The distribution of hypothalamic and extrahypothalamic vasotocinergic cells and fibers in the brain of a lizard, Gekko gecko: Presence of a sex difference

Stoll, Ch.; Voorn, Pieter

doi:10.1002/cne.902390206

Cited by 73 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The vasotocinergic innervation of the rhomben cephalon of Pseudemys and Python is identical to that reported for the brainstem in Gekko [Stoll and Voorn, 1985], i.e. moderate to dense in the locus coeruleus, the ventromedial and ventrolateral portions of the rhombencephalic tegmentum and the nucleus of the solitary tract.…”

supporting

confidence: 61%

Comparative Analysis of Vasotocin-Like Immunoreactivity in the Brain of the Turtle Pseudemys scripta elegan s and the Snake Python regius (Part 2 of 2)

Smeets¹,

Sevensma²,

Jonker³

1990

Brain Behav Evol

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The distribution of vasotocin in the brains of the turtle Pseudemys scripta elegans and the snake Python regius was studied with immunohistochemical methods. In both species, vasotocin-immunoreactive (VTi) cells were found in the supraoptic nucleus, the paraventricular nucleus and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. No VTi cell bodies were seen in the brainstem. Vasotocinergic fibers were found in all major brain divisions. Intrahypothalamic VTi fibers were observed between the supraoptic and the paraventricular nuclei and in the median eminence? An extensive network of extrahypothalamic VTi fibers extends from the olfactory bulb to the spinal cord. Limbic structures, such as the nucleus accumbens, the septal area and the ventral amygdaloid nucQsus, contain a moderate to dense VTi plexus. Other areas with a substantial number of VTi fibers are the lateral habenular nucleus, the ventral tegmental area, the substantia nigra, the locus coeruleus and the nucleus of the solrmxy tract. Sex-related differences in the density of the VTi fibers were observed in the lateral septal nucleus, the midbrain periaqueductal gray and, to a lesser extent, in the ventral amygdaloid nucleus, the lateral habenular nucleus, the ventral tegmental area and the substantia nigra. In these areas, the density of VTi fibers is higher in males than in females. The distribution of vasotocin-like immunoreactivity in the brains of Pseudemys and Python resembles the pattern previously observed in the lizard Gekko gecko. However, among the three species several differences exist, the most remarkable one being the variation in number of liquor-contacting VTi cells in the paraventricular nucleus.

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supporting

confidence: 61%

Comparative Analysis of Vasotocin-Like Immunoreactivity in the Brain of the Turtle Pseudemys scripta elegan s and the Snake Python regius (Part 2 of 2)

Smeets¹,

Sevensma²,

Jonker³

1990

Brain Behav Evol

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“…The BST of reptiles and amphibians is not differentiated into medial and lateral subdivisions, but a portion of the nucleus contains AVT neurons (Stoll and Voorn, 1985;Smeets et al, 1990;Lowry et al, 1997;Marin et al, 1998), as found for the medial BST of most mammals and birds (De Vries et al, 1985;Caffe et al, 1989;Aste et al, 1998). 3 The POA of fish incorporates peptidergic neuron groups that are homologous to anterior hypothalamic populations in tetrapods (supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei) (Moore and Lowry, 1998).…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

