Neurobiology of Social Behavior

社会行为神经生物学

基本信息

批准号：
6369858
负责人：
H. Elliott Albers
金额：
$ 27.91万
依托单位：
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2001
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2001-07-01 至 2006-06-30
项目状态：
已结题

项目摘要

This project will investigate the neural and endocrine mechanisms that control social behavior in Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). There is a substantial body of evidence that the actions of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) within a zone that extends from the medial preoptic area to the anterior hypothalamus (referred to as the MPOA-AH) plays a critical role in the expression of a form of scent marking called flank marking as well as aggression. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms controlling social behaviors like flank marking and aggression requires definition of the neural/hormonal mechanisms that control these behaviors as well as how experience changes these mechanisms so that these behaviors are continuously adjusted to the changing environment. The proposed experiments will test the working hypothesis that experience alters the expression of flank marking and aggression by its effects on AVP receptors within the MPOA-AH. This hypothesis will be tested by examining the effects of two types of experience that have significant, yet very different effects on scent marking and aggression. First, we will determine whether social experience (i.e. prior agonistic encounters) alters these receptors and will test the prediction that a testosterone-dependent as well as a testosterone-independent mechanism mediates these effects. Second, we will determine whether environmental experience (i.e. exposure to winter-like short photoperiods) alters these receptors and will test the prediction that a testosterone-independent mechanism mediates these effects. We believe that analysis of the effects of such different types of experience on these AVP receptors will provide a rigorous initial test of our hypothesis that these receptors represent a critical regulatory site in the control of scent marking and aggression. These data should provide new insights into the basic principles that govern how neural and endocrine mechanisms control complex social behaviors. This information is critically important for understanding the etiology of a variety of behavioral and emotional disorders as well as the development of new treatments for these disorders.

该项目将研究控制叙利亚仓鼠（Mesocricetus auratus）的社会行为的神经和内分泌机制。有大量证据表明，精氨酸 - 瓦苏封发素（AVP）在从内侧前区域延伸到前下丘脑（称为MPOA-AH）的区域在称为侧翼标记的气味标记形式的表达中起着至关重要的作用。了解控制社会行为等神经生物学机制，例如侧面标记和侵略性，需要定义控制这些行为的神经/荷尔蒙机制，以及经验如何改变这些机制，以使这些行为可以连续调整到不断变化的环境。提出的实验将测试工作假设，即经历通过其对MPOA-AH内AVP受体的影响来改变侧面标记和攻击的表达。该假设将通过检查两种类型的经验的影响，这些经验对气味标记和攻击具有很大的影响。首先，我们将确定社交经验（即先前的激动遭遇）是否改变了这些受体，并将测试以下预测：睾丸激素依赖性和睾丸激素独立的机制介导了这些作用。其次，我们将确定环境经验（即暴露于冬季的短光周期）是否改变了这些受体，并将测试与睾丸激素无关机制介导这些作用的预测。我们认为，对这种不同类型的经验对这些AVP受体的影响的分析将对我们的假设进行严格的初步检验，即这些受体代表了控制气味和侵略性的关键调节位点。这些数据应提供有关控制神经和内分泌机制如何控制复杂社会行为的基本原理的新见解。这些信息对于理解各种行为和情绪障碍的病因以及这些疾病的新疗法的发展至关重要。