The Neuropeptide Architecture of Social Communication

摘要 社会行为和沟通障碍日益普遍，并构成 给社会带来沉重的负担。这些疾病通常在患病率上表现出性别差异， 表情和严肃性。对这些差异的一种解释反映了 性别不同的社交大脑。在这方面一个特别相关的神经肽系统是 加压素(AVP)对大脑的神经支配，这在许多人中显示出显著的性别差异 物种，包括人类，并且与侵略性和从属关系都有牵连 行为。AVP纤维在社交大脑的大部分区域以及其中许多区域都很突出。 起源于终纹后床核(BNST)内的细胞。但是，所以 到目前为止，还没有研究直接针对这些细胞来测试它们在社会行为中的作用。我们在这里做 所以使用病毒载体技术来测试BNST AVP细胞的主要假设 促进男性-典型的从属关系，并通过接受直接的社会感官和 觉醒/奖赏相关的调制输入。我们将通过两个特定的目标来检验这一假设 使用多学科方法：(I)切除BNST AVP细胞是否消除亲社会 雄性小鼠的交流，而不是雌性小鼠？(Ii)对单突触进行病毒载体追踪 与BNST-AVP细胞的连接揭示了感觉和调节输入？这些问题的答案是 新的研究问题将揭示大脑调节的基本机制 性别差异社会交流，并将有助于确定原因，以及 社交障碍的治疗。

Abstract Disorders of social behavior and communication are increasingly prevalent and pose a substantial burden to society. These disorders often show sex differences in prevalence, expression and severity. One explanation for these differences reflects dysfunction in the sexually different social brain. A particularly relevant neuropeptide system in this respect is the vasopressin (AVP) innervation of the brain, which shows marked sex differences across many species, including humans, and which has been implicated in both aggressive and affiliation behavior. AVP fibers are prominent in most areas of the social brain and many of these originate from cells within the posterior bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). However, so far no studies have directly targeted these cells to test their role in social behavior. Here we do so using viral vector technology to test the overarching hypothesis that these BNST AVP cells promote male-typical affiliation and that they do so by receiving direct social sensory and arousal/reward-related modulatory input. We will test this hypothesis across two specific aims using a multi-disciplinary approach: (i) does removal of BNST AVP cells eliminate prosocial communication in male, but not female, mice? (ii) does viral-vector tracing of monosynaptic connections to BNST-AVP cells reveal sensory and modulatory inputs? The answer to these novel research questions will uncover a fundamental mechanism by which the brain regulates sexually-differentiated social communication, and will contribute to identifying causes of, and treatments for, disorders of social communication.