we can gain a richer and more complete appreciation for the neural substrates of complex behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly J Jennings
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Luis de Lecea
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California
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27
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Rozenkrantz L, Weissgross R, Weiss T, Ravreby I, Frumin I, Shushan S, Gorodisky L, Reshef N, Holzman Y, Pinchover L, Endevelt-Shapira Y, Mishor E, Soroka T, Finkel M, Tagania L, Ravia A, Perl O, Furman-Haran E, Carp H, Sobel N. Unexplained repeated pregnancy loss is associated with altered perceptual and brain responses to men's body-odor. eLife 2020; 9:e55305. [PMID: 32988456 PMCID: PMC7524551 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian olfaction and reproduction are tightly linked, a link less explored in humans. Here, we asked whether human unexplained repeated pregnancy loss (uRPL) is associated with altered olfaction, and particularly altered olfactory responses to body-odor. We found that whereas most women with uRPL could identify the body-odor of their spouse, most control women could not. Moreover, women with uRPL rated the perceptual attributes of men's body-odor differently from controls. These pronounced differences were accompanied by an only modest albeit significant advantage in ordinary, non-body-odor-related olfaction in uRPL. Next, using structural and functional brain imaging, we found that in comparison to controls, most women with uRPL had smaller olfactory bulbs, yet increased hypothalamic response in association with men's body-odor. These findings combine to suggest altered olfactory perceptual and brain responses in women experiencing uRPL, particularly in relation to men's body-odor. Whether this link has any causal aspects to it remains to be explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liron Rozenkrantz
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Reut Weissgross
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Tali Weiss
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Inbal Ravreby
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Idan Frumin
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Sagit Shushan
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Edith Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Israel
| | - Lior Gorodisky
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Netta Reshef
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yael Holzman
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Liron Pinchover
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yaara Endevelt-Shapira
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Eva Mishor
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Timna Soroka
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Maya Finkel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Liav Tagania
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Aharon Ravia
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ofer Perl
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Edna Furman-Haran
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
- Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Howard Carp
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Noam Sobel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research, Rehovot, Israel
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28
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Imamura F, Ito A, LaFever BJ. Subpopulations of Projection Neurons in the Olfactory Bulb. Front Neural Circuits 2020; 14:561822. [PMID: 32982699 PMCID: PMC7485133 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2020.561822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Generation of neuronal diversity is a biological strategy widely used in the brain to process complex information. The olfactory bulb is the first relay station of olfactory information in the vertebrate central nervous system. In the olfactory bulb, axons of the olfactory sensory neurons form synapses with dendrites of projection neurons that transmit the olfactory information to the olfactory cortex. Historically, the olfactory bulb projection neurons have been classified into two populations, mitral cells and tufted cells. The somata of these cells are distinctly segregated within the layers of the olfactory bulb; the mitral cells are located in the mitral cell layer while the tufted cells are found in the external plexiform layer. Although mitral and tufted cells share many morphological, biophysical, and molecular characteristics, they differ in soma size, projection patterns of their dendrites and axons, and odor responses. In addition, tufted cells are further subclassified based on the relative depth of their somata location in the external plexiform layer. Evidence suggests that different types of tufted cells have distinct cellular properties and play different roles in olfactory information processing. Therefore, mitral and different types of tufted cells are considered as starting points for parallel pathways of olfactory information processing in the brain. Moreover, recent studies suggest that mitral cells also consist of heterogeneous subpopulations with different cellular properties despite the fact that the mitral cell layer is a single-cell layer. In this review, we first compare the morphology of projection neurons in the olfactory bulb of different vertebrate species. Next, we explore the similarities and differences among subpopulations of projection neurons in the rodent olfactory bulb. We also discuss the timing of neurogenesis as a factor for the generation of projection neuron heterogeneity in the olfactory bulb. Knowledge about the subpopulations of olfactory bulb projection neurons will contribute to a better understanding of the complex olfactory information processing in higher brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Imamura
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Ayako Ito
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Brandon J LaFever
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
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29