The vertebrate social behavior network: Evolutionary themes and variations

Goodson

2005

Hormones and Behavior

714

647

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Based on a wide variety of data, it is now clear that the brains of birds and teleost (bony) fish possess a core "social behavior network" within the basal forebrain and midbrain that is homologous to the social behavior network of mammals. The nodes of this network are reciprocally connected, contain receptors for sex steroid hormones, and are involved in multiple forms of social behavior. Other hodological features and neuropeptide distributions are likewise very similar across taxa. This evolutionary conservation represents a boon for experiments on phenotypic behavioral variation, as the extraordinary social diversity of teleost fish and songbirds can now be used to generate broadly relevant insights into issues of brain function that are not particularly tractable in other vertebrate groups. Two such lines of research are presented here, each of which addresses functional variation within the network as it relates to divergent patterns of social behavior. In the first set of experiments, we have used a sexually polymorphic fish to demonstrate that natural selection can operate independently on hypothalamic neuroendocrine functions that are relevant for 1) gonadal regulation and 2) sex-typical behavioral modulation. In the second set of experiments, we have exploited the diversity of avian social organizations and ecologies to isolate species-typical group size as a quasiindependent variable. These experiments have shown that specific areas and peptidergic components of the social behavior network possess functional properties that evolve in parallel with divergence and convergence in sociality. Keywords sociality; aggression; sexual behavior; communication; vocalization; arginine vasopressin; arginine vasotocin; isotocin; mesotocin; oxytocin; fish; bird; bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; amygdala; lateral septum; anterior hypothalamus; ventromedial hypothalamus; preoptic area; periaqueductal gray; nucleus intercollicularis; c-fos; egr-1; ZenkThe research program described below is designed to address two major goals. The first of these goals is to elucidate evolutionary themes in the neuroendocrine, functional, and connectional organization of brain circuits that regulate social behavior. This will provide a phylogenetically broad framework for examining the neural and neuroendocrine mechanisms of behavior, and will allow detailed and meaningful comparisons to be made across the major vertebrate classes. Building upon this foundation, the second primary goal is to capitalize on the extraordinary behavioral diversity of birds and teleost (bony) fish to elucidate the ways that neural and neuroendocrine mechanisms are adjusted over evolutionary time to produce intraspecific and interspecific variation in behavior. If conducted within a well-characterized, comparative framework, these findings obtained in birds and fish should yield solid predictions for other vertebrates as well. Thus, our work addresses evolutionary themes, as described in the first section below, and variations on those themes, as...

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“…Our knowledge of the AVT system in reptiles is comparatively limited, with a small number of published studies examining neural AVT systems in lizards, turtles, and snakes [Bons, 1983;Stoll and Voorn, 1985;Thepen et al, 1987;Fernandez-Llebrez et al, 1988;Smeets et al, 1990;Mancera et al, 1991;Propper et al, 1992a, b;Bennis et al, 1995;Silveira et al, 2002;Bradshaw et al, 2007]. The main studies linking AVT to behavior in reptiles involve AVT's role in the maintenance of thermoregulatory and osmotic homeostasis [e.g., Bradshaw and Bradshaw, 2002;Bradshaw et al, 2007] and oviposition [e.g., Girling et al, 2002;Jones et al, 2006], but not in the regulation of social behaviors [except Hillsman et al, 2007].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arginine Vasotocin (AVT) Immunoreactivity Relates to Testosterone but Not Territorial Aggression in the Tree Lizard, Urosaurus ornatus

Kabelik

Weiss²,

Moore³

2008

Brain Behav Evol

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The neuropeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) and its mammalian homologue arginine vasopressin (AVP) are neuromodulators known to be steroid sensitive and associated with social behaviors in a number of vertebrate taxa. However, the role of AVT/P in the regulation of aggression remains unclear and contrasting effects of this peptide on aggression are seen in differing species and contexts. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry to examine the effects of testosterone on the AVT system in male and female tree lizards, Urosaurus ornatus, and to determine whether AVT is related to territorial aggression in this species. Tree lizards are a free-living species that exhibit natural hormonal fluctuations across breeding seasons. We detected a male-biased sexual dimorphism in centrally projecting AVT fibers within the limbic system. Furthermore, changes with season, reproductive state, and hormonal treatment suggest that testosterone regulates AVT immunoreactivity in limbic brain regions, especially in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Testosterone also affects AVT immunoreactivity in peripherally projecting cell clusters, as well as the size of AVT cell bodies in the paraventricular nucleus. Although higher testosterone levels alter AVT immunoreactivity, and are known to increase the frequency and intensity of male-male aggression in this species, no individual correlations between AVT immunoreactivity and aggression were detected.

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The distribution of hypothalamic and extrahypothalamic vasotocinergic cells and fibers in the brain of a lizard, Gekko gecko: Presence of a sex difference

Cited by 73 publications

References 31 publications

Comparative Analysis of Vasotocin-Like Immunoreactivity in the Brain of the Turtle <i>Pseudemys scripta elegan </i><i>s</i> and the Snake <i>Python regiu</i><i>s</i> (Part 2 of 2)

Comparative Analysis of Vasotocin-Like Immunoreactivity in the Brain of the Turtle <i>Pseudemys scripta elegan </i><i>s</i> and the Snake <i>Python regiu</i><i>s</i> (Part 2 of 2)

The vertebrate social behavior network: Evolutionary themes and variations

Arginine Vasotocin (AVT) Immunoreactivity Relates to Testosterone but Not Territorial Aggression in the Tree Lizard, <i>Urosaurus ornatus</i>

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