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- Stagkourakis, S, et al.
(författare)
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Maternal Aggression Driven by the Transient Mobilisation of a Dormant Hormone-Sensitive Circuit
- 2024
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Ingår i: bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology. - : Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aggression - a sexually dimorphic behavior, is prevalent in males and typically absent in virgin females. Following parturition, however, the transient expression of aggression in adult females ensures the pups’ defense from predators and infanticide. While maternal hormones are known to elicit nursing, whether they play a role in the expression of maternal aggression remains unknown. Here we show that a molecularly defined subset of ventral premammillary (PMvDAT) neurons, instrumental for intermale aggression, switch into a hyperexcitable state during lactation. We identify that the maternal hormones prolactin and oxytocin excite these cells, an effect mediated through T-type Ca2+channels. Optogenetic manipulation or genetic ablation of PMvDATneurons profoundly affects maternal aggression, while activation of these neurons impairs the expression of non-aggression-related behaviors. This work identifies a monomorphic neural substrate that incorporates hormonal cues to enable the transient expression of a dormant behavioral program in adult females.Graphical abstractIn BriefMaternal hormones activate a subset of hypothalamic “aggression neurons”, which are required for the transient expression of maternal aggression during lactation.HighlightsQuiescent PMvDATneurons in female mice become hyperexcitable in lactating dams.Manipulation of PMvDATcell activity bidirectionally regulates maternal aggression.The maternal hormones prolactin and oxytocin excite PMvDATcells.Activation of PMvDATneurons impairs the expression of non-aggression-related behavioral programs.
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| 2. |
- Bimpisidis, Zisis, et al.
(författare)
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The NeuroD6 Subtype of VTA Neurons Contributes to Psychostimulant Sensitization and Behavioral Reinforcement
- 2019
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Ingår i: eNeuro. - : SOC NEUROSCIENCE. - 2373-2822. ; 6:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reward-related behavior is complex and its dysfunction correlated with neuropsychiatric illness. Dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) have long been associated with different aspects of reward function, but it remains to be disentangled how distinct VTA DA neurons contribute to the full range of behaviors ascribed to the VTA. Here, a recently identified subtype of VTA neurons molecularly defined by NeuroD6 (NEX1M) was addressed. Among all VTA DA neurons, less than 15% were identified as positive for NeuroD6. In addition to dopaminergic markers, sparse NeuroD6 neurons expressed the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) gene. To achieve manipulation of NeuroD6 VTA neurons, NeuroD6(NEX)-Cre-driven mouse genetics and optogenetics were implemented. First, expression of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) was ablated to disrupt dopaminergic function in NeuroD6 VTA neurons. Comparing Vmat2(Cre)(lox/lox;NEX-) conditional knock-out (cKO) mice with littermate controls, it was evident that baseline locomotion, preference for sugar and ethanol, and place preference upon amphetamine-induced and cocaine-induced conditioning were similar between genotypes. However, locomotion upon repeated psychostimulant administration was significantly elevated above control levels in cKO mice. Second, optogenetic activation of NEX-Cre VTA neurons was shown to induce DA release and glutamatergic postsynaptic currents within the nucleus accumbens. Third, optogenetic stimulation of NEX-Cre VTA neurons in vivo induced significant place preference behavior, while stimulation of VTA neurons defined by Calretinin failed to cause a similar response. The results show that NeuroD6 VTA neurons exert distinct regulation over specific aspects of reward-related behavior, findings that contribute to the current understanding of VTA neurocircuitry.
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| 5. |
- Stagkourakis, Stefanos, et al.
(författare)
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A Neuro-hormonal Circuit for Paternal Behavior Controlled by a Hypothalamic Network Oscillation
- 2020
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Ingår i: Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 0092-8674 .- 1097-4172. ; 182:4, s. 960-975
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Parental behavior is pervasive throughout the animal kingdom and essential for species survival. However, the relative contribution of the father to offspring care differs markedly across animals, even between related species. The mechanisms that organize and control paternal behavior remain poorly understood. Using Sprague-Dawley rats and C57BL/6 mice, two species at opposite ends of the paternal spectrum, we identified that distinct electrical oscillation patterns in neuroendocrine dopamine neurons link to a chain of low dopamine release, high circulating prolactin, prolactin receptor-dependent activation of medial preoptic area galanin neurons, and paternal care behavior in male mice. In rats, the same parameters exhibit inverse profiles. Optogenetic manipulation of these rhythms in mice dramatically shifted serum prolactin and paternal behavior, whereas injecting prolactin into non-paternal rat sires triggered expression of parental care. These findings identify a frequency-tuned brain-endocrine-brain circuit that can act as a gain control system determining a species' parental strategy.
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