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Zheng N, Wang ZZ, Wang SW, Yang FJ, Zhu XT, Lu C, Manyande A, Rao XP, Xu FQ. Co-localization of two-color rAAV2-retro confirms the dispersion characteristics of efferent projections of mitral cells in mouse accessory olfactory bulb. Zool Res 2020; 41:148-156. [PMID: 31945810 PMCID: PMC7109009 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), located at the posterior dorsal aspect of the main olfactory bulb (MOB), is the first brain relay of the accessory olfactory system (AOS), which can parallelly detect and process volatile and nonvolatile social chemosignals and mediate different sexual and social behaviors with the main olfactory system (MOS). However, due to its anatomical location and absence of specific markers, there is a lack of research on the internal and external neural circuits of the AOB. This issue was addressed by single-color labeling and fluorescent double labeling using retrograde rAAVs injected into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), anterior cortical amygdalar area (ACo), medial amygdaloid nucleus (MeA), and posteromedial cortical amygdaloid area (PMCo) in mice. We demonstrated the effectiveness of this AOB projection neuron labeling method and showed that the mitral cells of the AOB exhibited efferent projection dispersion characteristics similar to those of the MOB. Moreover, there were significant differences in the number of neurons projected to different brain regions, which indicated that each mitral cell in the AOB could project to a different number of neurons in different cortices. These results provide a circuitry basis to help understand the mechanism by which pheromone information is encoded and decoded in the AOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Zheng
- Center of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhi-Zhong Wang
- Department of Automation, School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, China
| | - Song-Wei Wang
- Department of Automation, School of Electrical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, China
| | - Fang-Jia Yang
- School of Life Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Xu-Tao Zhu
- Center of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China
| | - Chen Lu
- School of Life Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Anne Manyande
- School of Human and Social Sciences, University of West London, Middlesex TW89GA, UK
| | - Xiao-Ping Rao
- Center of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China. E-mail:
| | - Fu-Qiang Xu
- Center of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Divisions of Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China. E-mail:
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30
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Abstract
Killing of unrelated young by sexually naïve male mammals is taxonomically widespread, but in many species, males subsequently show paternal care or at least do not harm their own young. This dramatic and important change is due to a shift in paternal state rather than to recognition of young, the mother or the location in which mating occurred. This transition from infanticidal to paternal behaviour is timed so that the inhibition of infanticide is synchronized with the birth of their own young. Ejaculation followed by cohabitation with the pregnant female causes this transition, but the precise stimuli from the female remain elusive. However, changes in social status also cause changes in infanticide. The switch from infanticide is accompanied by physiological change in the male that can be detected by both females and pups. Hormonal changes have been implicated in the switch but establishing causal links has been difficult. Recent neuroanatomical studies show that pup odours activate the vomeronasal organ and its efferent projections to induce infanticide. The emergence of paternal care depends on the inability of the vomeronasal organ to detect pup odours. In the absence of vomeronasal input, pup odours activate a conserved parental circuit and induce caregiving behaviour. An emerging picture is of complex, antagonistic circuits competing for behavioural expression, which allow for males to commit infanticide when they may benefit from such activity but ensure that they do not damage their fitness by killing their own young. However, we stress the need for more work on the neural mechanisms that mediate this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W. Elwood
- Queen’s University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences, Belfast, U.K
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31
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Cherry JA, Baum MJ. Sex differences in main olfactory system pathways involved in psychosexual function. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2019; 19:e12618. [PMID: 31634411 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
We summarize literature from animal and human studies assessing sex differences in the ability of the main olfactory system to detect and process sex-specific olfactory signals ("pheromones") that control the expression of psychosexual functions in males and females. A case is made in non primate mammals for an obligatory role of pheromonal signaling via the main olfactory system (in addition to the vomeronasal-accessory olfactory system) in mate recognition and sexual arousal, with male-specific as well as female-specific pheromones subserving these functions in the opposite sex. Although the case for an obligatory role of pheromones in mate recognition and mating among old world primates, including humans, is weaker, we review the current literature assessing the role of putative human pheromones (eg, AND, EST, "copulin"), detected by the main olfactory system, in promoting mate choice and mating in men and women. Based on animal studies, we hypothesize that sexually dimorphic effects of putative human pheromones are mediated via main olfactory inputs to the medial amygdala which, in turn, transmits olfactory information to sites in the hypothalamus that regulate reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Cherry
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michael J Baum
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
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32
