Oxytocin Modulation of Social Behavior

这个建议的目的是剖析催产素的潜在机制和关系 参与各种社会行为的老鼠大脑中的释放。催产素是一种进化上 与生命所必需的各种社会行为相关的保守神经肽，如 社会互动，父母照顾，繁殖，防御，等等。该领域的一个新兴观点 催产素信号的中断可能与社会行为障碍、社交障碍、 认知和父母照顾（包括儿童忽视或产后抑郁症）。但据 目前还不清楚催产素是如何、何时或在何处在大脑中释放，以作用于特定的神经回路的。 to enable启用social社会behavior行为.因此。因此，必须阐明催产素的生理作用 在社会行为的背景下。总的假设是催产素很少释放，但 阶段性释放的发作预示着社会行为的突然变化， 增强社会（听觉）线索的显著性。为了验证这个基本问题，我将首先 进行（目标1）行为研究，以确定最强大的社会行为表型， 对催产素调节敏感的小鼠（激活和抑制）。（2）我将 开发并验证一种合成纳米传感器，用于实时光学跟踪体内催产素。 最后，（目标3）我将使用催产素纳米传感器来实时跟踪催产素的释放， 分布在目标1中确定的行为，以及采用纤维光度法， 电生理学来测量皮质和催产素神经元放电模式与 这些行为。创新：催产素纳米传感器的发展将是一个非常有用的 一种可能被许多人使用的工具，也可以作为诊断测量的基础，如果 催产素在诊所里总之，本提案中要进行的实验将 提供有关催产素在大脑和相关神经系统中的释放和作用的有价值的见解。 社交行为中的网络。

The goal of this proposal is to dissect the underlying mechanisms and relationships of oxytocin release in the mouse brain as involved in various social behaviors. Oxytocin is an evolutionarily conserved neuropeptide associated with various social behaviors essential for life, such as social interaction, parental care, reproduction, defense, and more. An emerging view in the field is that disruptions in oxytocin signaling may be involved in disorders of social behavior, social cognition, and parental care (including child neglect or postpartum depression). However, it is unclear how, when, or where oxytocin is released in the brain to enact on specific neural circuits to enable social behavior. Therefore. It is essential to delineate the physiological role of oxytocin in the context of social behavior. The overall hypothesis is that oxytocin is rarely released, but episodes of phasic release predict sudden changes in social behavior, in a manner consistent with enhancing the salience of social (audible) cues. To test this fundamental question, I will first carry out (Aim 1) behavioral studies to identify the most robust social behavior phenotypes in mice that are sensitive to oxytocin regulation (activation and suppression). Then (Aim 2) I will develop and validate a synthetic nanosensor for real-time optical tracking of oxytocin in vivo. Lastly, (Aim 3) I will use the oxytocin nanosensor to follow in real-time oxytocin release and distribution during the behaviors identified in Aim 1, as well as employ fiber photometry and electrophysiology to measure the cortical and oxytocin neuron firing patterns associated with these behaviors. Innovation: The development of the oxytocin nanosensor will be a highly useful tool likely to be used by many as well as can serve as a basis for diagnostic measurement if oxytocin in the clinic. Taken together, the experiments to be performed in this proposal will provide valuable insight on the release and action of oxytocin in the brain and the related neural networks during social behavior.