Cross-Generational Transmission of Aggression: Behavioral, Hormonal and Neural Mechanisms

该项目的目标是研究通过表观遗传机制在高度父性和攻击性小鼠身上传播攻击性的行为和神经内分泌机制。父亲在影响子女在发育过程中的攻击性方面可能特别重要，也许比母亲更重要。这个过程通过父亲的行为发生，比如取回幼崽，这会增加成年后代的攻击性水平。此外，父亲的行为会导致神经系统中神经肽加压素分布的长期变化，这可能会影响父亲的攻击性行为和父亲行为。将对一系列行为、生理和神经机制进行测试，以确定是否参与了攻击性和父性行为的世代传播。睾丸激素和黄体酮等激素可能参与对社会环境的反应，并可能与参与攻击性行为和父母行为的大脑区域网络相互作用。这项研究将帮助我们理解在行为和细胞水平上跨代传播社会行为的一些基本机制。总体而言，对父母行为对后代行为发展产生长期、非遗传影响的行为和生物学机制缺乏了解。此外，在人类和动物研究中，父亲的行为对后代的影响比母亲的行为受到的关注要少得多。这项拟议的研究为学生提供了一个获得广泛培训经验的机会，将动物行为与行为内分泌学联系起来。该项目将为本科生和研究生提供独特的研究机会，并将促进对代表性不足的少数民族的培训。

The goal of this project is to investigate the behavioral and neuroendocrine mechanisms that propagate aggression across generations through epigenetic mechanisms in a highly paternal and aggressive mouse. Fathers may be particularly important for impacting aggression of offspring during development and perhaps more so than mothers. This process occurs through paternal behaviors such as retrieval of pups, which increases aggression levels of adult offspring. Furthermore the father's behavior causes long term changes in the distribution of the neuropeptide vasopressin in the nervous system that may influence both aggressive and paternal behaviors. A series of behavioral, physiological and neural mechanisms will be tested for involvement in the propagation of aggression and paternal behavior across generations. Hormones such as testosterone and progesterone are likely to be involved in responsiveness to the social environment and are likely to interact with the network of brain areas involved in aggressive and parental behaviors. This research will help us to understand some of the basic mechanisms that are involved in propagating social behaviors across generations at both a behavioral and cellular level. Overall, there is a dearth of knowledge about the behavioral and biological mechanisms through which parental behavior exerts long-term, non-genetic influences on the development of offspring behavior. Furthermore, in both human and animal studies, the effects of paternal behavior on offspring have received much less attention than maternal behavior. The proposed research offers an opportunity to receive broad training experience for students bridging animal behavior and behavioral endocrinology. This project will offer undergraduate and graduate students unique research opportunities, and will promote training of underrepresented minorities.