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Hale LH, Tickerhoof MC, Smith AS. Chronic intranasal oxytocin reverses stress-induced social avoidance in female prairie voles. Neuropharmacology 2021; 198:108770. [PMID: 34461067 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a prevalent mental illness in both men and women, but current treatment approaches with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) have limited success. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) has become a therapeutic target due to its prosocial and anxiolytic effects. Nevertheless, no research has focused on the impact of chronic OXT treatment in animal models of SAD. Social defeat stress is an animal model of social conflict that reliably induces a social avoidance phenotype, reflecting symptoms observed in individuals suffering from SAD. Here, we used the socially monogamous prairie vole, which exhibits aggressive behavior in both sexes, to examine the effects of OXT and SSRI treatment following social defeat stress in males and females. Defeated voles became avoidant in unfamiliar social situations as early as one day after defeat experience, and this phenotype persisted for at least eight weeks. OXT receptor (OXTR) binding in mesocorticolimbic and paralimbic regions was reduced in defeated females during the eight-week recovery period. In males, serotonin 1A receptor binding was decreased in the basolateral amygdala and dorsal raphe nucleus starting at one week and four weeks post-defeat, respectively. Chronic intranasal treatment with OXT had a negative effect on sociability and mesolimbic OXTR binding in non-defeated females. However, chronic intranasal OXT promoted social engagement and increased mesolimbic OXTR binding in defeated females but not males. SSRI treatment led to only modest effects. This study identifies a sex-specific and stress-dependent function of intranasal OXT on mesolimbic OXTR and social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luanne H Hale
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmacy School, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Maria C Tickerhoof
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmacy School, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Adam S Smith
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmacy School, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
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Cymerblit-Sabba A, Smith AS, Williams Avram SK, Stackmann M, Korgan AC, Tickerhoof MC, Young WS. Inducing Partner Preference in Mice by Chemogenetic Stimulation of CA2 Hippocampal Subfield. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:61. [PMID: 32390799 PMCID: PMC7192236 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.00061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Social recognition is fundamental for social decision making and the establishment of long-lasting affiliative behaviors in behaviorally complex social groups. It is a critical step in establishing a selective preference for a social partner or group member. C57BL/6J lab mice do not form monogamous relationships, and typically do not show prolonged social preferences for familiar mice. The CA2 hippocampal subfield plays a crucial role in social memory and optogenetic stimulation of inputs to the dorsal CA2 field during a short memory acquisition period can enhance and extend social memories in mice. Here, we show that partner preference in mice can be induced by chemogenetic selective stimulation of the monosynaptic projections from the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) to the CA2 during the cohabitation period. Specifically, male mice spend more time in social contact, grooming and huddling with the partner compared to a novel female. Preference was not induced by prolonging the cohabitation period and allowing more time for social interactions and males to sire pups with the familiar female. These results suggest that PVN-to-CA2 projections are part of an evolutionarily conserved neural circuitry underlying the formation of social preference and may promote behavioral changes with appropriate stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adi Cymerblit-Sabba
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Adam S. Smith
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Sarah K. Williams Avram
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Systems Neuroscience Imaging Resource, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Michelle Stackmann
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Neurobiology and Behavior Program, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Austin C. Korgan
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Center for Alzheimer and Dementia Research, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, United States
| | - Maria C. Tickerhoof
- Neuroscience Program, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - W. Scott Young
- Section on Neural Gene Expression, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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Abstract
The prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) is a socially monogamous rodent species that forms a lasting connection between mates, known as a pair bond. The pair bond is primarily characterized by three distinct behaviors: partner preference, selective aggression, and biparental care of the young. The presence of these behaviors in the prairie vole and their absence in closely related non-monogamous species makes the prairie vole an important model of social relationships and facilitates the study of the neurobiological mechanisms of social affiliation and attachment. The nona-peptide arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is an important neuromodulator of social behavior and has been implicated in the regulation of the pair bond-related behaviors of the prairie vole, through activation of the AVP receptor subtype 1a (AVPR1a). Modulation of AVPR1a activity in different regions of the prairie vole brain impacts pair bond behavior, suggesting a role of AVP in neurocircuitry responsible for the regulation of social attachment. This review will discuss findings that have suggested the role of AVP in regulation of the pair bond-related behaviors of the prairie vole and the specific brain regions through which AVP acts to impact these unique behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C. Tickerhoof
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Adam S. Smith
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
- *Correspondence: Adam S. Smith,
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