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Mohrhardt J, Nagel M, Fleck D, Ben-Shaul Y, Spehr M. Signal Detection and Coding in the Accessory Olfactory System. Chem Senses 2019; 43:667-695. [PMID: 30256909 PMCID: PMC6211456 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjy061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In many mammalian species, the accessory olfactory system plays a central role in guiding behavioral and physiological responses to social and reproductive interactions. Because of its relatively compact structure and its direct access to amygdalar and hypothalamic nuclei, the accessory olfactory pathway provides an ideal system to study sensory control of complex mammalian behavior. During the last several years, many studies employing molecular, behavioral, and physiological approaches have significantly expanded and enhanced our understanding of this system. The purpose of the current review is to integrate older and newer studies to present an updated and comprehensive picture of vomeronasal signaling and coding with an emphasis on early accessory olfactory system processing stages. These include vomeronasal sensory neurons in the vomeronasal organ, and the circuitry of the accessory olfactory bulb. Because the overwhelming majority of studies on accessory olfactory system function employ rodents, this review is largely focused on this phylogenetic order, and on mice in particular. Taken together, the emerging view from both older literature and more recent studies is that the molecular, cellular, and circuit properties of chemosensory signaling along the accessory olfactory pathway are in many ways unique. Yet, it has also become evident that, like the main olfactory system, the accessory olfactory system also has the capacity for adaptive learning, experience, and state-dependent plasticity. In addition to describing what is currently known about accessory olfactory system function and physiology, we highlight what we believe are important gaps in our knowledge, which thus define exciting directions for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Mohrhardt
- Department of Chemosensation, Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Maximilian Nagel
- Department of Chemosensation, Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - David Fleck
- Department of Chemosensation, Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Yoram Ben-Shaul
- Department of Medical Neurobiology, School of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Marc Spehr
- Department of Chemosensation, Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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33
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Zhang YH, Tang MM, Guo X, Gao XR, Zhang JH, Zhang JX. Associative learning is necessary for airborne pheromones to activate sexual arousal-linked brain areas of female rats. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2685-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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34
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Dalpian F, Rasia-Filho AA, Calcagnotto ME. Sexual dimorphism, estrous cycle and laterality determine the intrinsic and synaptic properties of medial amygdala neurons in rat. J Cell Sci 2019; 132:jcs.227793. [PMID: 30967401 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.227793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) is a sex steroid-sensitive area that modulates different social behavior by relaying chemosensorial information to hypothalamic nuclei. However, little is known about MePD cell type diversity and functional connectivity. Here, we have characterized neurons and synaptic inputs in the right and left MePD of adult male and cycling female (in diestrus, proestrus or estrus) rats. Based on their electrophysiological properties and morphology, we found two coexisting subpopulations of spiny neurons that are sexually dimorphic. They were classified as Class I (predominantly bitufted-shaped neurons showing irregular spikes with frequency adaptation) or Class II (predominantly stellate-shaped neurons showing full spike frequency adaptation). Furthermore, excitatory and inhibitory inputs onto MePD cells were modulated by sex, estrous cycle and hemispheric lateralization. In the left MePD, there was an overall increase in the excitatory input to neurons of males compared to cycling females. However, in proestrus, the MePD neurons received mainly inhibitory inputs. Our findings indicate the existence of hemispheric lateralization, estrous cycle and sexual dimorphism influences at cellular and synaptic levels in the adult rat MePD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francine Dalpian
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90170-050, Brazil
| | - Alberto A Rasia-Filho
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90170-050, Brazil.,Department of Basic Sciences/Physiology, Federal University of Health Sciences, Porto Alegre, RS 90170-050, Brazil
| | - Maria Elisa Calcagnotto
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90170-050, Brazil .,Neurophysiology and Neurochemistry of Neuronal Excitability and Synaptic Plasticity Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil
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35
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Miles OW, Maren S. Role of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis in PTSD: Insights From Preclinical Models. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:68. [PMID: 31024271 PMCID: PMC6461014 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) afflicts approximately 8% of the United States population and represents a significant public health burden, but the underlying neural mechanisms of this and other anxiety- and stressor-related disorders are largely unknown. Within the last few decades, several preclinical models of PSTD have been developed to help elucidate the mechanisms underlying dysregulated fear states. One brain area that has emerged as a critical mediator of stress-related behavioral processing in both clinical and laboratory settings is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). The BNST is interconnected with essential emotional processing regions, including prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. It is activated by stressor exposure and undergoes neurochemical and morphological alterations as a result of stressor exposure. Stress-related neuro-peptides including corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) are also abundant in the BNST, further implicating an involvement of BNST in stress responses. Behaviorally, the BNST is critical for acquisition and expression of fear and is well positioned to regulate fear relapse after periods of extinction. Here, we consider the role of the BNST in stress and memory processes in the context of preclinical models of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia W. Miles
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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36
