HORMONES AND BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT

描述(改编自申请人的描述)：的一般目的 这项建议是为了检查行为和神经生物学的后果 发育过程中暴露于催产素(OT)。加班的变化特别有可能 大约发生在出生的时候，提出的假设是 新生儿期接触OT的后果可能是长期的， 在成年期产生功能变化的。这一假设将得到检验。 在女性生殖行为的背景下，这特别是 对催产素和类固醇激素的影响及其相互作用敏感。 发育过程中接触OT也可能影响中枢神经系统中OT受体的水平， 会反过来改变成年后对OT的敏感性。除了行为之外 评估，研究人员建议使用神经解剖学方法来索引， 作为新生儿催产素操作的一个功能，催产素和催产素受体在 成人期。发育中接触OT可能会通过以下方式影响成年人的行为 影响类固醇敏感性；这一假设将由 雌激素或孕激素受体的测量。此外，它的影响 催产素对精氨酸加压素及其受体发育的影响 将考察(V1a)；AVP在结构和时间上都与OT密切相关 功能。最后，细胞活动的非特异性标记物(c-Fos)将是 用于索引具有不同发育历史的动物的能力 对成人使用雌激素或催产素治疗有反应。的行为影响 催产素和雌激素都可以是物种特异性的；因此，有两种动物 已经选择了模型(草原田鼠和老鼠)，考虑到 分别用于检查OT和类固醇的行为影响的优点 荷尔蒙及其相互作用。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from applicant's description): The general purpose of this proposal is to examine the behavioral and neurobiological consequences of development exposure to oxytocin (OT). Changes in OT are particularly likely to occur around the time of birth, and the proposed hypothesis is that the consequences of exposure to OT during the neonatal period may be long-lasting, producing functional changes in adulthood. This hypothesis will be examined in the context of female reproductive behaviors, which are particularly sensitive to the effects of OT and steroid hormones and their interactions. Developmental exposure to OT also may affect CNS levels of OT receptors, which could in turn alter sensitivity to OT in adulthood. In addition to behavioral assessments, the investigator proposes using neuroanatomical methods to index, as a function of neonatal manipulations of OT, both OT and OT receptors in adulthood. Developmental exposure to OT may affect adult behavior by influencing steroid sensitivity; this hypothesis will be examined by the measurement of estrogen or progesterone receptors. In addition, the effects of development exposure to OT on arginine vasopressin (AVP) and its receptor (V1a) will be examined; AVP is closely related to OT in both structure and function. Finally, a nonspecific marker of cellular activity (c-Fos) will be used to index the capacity of animals with different developmental histories to respond to adult treatment with estrogen or OT. The behavioral effects of both OT and estrogen can be species specific; for this reason two animal models (prairie voles and rats) have been selected, taking into account the advantages of each for examining the behavioral effects of both OT and steroid hormones and their interactions.