OXYTOCIN, VASOPRESSIN & SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN NON HUMAN PRIMATES

最近的几项研究表明，中枢催产素和 加压素途径对典型的群居物种很重要 啮齿动物的行为。这项提议将这项工作扩展到非人类 灵长类动物的催产素和后叶加压素 社交异常的恒河猴。拟议的研究将表现出 这些猴子的社会和认知缺陷，调查 中枢给药激动剂和拮抗剂的影响，以及在 尸检，评估催产素和加压素的功能 细胞和分子技术。因为许多行为缺陷 在这些社交异常的猴子身上，有相似的核心特征 自闭症和精神分裂症的缺陷综合征，结果来自 拟议的研究可能会提供病理生理方面的见解和新的 这些治疗的药物--难治性综合症。

Several recent studies have demonstrated that central oxytocin and vasopressin pathways are important for species typical social behaviors in rodents. This proposal extends this work to non-human primates by investigating oxytocin and vasopressin in both normal and socially abnormal rhesus monkeys. Proposed studies will characterize the social and cognitive deficits in these monkeys, investigate the influence of centrally administered agonists and antagonists, and in post-mortem studies, assess oxytocin and vasopressin function with cellular and molecular techniques. As many of the behavioral deficits in these socially abnormal monkeys resemble the core features of autism and the deficit syndrome of schizophrenia, the results from the proposed studies may provide pathophysiologic insights and novel medications for these treatment-refractory syndromes.