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Bayless DW, Yang T, Mason MM, Susanto AAT, Lobdell A, Shah NM. Limbic Neurons Shape Sex Recognition and Social Behavior in Sexually Naive Males. Cell 2019; 176:1190-1205.e20. [PMID: 30712868 PMCID: PMC6453703 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.12.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Revised: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Sexually naive animals have to distinguish between the sexes because they show species-typical interactions with males and females without meaningful prior experience. However, central neural pathways in naive mammals that recognize sex of other individuals remain poorly characterized. We examined the role of the principal component of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNSTpr), a limbic center, in social interactions in mice. We find that activity of aromatase-expressing BNSTpr (AB) neurons appears to encode sex of other animals and subsequent displays of mating in sexually naive males. Silencing these neurons in males eliminates preference for female pheromones and abrogates mating success, whereas activating them even transiently promotes male-male mating. Surprisingly, female AB neurons do not appear to control sex recognition, mating, or maternal aggression. In summary, AB neurons represent sex of other animals and govern ensuing social behaviors in sexually naive males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Bayless
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Taehong Yang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Matthew M Mason
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Albert A T Susanto
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Alexandra Lobdell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Nirao M Shah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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37
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Ye Y, Zhuang Y, Smeets MAM, Zhou W. Human chemosignals modulate emotional perception of biological motion in a sex-specific manner. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 100:246-253. [PMID: 30390523 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 09/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Androsta-4,16,-dien-3-one and estra-1,3,5(10),16-tetraen-3-ol have previously been shown to communicate opposite sex information that is differently effective to the two sex groups. The current study critically examines if the two human steroids could facilitate interactions with potential mates rather than competitors by acting on the recipients' emotional perception in a sex-appropriate manner. Using dynamic point-light displays that portray the gaits of walkers whose emotional states are digitally morphed along the valence and the arousal axes, we show that smelling androstadienone subconsciously biases heterosexual women, but not men, towards perceiving the male, but not female, walkers as happier and more relaxed. By contrast, smelling estratetraenol subconsciously biases heterosexual men, but not women, towards perceiving the female, but not male, walkers as happier and more relaxed. These findings indicate that androstadienone and estratetraenol prime the identification of emotionally receptive states for the potential mates with whom they are associated, in manners contingent upon not only the recipients' own sex but also their sex perception of other individuals that ensure sex-appropriate behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yuan Zhuang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Monique A M Smeets
- Unilever R&D, Vlaardingen, 3133 AT, The Netherlands; Department of Social, Health & Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584 CS, The Netherlands
| | - Wen Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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38
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Carew SJ, Mukherjee B, MacIntyre ITK, Ghosh A, Li S, Kirouac GJ, Harley CW, Yuan Q. Pheromone-Induced Odor Associative Fear Learning in Rats. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17701. [PMID: 30532054 PMCID: PMC6286391 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36023-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Alarm pheromones alert conspecifics to the presence of danger. Can pheromone communication aid in learning specific cues? Such facilitation has an evident evolutionary advantage. We use two associative learning paradigms to test this hypothesis. The first is stressed cage mate-induced conditioning. One pair-housed adult rat received 4 pairings of terpinene + shock over 30 min. Ten minutes after return to the home cage, its companion rat was removed and exposed to terpinene. Single-housed controls were exposed to either terpinene or shock only. Companion rats showed terpinene-specific freezing, which was prevented by β-adrenoceptor blockade. Using Arc to index neuronal activation in response to terpinene re-exposure, stressed cage-mate induced associative learning was measured. Companion rats showed increased neuronal activity in the accessory olfactory bulb, while terpinene + shock-conditioned rats showed increased activity in the main olfactory bulb. Both groups had enhanced activity in the anterior basolateral amygdala and central amygdala. To test involvement of pheromone mediation, in the 2nd paradigm, we paired terpinene with soiled bedding from odor + shock rats or a rat alarm pheromone. Both conditioning increased rats’ freezing to terpinene. Blocking NMDA receptors in the basolateral amygdala prevented odor-specific learning suggesting shock and pheromone-paired pathways converge in the amygdala. An alarm pheromone thus enables cue-specific learning as well as signalling danger.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha J Carew
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Bandhan Mukherjee
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Iain T K MacIntyre
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Abhinaba Ghosh
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Sa Li
- Department of Oral Biology and Psychiatry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, R3E 0W2, Canada
| | - Gilbert J Kirouac
- Department of Oral Biology and Psychiatry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, R3E 0W2, Canada
| | - Carolyn W Harley
- Psychology Department, Faculty of Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Qi Yuan
- Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, A1B 3V6, Canada.
