OXYTOCIN & SOCIAL ATTACHMENT

该项目的目标是研究中枢催产素的作用。 调节社会依恋的途径。本项目使用 分子、细胞和行为技术，重点是 一夫一妻制的哺乳动物。这项研究主要集中在啮齿动物上， 比较一夫一妻制和非一夫一妻制物种以及发展 转基因小鼠。主要发现是催产素受体 似乎以明显不同的模式分布在 种类不同，导致多肽的功能效应不同。在……里面 一夫一妻制的草原田鼠，催产素对配对有重要作用 凝聚力。受体分布上的物种差异不是 与受体基因编码序列的变异有关 但可能是由于启动子的广泛变异所致。最近， 对猴子的解剖学和分子研究已经进行过。 来研究人类的大脑。恒河猴的作图研究 已经在子宫中发现了催产素受体，但未能检测到 使用结合技术或聚合酶在大脑中的这种受体 连锁反应。一种相关的受体--V1a受体已被发现 在恒河猴前脑的特定区域，结合和原位 杂交，并根据其表达模式，可能有一个 在记忆中扮演重要的角色。这项研究的最终目的是 识别依恋行为的神经回路，提供 人类社会性障碍研究领域的潜力图 依恋，如自闭症。

The goal of this project is to study the role of central oxytocin pathways in the mediation of social attachment. This project uses molecular, cellular, and behavioral techniques with a focus on monogamous mammals. This research has focused primarily on rodents, comparing monogamous and non-monogamous species as well as developing transgenic mice. The major finding is that the oxytocin receptor appears to be distributed in markedly different patterns across species, leading to different functional effects of the peptide. In the monogamous prairie vole, oxytocin has an important role for pair bonding. The species differences in receptor distribution are not associated with variations in the coding sequence of the receptor gene but may be due to extensive variation in the promoter. Recently, anatomic and molecular studies in monkeys have been undertaken prior to investigating the human brain. Mapping studies in rhesus monkey have identified an oxytocin receptor in the u terus but fail to detect this receptor in brain using either binding techniques or polymerase chain reaction. A related receptor, the V1a receptor, has been found in select regions of the rhesus forebrain with binding and in situ hybridization and, based on its pattern of expression, may have an important role in memory. The ultimate purpose of this research is to identify the neural circuitry for attachment behavior, providing a potential map of areas for study in human disorders of social attachment, such as autism.