Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor densities vary with photoperiod and sociality

Beery, Annaliese K.; Vahaba, Daniel M.; Grunberg, Diana

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.014

Cited by 28 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(89 reference statements)

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“…Receptor distributions are often studied in a comparative context; while oxytocin cell locations appear to be fairly well conserved, binding sites show pronounced differences with species, population, and life-history (Francis et al, 2000;Goodson, 2008;Beery and Zucker, 2010;Ophir et al, 2012;Anacker and Beery, 2013;Beery et al, 2014;Veenema, 2012;Wang et al, 1996). Of particular interest are species from close evolutionary lineages that demonstrate different sociosexual organization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Increasing the number of receptors in the nucleus accumbens also accelerates the establishment of a sexual partner preference in female prairie voles (Ross et al, 2009). In meadow voles, OTR density in the central amygdala and social behavior vary seasonally with day length, and OTR density in the lateral septum is negatively correlated with same-sex affiliative behavior in females (Beery and Zucker, 2010;Beery et al, 2014). These within-species relationships between OTR and behavior raise interesting questions as to whether the distribution and intensity of binding contribute to individual differences in behavior between members of the same species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Region-specific associations between sex, social status, and oxytocin receptor density in the brains of eusocial rodents

et al. 2015

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Naturally occurring variations in neuropeptide receptor distributions in the brain contribute to numerous mammalian social behaviors. In naked mole-rats, which live in large social groups and exhibit remarkable reproductive skew, colony-related social behaviors vary with reproductive status. Here we examined whether variation in social status is associated with variations in the location and/or density of oxytocin binding in this species. Autoradiography was performed to assess forebrain oxytocin receptor (OTR) densities in breeding and non-breeding naked mole-rats of both sexes. Overall, males exhibited higher OTR binding in the medial amygdala in comparison to females. While there were no main effects of reproductive status in any region, a sex difference in OTR binding in the nucleus accumbens was mediated by status. Specifically, breeding males tended to have more OTR binding than breeding females in the nucleus accumbens, while no sex difference was observed in subordinates. These effects suggest that oxytocin may act in a sex- and region-specific way that corresponds to reproductive status and associated social behaviors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Region-specific associations between sex, social status, and oxytocin receptor density in the brains of eusocial rodents

et al. 2015

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“…Given their extensive seasonal plasticity [Goodson et al, 2012b;Beery et al, 2014], and their role in promoting grouping [Goodson et al, 2009;Kingsbury et al, 2013], we examined how binding sites for MT (the homolog of the mammalian oxytocin, OT), VIP and CRH vary seasonally and reflect divergent life-history in the expression of winter flocking. Nonapeptides (the mammalian peptides OT and vasopressin) modulate socially relevant mechanisms of behavior and physiology by influencing sensory processing, integrating sensorimotor information, assigning valence to stimuli and influencing the context-dependent coupling of relevant brain areas [Goodson and Thompson, 2010].…”

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confidence: 99%

Seasonal Variation in Group Size Is Related to Seasonal Variation in Neuropeptide Receptor Density

Wilson

Goodson

Kingsbury³

2016

Brain Behav Evol

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In many species, seasonal variation in grouping behavior is widespread, with shifts towards territoriality in the breeding season and grouping in the winter. Compared to the hormonal and neural mechanisms of seasonal territorial aggression, the mechanisms that promote seasonal grouping have received little attention. We collected brains in spring and winter from wild-caught males of two species of emberizid sparrows that seasonally flock (the field sparrow, Spizella pusilla, and the dark-eyed junco, Junco hyemalis) and two species that do not seasonally flock (the song sparrow, Melospiza melodia, and the eastern towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus). We used receptor autoradiography to quantify seasonal plasticity in available binding sites for three neuropeptides known to influence social behavior. We examined binding sites for ¹²⁵I-vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), ¹²⁵I-sauvagine (SG, a ligand for corticotropin-releasing hormone receptors) and ¹²⁵I-ornithine vasotocin analog (OVTA, a ligand for the VT3 nonapeptide). For all species and ligands, brain areas that exhibited a seasonal pattern in binding density were characterized by a winter increase. Compared to nonflocking species, seasonally flocking species showed different binding patterns in multiple brain areas. Furthermore, we found that winter flocking was associated with elevated winter ¹²⁵I-VIP binding density in the medial amygdala, as well as ¹²⁵I-VIP and ¹²⁵I-OVTA binding density in the rostral arcopallium. While the functional significance of the avian rostral arcopallium is unclear, it may incorporate parts of the pallial amygdala. Our results point to this previously undescribed area as a likely hot spot of social modulation.

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“…Subjects were long-day and short-day housed females with previously collected brain tissue (Beery et al, 2014; Beery and Zucker, 2010). Subjects had prior experience as focal voles or partners in PPTs, and huddling data were available for the focal voles ( n = 11).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Day length is a sufficient cue to prompt shifts in both olfactory preferences (Ferkin and Zucker, 1991), and huddling behavior (Beery et al, 2008b), with temperature further affecting social preferences (Ondrasek et al, 2015). Several studies have begun to investigate the hormonal and neural pathways potentially involved in these behavioral shifts (Anacker et al, 2016; Beery et al, 2008b, 2014; Beery and Zucker, 2010; Ferkin and Zucker, 1991; Leonard et al, 2005; Leonard and Ferkin, 1999; Parker et al, 2001). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Septal oxytocin administration impairs peer affiliation via V1a receptors in female meadow voles

Anacker

Christensen

LaFlamme

et al. 2016

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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The peptide hormone oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in social behaviors, including social bond formation. In different contexts, however, OT is also associated with aggression, social selectivity, and reduced affiliation. Female meadow voles form social preferences for familiar same-sex peers under short, winter-like day lengths in the laboratory, and provide a means of studying affiliation outside the context of reproductive pair bonds. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the actions of OT in the lateral septum (LS) may decrease affiliative behavior, including greater density of OT receptors in the LS of meadow voles that huddle less. We infused OT into the LS of female meadow voles immediately prior to cohabitation with a social partner to determine its effects on partner preference formation. OT prevented the formation of preferences for the partner female. Co-administration of OT with a specific OT receptor antagonist did not reverse the effect, but co-administration of OT with a specific vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR) antagonist did, indicating that OT in the LS likely acted through V1aRs to decrease partner preference. Receptor autoradiography revealed dense V1aR binding in the LS of female meadow voles. These results suggest that the LS is a brain region that may be responsible for inhibitory effects of OT administration on affiliation, which will be important to consider in therapeutic administrations of OT.

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Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor densities vary with photoperiod and sociality

Cited by 28 publications

References 70 publications

Region-specific associations between sex, social status, and oxytocin receptor density in the brains of eusocial rodents

Region-specific associations between sex, social status, and oxytocin receptor density in the brains of eusocial rodents

Seasonal Variation in Group Size Is Related to Seasonal Variation in Neuropeptide Receptor Density

Septal oxytocin administration impairs peer affiliation via V1a receptors in female meadow voles

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