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39
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Schreiber S, Petrasch-Parwez E, Porrmann-Kelterbaum E, Förster E, Epplen JT, Gerding WM. Neurodegeneration in the olfactory bulb and olfactory deficits in the Ccdc66 -/- mouse model for retinal degeneration. IBRO Rep 2018; 5:43-53. [PMID: 30211337 PMCID: PMC6132079 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibror.2018.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ccdc66-deficient (Ccdc66 -/-) mouse model exhibits slow progressive retinal degeneration. It is unclear whether CCDC66 protein also plays a role in the wildtype (WT; Ccdc66 +/+) mouse brain and whether the lack of Ccdc66 gene expression in the Ccdc66 -/- mouse brain may result in morphological and behavioral alterations. CCDC66 protein expression in different brain regions of the adult WT mouse and in whole brain during postnatal development was quantified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Ccdc66 reporter gene expression was visualized by X-gal staining. Selected brain regions were further analyzed by light and electron microscopy. In order to correlate anatomical with behavioral data, an olfactory habituation/dishabituation test was performed. CCDC66 protein was expressed throughout the early postnatal development in the WT mouse brain. In adult mice, the main olfactory bulb exhibited high CCDC66 protein levels comparable to the expression in the retina. Additionally, the Ccdc66 -/- mouse brain showed robust Ccdc66 reporter gene expression especially in adult olfactory bulb glomeruli, the olfactory nerve layer and the olfactory epithelium. Degeneration was detected in the Ccdc66 -/- olfactory bulb glomeruli at advanced age. This degeneration was also reflected in behavioral alterations; compared to the WT, Ccdc66 -/- mice spent significantly less time sniffing at the initial presentation of unknown, neutral odors and barely responded to social odors. Ccdc66 -/- mice develop substantial olfactory nerve fiber degeneration and alteration of olfaction-related behavior at advanced age. Thus, the Ccdc66 -/- mouse model for retinal degeneration adds the possibility to study mechanisms of central nervous system degeneration.
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Key Words
- AG, astroglia
- CTX, cortex
- Ccdc66
- Ccdc66 +/+, WT, wildtype
- Ccdc66 -/-, Ccdc66-deficient
- De, dendrite
- EPL, external plexiform layer
- GAPDH, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
- GL, glomerular layer
- IPL, internal plexiform layer
- M, mitochondrion
- ML, mitral cell layer
- MOB, main olfactory bulb
- Mouse model
- Neurodegeneration
- OE, olfactory epithelium
- ONF, olfactory nerve fibers
- ONL, olfactory nerve layer
- ORN, olfactory receptor neuron(s)
- Olfactory bulb
- P, postnatal day
- PBS, phosphate-buffered saline
- PG, periglomerular cells
- RIPA, radioimmunoprecipitation assay
- RMS, rostral migratory stream
- RP, retinitis pigmentosa
- Retinitis pigmentosa
- SC, supporting cell
- SEZ, subependymal zone
- SVZ, subventricular zone
- gPRA, generalized progressive retinal atrophy
- ioD, integrated optic density
- m, month/s
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Schreiber
- Department of Human Genetics, Ruhr-University, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | | | | | - Eckart Förster
- Department of Neuroanatomy and Molecular Brain Research, Ruhr-University, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Jörg T. Epplen
- Department of Human Genetics, Ruhr-University, 44780 Bochum, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Witten-Herdecke, ZBAF, 58453 Witten, Germany
| | - Wanda M. Gerding
- Department of Human Genetics, Ruhr-University, 44780 Bochum, Germany
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40
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Hodges TE, Louth EL, Bailey CDC, McCormick CM. Adolescent social instability stress alters markers of synaptic plasticity and dendritic structure in the medial amygdala and lateral septum in male rats. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 224:643-659. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-018-1789-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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41
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Ramos MF, Baker J, Atzpodien EA, Bach U, Brassard J, Cartwright J, Farman C, Fishman C, Jacobsen M, Junker-Walker U, Kuper F, Moreno MCR, Rittinghausen S, Schafer K, Tanaka K, Teixeira L, Yoshizawa K, Zhang H. Nonproliferative and Proliferative Lesions of the Ratand Mouse Special Sense Organs(Ocular [eye and glands], Olfactory and Otic). J Toxicol Pathol 2018; 31:97S-214S. [PMID: 30158741 PMCID: PMC6108092 DOI: 10.1293/tox.31.97s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Julia Baker
- Member of eye subgroup
- Charles River Laboratories, Inc., Frederick, MD, USA
| | | | - Ute Bach
- Member of eye subgroup
- Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Cindy Fishman
- Member of eye subgroup
- Member of glands of the eye subgroup
- GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Frieke Kuper
- Member of olfactory subgroup
- Retired; formerly The Netherlands Organization for Applied
Scientific Research (TNO), Zeist, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Ken Schafer
- Member of eye subgroup
- Member of otic subgroup
