Neurobiology of Social Behavior

该项目将研究控制叙利亚仓鼠(中仓鼠)社会行为的神经和内分泌机制。有大量证据表明，精氨酸加压素(AVP)在从视前内侧区域延伸到下丘脑前部的区域(称为MPOA-AH)的活动在一种称为侧翼标记的气味标记的表达以及攻击性方面发挥着关键作用。要了解控制侧翼攻击和攻击等社会行为的神经生物学机制，需要定义控制这些行为的神经/激素机制，以及经验如何改变这些机制，使这些行为不断适应不断变化的环境。拟议的实验将检验工作假说，即经验通过影响MPOA-AH内的AVP受体来改变侧翼标记和攻击性的表达。这一假设将通过检验两种类型的体验的效果来检验，这两种类型的体验对气味标记和攻击性具有显著但截然不同的影响。首先，我们将确定社会经验(即以前的激励性接触)是否会改变这些受体，并将测试依赖于睾酮的机制和不依赖睾酮的机制介导这些影响的预测。其次，我们将确定环境经验(即暴露在冬季般的短光周期中)是否会改变这些受体，并将测试不依赖睾丸素的机制介导这些影响的预测。我们相信，对这些不同类型的体验对这些AVP受体的影响的分析，将为我们的假设提供一个严格的初步测试，即这些受体代表着控制气味标记和攻击的关键调控部位。这些数据应该会为控制神经和内分泌机制如何控制复杂的社会行为的基本原则提供新的见解。这些信息对于了解各种行为和情绪障碍的病因以及开发这些疾病的新治疗方法至关重要。

This project will investigate the neural and endocrine mechanisms that control social behavior in Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). There is a substantial body of evidence that the actions of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) within a zone that extends from the medial preoptic area to the anterior hypothalamus (referred to as the MPOA-AH) plays a critical role in the expression of a form of scent marking called flank marking as well as aggression. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms controlling social behaviors like flank marking and aggression requires definition of the neural/hormonal mechanisms that control these behaviors as well as how experience changes these mechanisms so that these behaviors are continuously adjusted to the changing environment. The proposed experiments will test the working hypothesis that experience alters the expression of flank marking and aggression by its effects on AVP receptors within the MPOA-AH. This hypothesis will be tested by examining the effects of two types of experience that have significant, yet very different effects on scent marking and aggression. First, we will determine whether social experience (i.e. prior agonistic encounters) alters these receptors and will test the prediction that a testosterone-dependent as well as a testosterone-independent mechanism mediates these effects. Second, we will determine whether environmental experience (i.e. exposure to winter-like short photoperiods) alters these receptors and will test the prediction that a testosterone-independent mechanism mediates these effects. We believe that analysis of the effects of such different types of experience on these AVP receptors will provide a rigorous initial test of our hypothesis that these receptors represent a critical regulatory site in the control of scent marking and aggression. These data should provide new insights into the basic principles that govern how neural and endocrine mechanisms control complex social behaviors. This information is critically important for understanding the etiology of a variety of behavioral and emotional disorders as well as the development of new treatments for these disorders.