HORMONES AND BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT

描述（根据申请人的描述改编）： 这项建议是为了检查行为和神经生物学的后果， 催产素（OT）的发展。 OT的变化尤其可能 在出生时发生，提出的假设是， 新生儿期暴露于OT的后果可能是长期的， 在成年期产生功能性变化。 这一假设将被检验 在女性生殖行为的背景下， 对OT和类固醇激素及其相互作用的影响敏感。 发育期暴露于OT也可能影响中枢神经系统的OT受体水平， 会反过来改变成年后对OT的敏感性 除了行为 评估，研究者建议使用神经解剖学方法来索引， 作为OT的新生儿操作的功能， 成年 发育暴露于OT可能会影响成年人的行为， 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，影响 催产素对精氨酸加压素（AVP）及其受体的影响 (V1a)AVP与OT在结构和功能上都有密切的关系， 功能 最后，一种非特异性的细胞活性标记物（c-Fos）将在 用于指示具有不同发育历史的动物的能力 对成人雌激素或OT治疗有反应 行为的影响 OT和雌激素都可以是物种特异性的;因此，两种动物 模型（草原田鼠和大鼠）已被选定，考虑到 每一个检查OT和类固醇的行为影响的优势 激素及其相互作用

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.