- Vet Path Services, Inc., Mason, OH, USA
| | - Kohji Tanaka
- Member of eye subgroup
- Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim, Japan
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42
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Beny-Shefer Y, Zilkha N, Lavi-Avnon Y, Bezalel N, Rogachev I, Brandis A, Dayan M, Kimchi T. Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine Signaling Regulates Sexual Preference for Females in Male Mice. Cell Rep 2018; 21:3079-3088. [PMID: 29241537 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.11.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2017] [Revised: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual preference for the opposite sex is a fundamental behavior underlying reproductive success, but the neural mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we examined the role of dopamine signaling in the nucleus accumbens core (NAcc) in governing chemosensory-mediated preference for females in TrpC2-/- and wild-type male mice. TrpC2-/- males, deficient in VNO-mediated signaling, do not display mating or olfactory preference toward females. We found that, during social interaction with females, TrpC2-/- males do not show increased NAcc dopamine levels, observed in wild-type males. Optogenetic stimulation of VTA-NAcc dopaminergic neurons in TrpC2-/- males during exposure to a female promoted preference response to female pheromones and elevated copulatory behavior toward females. Additionally, we found that signaling through the D1 receptor in the NAcc is necessary for the olfactory preference for female-soiled bedding. Our study establishes a critical role for the mesolimbic dopaminergic system in governing pheromone-mediated responses and mate choice in male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamit Beny-Shefer
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Noga Zilkha
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yael Lavi-Avnon
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Nadav Bezalel
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ilana Rogachev
- Biological Services Unit, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Alexander Brandis
- Biological Services Unit, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Molly Dayan
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Tali Kimchi
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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43
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Holy TE. The Accessory Olfactory System: Innately Specialized or Microcosm of Mammalian Circuitry? Annu Rev Neurosci 2018; 41:501-525. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-080317-061916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, the accessory olfactory system is a distinct circuit that has received attention for its role in detecting and responding to pheromones. While the neuroscientific investigation of this system is comparatively new, recent advances and its compact size have made it an attractive model for developing an end-to-end understanding of such questions as regulation of essential behaviors, plasticity, and individual recognition. Recent discoveries have indicated a need to reevaluate our conception of this system, suggesting that ( a) physical principles—rather than biological necessity—play an underappreciated role in its raison d'être and that ( b) the anatomy of downstream projections is not dominated by unique specializations but instead consists of an abbreviated cortical/basal ganglia motif reminiscent of other sensorimotor systems. These observations suggest that the accessory olfactory system distinguishes itself primarily by the physicochemical properties of its ligands, but its architecture is otherwise a microcosm of mammalian neurocircuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy E. Holy
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
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44
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Wacker D, Ludwig M. The role of vasopressin in olfactory and visual processing. Cell Tissue Res 2018; 375:201-215. [PMID: 29951699 PMCID: PMC6335376 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2867-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Neural vasopressin is a potent modulator of behaviour in vertebrates. It acts at both sensory processing regions and within larger regulatory networks to mediate changes in social recognition, affiliation, aggression, communication and other social behaviours. There are multiple populations of vasopressin neurons within the brain, including groups in olfactory and visual processing regions. Some of these vasopressin neurons, such as those in the main and accessory olfactory bulbs, anterior olfactory nucleus, piriform cortex and retina, were recently identified using an enhanced green fluorescent protein-vasopressin (eGFP-VP) transgenic rat. Based on the interconnectivity of vasopressin-producing and sensitive brain areas and in consideration of autocrine, paracrine and neurohormone-like actions associated with somato-dendritic release, we discuss how these different neuronal populations may interact to impact behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas Wacker
- School of STEM (Division of Biological Sciences), University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, WA, USA.
