Understanding the central embryonic vasopressin system

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PROJECT SUMMARY Compelling evidence suggests that the central embryonic vasopressin system has a role to play in sex-specific brain development and subsequent behavior. The vasopressin system is present and functional during embryonic development, with sex differences in the expression of the ligand. However, very little is known about the structure or function of this system. Thus, the working hypothesis of this R15 proposal is that the central embryonic vasopressin system, and specifically vasopressin 1a receptor signaling, directly contributes to the development of the neural circuitry that supports social behavior in females and males. To test this hypothesis three specific aims are proposed. The first aim will define the structural details of the developing vasopressin system in females and males. The second aim will determine how embryonic vasopressin receptor signaling impacts female and male brain development. The third aim will establish that embryonic vasopressin receptor signaling has sex-specific effects on social behavior. The proposed research is scientifically important because understanding how the embryonic vasopressin system affects sex-specific brain development and social behavior in mice has implications for humans. Specifically, several neuropsychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental origins, many of which have a known sex-bias skewed towards males, are associated with impairments in social behaviors that have been linked to the vasopressin system. Thus, the data generated from the proposed experiments will provide critical insights into some of the shared origins of these disorders and will move us closer to more targeted interventions.