Valence Coding and Regulation of Approach-Avoidance in Social and Asocial Species

社会性和非社会性物种的接近回避的价编码和调节

• 批准号: 7225544
• 负责人: JAMES L GOODSON
• 金额: $ 3.75万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2000
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2000-12-15 至 2007-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7225544
• 关键词: Valence; Coding; Regulation; Approach; Avoidance

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Numerous lines of evidence suggest that the extended medial amygdala (MeA) mediates both approach and avoidance aspects of behavior. However, specific neuronal populations have not previously been identified that respond selectively to social stimuli that are of a positive or negative valence. The identification and investigation of valence-sensitive amygdalar neurons would provide novel information about normative regulation of approach-avoidance behavior and sociality, and would generate important insights into mechanisms that may underlie social anxiety and clinically-relevant deficits in social behavior. During the initial funding period for this grant, we established a research program to examine neural mechanisms of sociality, using five finch species that differ strongly in their species-typical group sizes (the species are territorial, modestly gregarious, or highly colonial), but not in other important ways (e.g., all of the species are monogamous). This system is providing numerous insights into the mechanisms of sociality, and we have now clearly established that valence sensitivity (selectiveness for positive stimuli) is exhibited by vasotocin- immunoreactive (VT-ir) neurons in the medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTm; a component of the extended MeA). Response profiles of these neurons also differ in relation to species-typical group size, such that same-sex conspecific stimuli elicit stronger responses in gregarious species than in territorial species. Homologous neurons are found in virtually all land vertebrates, including humans. The experiments proposed here will further elucidate functional properties of valence-sensitive VT neurons, and will seek to identify and characterize BSTm neurons hypothesized to exhibit a sensitivity to negative valence. We will also address the general hypotheses that 1) dopamine (DA) inputs influence socially-elicited responses of VT neurons, and 2) DA and VT interact to regulate approach-avoidance. As with VT, DA is known to influence a wide range of social behaviors, and DA plays a major role in generating positive affective states. We will employ a diversity of approaches, including the use of DA lesions, administrations of agonists and antagonists, extensive behavioral assessments, and analyses of Fos induction (inclusive of multi-labeling with VT and TH). We additionally propose the development of VT RNA interference that will enable us to specifically knock down VT production, thus allowing the functional investigation of specific VT cell groups.

描述(由申请人提供)：大量证据表明，延伸的杏仁内侧核(MEA)调节行为的接近和回避方面。然而，以前还没有发现特定的神经元群体对正价或负价的社会刺激做出选择性反应。对杏仁核价敏感神经元的识别和研究将提供有关接近回避行为和社会性的规范调控的新信息，并将对可能导致社交焦虑和社交行为临床相关缺陷的机制产生重要的见解。在这笔资金的最初资助期间，我们建立了一个研究项目来检验社会性的神经机制，使用了五种在物种上有很大差异的雀类物种-典型的群体规模(物种是地域性的、适度群居的或高度殖民的)，但在其他重要方面没有(例如，所有的物种都是一夫一妻制的)。这个系统提供了许多关于社会性机制的见解，我们现在已经清楚地确定，价敏感性(对积极刺激的选择性)是由终纹内侧床核(BSTm；扩展的mea的一个组成部分)中的血管催产素免疫反应(VT-ir)神经元表现出来的。这些神经元的反应谱也因物种典型的群体大小而不同，因此同性同种刺激在群居物种中比在区域物种中引起更强的反应。几乎所有陆地脊椎动物都有同源神经元，包括人类。这里提出的实验将进一步阐明价敏感的VT神经元的功能特性，并将寻求识别和表征假想的对负价敏感的BSTm神经元。我们还将讨论这样的一般假设：1)多巴胺(DA)输入影响VT神经元的社会诱发反应，2)DA和VT相互作用调节接近回避。与VT一样，DA可以影响广泛的社会行为，DA在产生积极情感状态方面发挥着重要作用。我们将采用不同的方法，包括使用DA损毁，给药激动剂和拮抗剂，广泛的行为评估，以及Fos诱导的分析(包括VT和TH的多重标记)。此外，我们还建议开发VT RNA干扰，使我们能够特异性地抑制VT的产生，从而能够对特定的VT细胞组进行功能研究。