| | - Mike Ludwig
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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45
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Russo C, Russo A, Pellitteri R, Stanzani S. Ghrelin-containing neurons in the olfactory bulb send collateralized projections into medial amygdaloid and arcuate hypothalamic nuclei: neuroanatomical study. Exp Brain Res 2018; 236:2223-2229. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-018-5298-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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46
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Semple E, Hill JW. Sim1 Neurons Are Sufficient for MC4R-Mediated Sexual Function in Male Mice. Endocrinology 2018; 159:439-449. [PMID: 29059347 PMCID: PMC5761591 DOI: 10.1210/en.2017-00488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Sexual dysfunction is a poorly understood condition that affects up to one-third of men around the world. Existing treatments that target the periphery do not work for all men. Previous studies have shown that central melanocortins, which are released by pro-opiomelanocortin neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, can lead to male erection and increased libido. Several studies specifically implicate the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) in the central control of sexual function, but the specific neural circuitry involved is unknown. We hypothesized that single-minded homolog 1 (Sim1) neurons play an important role in the melanocortin-mediated regulation of male sexual behavior. To test this hypothesis, we examined the sexual behavior of mice expressing MC4R only on Sim1-positive neurons (tbMC4Rsim1 mice) in comparison with tbMC4R null mice and wild-type controls. In tbMC4Rsim1 mice, MC4R reexpression was found in the medial amygdala and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. These mice were paired with sexually experienced females, and their sexual function and behavior was scored based on mounting, intromission, and ejaculation. tbMC4R null mice showed a longer latency to mount, a reduced intromission efficiency, and an inability to reach ejaculation. Expression of MC4R only on Sim1 neurons reversed the sexual deficits seen in tbMC4R null mice. This study implicates melanocortin signaling via the MC4R on Sim1 neurons in the central control of male sexual behavior.
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MESH Headings
- Amygdala/drug effects
- Amygdala/metabolism
- Amygdala/pathology
- Animals
- Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus/drug effects
- Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus/metabolism
- Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus/pathology
- Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Copulation/drug effects
- Crosses, Genetic
- Fertility Agents, Male/administration & dosage
- Fertility Agents, Male/therapeutic use
- Heterozygote
- Infertility, Male/drug therapy
- Infertility, Male/metabolism
- Infertility, Male/pathology
- Injections, Intraventricular
- Male
- Mice, Knockout
- Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics
- Nerve Tissue Proteins/metabolism
- Neurons/drug effects
- Neurons/metabolism
- Neurons/pathology
- Organ Specificity
- Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/drug effects
- Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/metabolism
- Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/pathology
- Random Allocation
- Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4/genetics
- Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4/metabolism
- Repressor Proteins/metabolism
- Sexual Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- alpha-MSH/administration & dosage
- alpha-MSH/therapeutic use
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Semple
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, Ohio 43606
| | - Jennifer W. Hill
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, Ohio 43606
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47
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Hashikawa Y, Hashikawa K, Falkner AL, Lin D. Ventromedial Hypothalamus and the Generation of Aggression. Front Syst Neurosci 2017; 11:94. [PMID: 29375329 PMCID: PMC5770748 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2017.00094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggression is a costly behavior, sometimes with severe consequences including death. Yet aggression is prevalent across animal species ranging from insects to humans, demonstrating its essential role in the survival of individuals and groups. The question of how the brain decides when to generate this costly behavior has intrigued neuroscientists for over a century and has led to the identification of relevant neural substrates. Various lesion and electric stimulation experiments have revealed that the hypothalamus, an ancient structure situated deep in the brain, is essential for expressing aggressive behaviors. More recently, studies using precise circuit manipulation tools have identified a small subnucleus in the medial hypothalamus, the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl), as a key structure for driving both aggression and aggression-seeking behaviors. Here, we provide an updated summary of the evidence that supports a role of the VMHvl in aggressive behaviors. We will consider our recent findings detailing the physiological response properties of populations of VMHvl cells during aggressive behaviors and provide new understanding regarding the role of the VMHvl embedded within the larger whole-brain circuit for social sensation and action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiko Hashikawa
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Koichi Hashikawa
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Annegret L Falkner
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
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48
