Testosterone Reduces Fear and Causes Drastic Hypomethylation of Arginine Vasopressin Promoter in Medial Extended Amygdala of Male Mice

Tong, Wen Han; Abdulai-Saiku, Samira; Vyas, Ajai

doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00033

Cited by 31 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Accordingly, T. gondii is found in the ejaculates of rats and several other species [48][49][50][51][52] (but not in mice [28]). Moreover, T. gondii increases the synthesis of testosterone [53], a testicular hormone that reduces fear and anxiety [54]. The extra testosterone is crucial for T. gondii effects, primarily through its interaction with the brain.…”

Section: T Gondii Infection Alters Host Hormonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral biology of Toxoplasma gondii infection

et al. 2021

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Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite with a complex life cycle and a cosmopolitan host range. The asexual part of its life cycle can be perpetually sustained in a variety of intermediate hosts through a combination of carnivory and vertical transmission. However, T. gondii produces gametes only in felids after the predation of infected intermediate hosts. The parasite changes the behavior of its intermediate hosts by reducing their innate fear to cat odors and thereby plausibly increasing the probability that the definitive host will devour the infected host. Here, we provide a short description of such parasitic behavioral manipulation in laboratory rodents infected with T. gondii, along with a bird’s eye view of underpinning biological changes in the host. We also summarize critical gaps and opportunities for future research in this exciting research area with broad implications in the transdisciplinary study of host–parasite relationships.

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Section: T Gondii Infection Alters Host Hormonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral biology of Toxoplasma gondii infection

et al. 2021

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“…AVP neurons in both regions highly co-express both AR and ERs indicating the presence of receptors through which E2 and DHT can produce these effects [235,241]. Exogenous T treatment has also been shown to cause DNA hypomethylation of the AVP promoter in the MeA and BST [242] and in vitro studies identified ERβ binding to 3β-diol as a potential regulator of the AVP 5'untranslated region [243].…”

Section: Arginine Vasopressinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Roles for androgens in mediating the sex differences of neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses

et al. 2020

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Estradiol and testosterone are powerful steroid hormones that impact brain function in numerous ways. During development, these hormones can act to program the adult brain in a male or female direction. During adulthood, gonadal steroid hormones can activate or inhibit brain regions to modulate adult functions. Sex differences in behavioral and neuroendocrine (i.e., hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis) responses to stress arise as a result of these organizational and activational actions. The sex differences that are present in the HPA and behavioral responses to stress are particularly important considering their role in maintaining homeostasis. Furthermore, dysregulation of these systems can underlie the sex biases in risk for complex, stress-related diseases that are found in humans. Although many studies have explored the role of estrogen and estrogen receptors in mediating sex differences in stress-related behaviors and HPA function, much less consideration has been given to the role of androgens. While circulating androgens can act by binding and activating androgen receptors, they can also act by metabolism to estrogenic molecules to impact estrogen signaling in the brain and periphery. This review focuses on androgens as an important hormone for modulating the HPA axis and behaviors throughout life and for setting up sex differences in key stress regulatory systems that could impact risk for disease in adulthood. In particular, impacts of androgens on neuropeptide systems known to play key roles in HPA and behavioral responses to stress (corticotropin-releasing factor, vasopressin, and oxytocin) are discussed. A greater knowledge of androgen action in the brain is key to understanding the neurobiology of stress in both sexes.

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“…In rats, testosterone creates an epigenetic change within the bed nucleus of stria terminalis in the form of DNA hypomethylation on the AVP promotor [33]. Similarly, AVP promotor in mice MePD undergoes DNA hypomethylation in response to testosterone [56]. These observations provide a molecular link between male gonadal hormones and ongoing plasticity in adult MePD-AVP+ neurons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…This brain region also shows low numbers of oxytocin-containing fibers in male mice, with dense OXTR distribution [70][71][72]. Furthermore, castration simultaneously reduces the amount of AVP transcription [56] and OXTR binding density [73] within the medial amygdala, while leaving hypothalamic sources of the AVP intact. These observations suggest that the effects of AVP in MePD might result from the interaction of AVP-containing axons and OXTR present in the vicinity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Medial Amygdala Arginine Vasopressin Neurons Regulate Innate Aversion to Cat Odors in Male Mice

Tong

Abdulai-Saiku

Vyas³

2020

Neuroendocrinology

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Aversion to environmental cues of predators is an integral part of defensive behaviors in many prey animals. It enhances their survival and probability of future reproduction. At the same time, animals cannot be maximally defended because imperatives of defense usually trade-off with behaviors required for sexual reproduction like display of dominance and production of sexual pheromones. Here, we approach this trade-off through the lens of arginine vasopressin (AVP) neurons within the posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) of mice. This neuronal population is known to be involved in sexual behaviors like approach to sexually salient cues. We show that chemogenetic partial ablation of this neuronal population increases aversion to predator odors. Moreover, overexpression of AVP within this population is sufficient to reduce aversion to predator odors. The loss of fear of the predator odor occurs in parallel with increased recruitment of AVP neurons within the MePD. These observations suggest that AVP neurons in the medial aspect of the extended amygdala are a proximate locus for the reduction in innate fear during life stages dominated by reproductive efforts.

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Testosterone Reduces Fear and Causes Drastic Hypomethylation of Arginine Vasopressin Promoter in Medial Extended Amygdala of Male Mice

Cited by 31 publications

References 51 publications

Behavioral biology of Toxoplasma gondii infection

Behavioral biology of Toxoplasma gondii infection

Roles for androgens in mediating the sex differences of neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses

Medial Amygdala Arginine Vasopressin Neurons Regulate Innate Aversion to Cat Odors in Male Mice

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