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- Title
Amygdalohippocampal Area Neurons That Project to the Preoptic Area Mediate Infant-Directed Attack in Male Mice.
- Authors
Keiichiro Sato; Yumi Hamasaki; Kiyoshiro Fukui; Kazuki Ito; Kazunari Miyamichi; Masabumi Minami; Taiju Amano
- Abstract
Male animals may show alternative behaviors toward infants: attack or parenting. These behaviors are triggered by pup stimuli under the influence of the internal state, including the hormonal environment and/or social experiences. Converging data suggest that the medial preoptic area (MPOA) contributes to the behavioral selection toward the pup. However, the neural mechanisms underlying how integrated stimuli affect the MPOA-dependent behavioral selection remain unclear. Here we focus on the amygdalohippocampal area (AHi) that projects to MPOA and expresses oxytocin receptor, a hormone receptor mediating social behavior toward pups. We describe the activation of MPOA-projection AHi neurons in male mice by social contact with pups. Input mapping using the TRIO method reveals that MPOA-projection AHi neurons receive prominent inputs from several regions, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, and olfactory cortex. Electrophysiological and histologic analysis demonstrates that oxytocin modulates inhibitory synaptic responses on MPOA-projection AHi neurons. In addition, AHi forms the excitatory monosynapse to MPOA, and pharmacological activation of MPOA-projection AHi neurons enhances only aggressive behavior, but not parental behavior. Interestingly, this promoted behavior was related to social experience in male mice. Collectively, our results identified a presynaptic partner of MPOA that can integrate sensory input and hormonal state, and trigger pup-directed aggression.
- Subjects
PREOPTIC area; NEURONS; OXYTOCIN receptors; HORMONE receptors; PARENT-infant relationships
- Publication
Journal of Neuroscience, 2020, Vol 40, Issue 20, p3981
- ISSN
0270-6474
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1523/jneurosci.0438-19.2020