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Muroi Y, Nishimura M, Ishii T. The Accessory Olfactory System Facilitates the Recovery of the Attraction to Familiar Volatile Female Odors in Male Mice. Chem Senses 2017; 42:737-745. [PMID: 28968801 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjx045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Odors in female mice induce sexual arousal in male mice. Repeated exposure to female odors attenuates male attraction, which recovers when the odors are removed. The neuronal mechanisms for the recovery of male attraction have not been clarified. In this study, we examined how olfactory systems are involved in the recovery of male attraction to female odors following habituation in mice. Presentation with volatile female odors for 5 min induced habituation in males. To evaluate male attraction to familiar volatile female odors, we measured the duration for investigating volatile female odors from the same female mouse, which was presented twice for 5 min with 1-, 3-, or 5-min interval. Intranasal irrigation with ZnSO4 solution almost completely suppressed investigating behavior, indicating that the main olfactory system is indispensable for inducing the attraction to volatile female odors. In contrast, removal of the vomeronasal organ, bilateral lesions of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), or pharmacological blockage of neurotransmission in the AOB did not affect the investigation time at the first odor presentation. However, each one of the treatments decreased the investigation time in the second presentation, compared to that in the first presentation, at longer intervals than control treatment, indicating that the disturbance of neurotransmission in the accessory olfactory system delayed the recovery of the attraction attenuated by the first presentation. These results suggest that the accessory olfactory system facilitates the recovery of the attraction to familiar volatile female odors in male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshikage Muroi
- Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
| | - Masakazu Nishimura
- Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Ishii
- Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
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Vargas-Barroso V, Peña-Ortega F, Larriva-Sahd JA. Olfaction and Pheromones: Uncanonical Sensory Influences and Bulbar Interactions. Front Neuroanat 2017; 11:108. [PMID: 29187814 PMCID: PMC5695156 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2017.00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The rodent main and accessory olfactory systems (AOS) are considered functionally and anatomically segregated information-processing pathways. Each system is devoted to the detection of volatile odorants and pheromones, respectively. However, a growing number of evidences supports a cooperative interaction between them. For instance, at least four non-canonical receptor families (i.e., different from olfactory and vomeronasal receptor families) have been recently discovered. These atypical receptor families are expressed in the sensory organs of the nasal cavity and furnish parallel processing-pathways that detect specific stimuli and mediate specific behaviors as well. Aside from the receptor and functional diversity of these sensory modalities, they converge into a poorly understood bulbar area at the intersection of the main- main olfactory bulb (MOB) and accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) that has been termed olfactory limbus (OL). Given the intimate association the OL with specialized glomeruli (i.e., necklace and modified glomeruli) receiving uncanonical sensory afferences and its interactions with the MOB and AOB, the possibility that OL is a site of non-olfactory and atypical vomeronasal sensory decoding is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Víctor Vargas-Barroso
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Fernando Peña-Ortega
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Jorge A Larriva-Sahd
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
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Pardo-Bellver C, Martínez-Bellver S, Martínez-García F, Lanuza E, Teruel-Martí V. Synchronized Activity in The Main and Accessory Olfactory Bulbs and Vomeronasal Amygdala Elicited by Chemical Signals in Freely Behaving Mice. Sci Rep 2017; 7:9924. [PMID: 28855563 PMCID: PMC5577179 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10089-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemosensory processing in mammals involves the olfactory and vomeronasal systems, but how the activity of both circuits is integrated is unknown. In our study, we recorded the electrophysiological activity in the olfactory bulbs and the vomeronasal amygdala in freely behaving mice exploring a battery of neutral and conspecific stimuli. The exploration of stimuli, including a neutral stimulus, induced synchronic activity in the olfactory bulbs characterized by a dominant theta rhythmicity, with specific theta-gamma coupling, distinguishing between vomeronasal and olfactory structures. The correlated activation of the bulbs suggests a coupling between the stimuli internalization in the nasal cavity and the vomeronasal pumping. In the amygdala, male stimuli are preferentially processed in the medial nucleus, whereas female cues induced a differential response in the posteromedial cortical amygdala. Thus, particular theta-gamma patterns in the olfactory network modulates the integration of chemosensory information in the amygdala, allowing the selection of an appropriate behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecília Pardo-Bellver
- Department of de Biologia Cellular, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain.,Laboratori de Circuits Neurals, Department of d'Anatomia i Embriologia Humana, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Sergio Martínez-Bellver
- Laboratori de Circuits Neurals, Department of d'Anatomia i Embriologia Humana, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Fernando Martínez-García
- Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Jaume I. Castelló de la Plana, Castelló, Spain
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Department of de Biologia Cellular, Facultat de Ciències Biològiques, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Vicent Teruel-Martí
- Laboratori de Circuits Neurals, Department of d'Anatomia i Embriologia Humana, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain.
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