Article
Biology
Nahoko Kuga, Reimi Abe, Kotomi Takano, Yuji Ikegaya, Takuya Sasaki
Summary: The medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala play important roles in regulating social behavior, but their specific neurophysiological mechanisms are still unclear. This study recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from these brain regions in male mice engaged in social behavior. It was found that both the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala showed changes in oscillation power when mice attended to another target mouse. Manipulating specific neural activity patterns in these regions restored social interaction behavior in socially deficient mice, providing insights into the underlying neurophysiological basis of social behavioral deficits.
Article
Neurosciences
Adelis M. Cruz, Haley F. Spencer, Tabitha H. Kim, Thomas C. Jhou, Rachel J. Smith
Summary: The prelimbic region of prefrontal cortex may have distinct efferent projections that both drive and suppress cocaine seeking in animal models of addiction. Inhibitory influence on behavior may be exerted by both ipsilateral and contralateral projections from PL to RMTg, supporting a suppressive role for PL in cocaine seeking.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Abigail Fortier, Olivia C. Meisner, Amrita R. Nair, Steve W. C. Chang
Summary: Although the diagnostic prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is increasing, treatment options are limited due to a lack of understanding of its underlying neural mechanisms and the heterogeneity of ASD. Recent studies suggest that different genetic and neurological alterations may affect similar neural circuits, highlighting the importance of understanding neural circuit-level dysfunction for developing broader treatments for ASD. Dysfunction in circuits mediating social preference may contribute to the atypical development of social cognition in individuals with ASD.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Nestor I. Martinez-Torres, Nallely Vazquez-Hernandez, Fabiola L. Martin-Amaya-Barajas, Mario Flores-Soto, Ignacio Gonzalez-Burgos
Summary: The study found that lesions induced by Ibotenic acid (IA) affect social behavior and working memory in rats, leading to decreased dendritic spine density and reduced protein content. Plastic changes in the proportion of dendritic spine types suggest the activation of compensatory processes in response to the adverse effects of the lesion.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Marielle Jorimann, Jovana Malikovic, David P. Wolfer, Christopher R. Pryce, Toshihiro Endo, Seico Benner, Irmgard Amrein
Summary: This study compared the behavioral performance of wild-caught bank voles and wood mice in tests for response control using the IntelliCage. The results showed that bank voles exhibited more premature responses in the reaction time task, which was associated with a smaller medial habenular nucleus. Bank voles also showed reduced behavioral flexibility in the self-paced flexibility task, but similar spatial and reversal learning compared to wood mice. The expression of immediate early gene Arc differed between the two species, with higher expression in specific brain areas of bank voles. These findings suggest that bank voles could serve as a natural animal model for studying impulsive and perseverative behaviors.
Review
Neurosciences
William G. Warren, Eleni P. Papagianni, Carl W. Stevenson, Christine Stubbendorff
Summary: Studies have shown that endocannabinoid and noradrenergic systems play crucial roles in fear memory processing and PTSD, and their potential interactions in fear extinction have implications for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying PTSD and its treatment. The co-activation of cannabinoid and noradrenergic receptors in brain areas crucial for fear extinction enhances the process, suggesting a synergistic role for these systems in regulating fear extinction and potentially modulating fear memory encoding and retrieval.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Navdeep K. Lidhar, Soroush Darvish-Ghane, Sivaani Sivaselvachandran, Sana Khan, Fatima Wasif, Holly Turner, Meruba Sivaselvachandran, Neil M. Fournier, Loren J. Martin
Summary: Research has shown that experiencing pain with an unfamiliar individual can suppress pain contagion in males by activating the endocrine stress response. Inhibition or activation of glucocorticoid receptors in the prelimbic cortex can impact the occurrence of pain contagion. Furthermore, the study results suggest that the activity in the prelimbic cortex might play a key role in preventing pain contagion under certain conditions.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hidekazu Sotoyama, Hiroyoshi Inaba, Yuriko Iwakura, Hisaaki Namba, Nobuyuki Takei, Toshikuni Sasaoka, Hiroyuki Nawa
Summary: Dopamine in the prefrontal cortex has opposing effects on social behavior depending on the duration of its activation. Sustained dopamine activation suppresses social behavior while acute activation enhances it. The duration of social interactions is positively correlated with transient dopamine release and negatively correlated with sustained dopamine increase in the prefrontal cortex. Dopamine levels also modulate neural calcium signaling and c-Fos induction triggered by social stimuli in prefrontal neurons.
Article
Neurosciences
A. C. Athanason, T. Nadav, C. Cates-Gatto, A. J. Roberts, M. Roberto, F. P. Varodayan
Summary: This study investigated whether ethanol dependence alters adrenergic receptor gene expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and central amgydala (CeA). The findings showed that dependence bidirectionally altered mouse brain alpha 1 and beta receptor mRNA levels, potentially leading to reduced mPFC adrenergic signaling and enhanced noradrenergic influence over the CeA. These brain region-specific gene expression changes were associated with long-term retention deficits and behavioral changes in a modified Barnes maze task.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Ate Bijlsma, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren, Corette J. Wierenga
Summary: Experience-dependent organization of neuronal connectivity is critical for brain development. Social play behavior is important for the fine-tuning of inhibitory synapses in the medial prefrontal cortex in rats. The impact of social play on the development of neurotransmission in different prefrontal subregions is temporally and regionally heterogeneous.
Article
Neurosciences
Karim Ibrahim, Carla Kalvin, Simon Morand-Beaulieu, George He, Kevin A. Pelphrey, Gregory McCarthy, Denis G. Sukhodolsky
Summary: Children with aggressive behavior exhibit reduced amygdala connectivity during face emotion processing, which is moderated by social impairment. The association between reduced amygdala-ventrolateral PFC connectivity and severity of aggression is influenced by social deficits in these children. Amygdala reactivity to fearful faces is not associated with aggressive behavior severity in children with social impairments.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tsuyoshi Hattori, Stanislav M. Cherepanov, Ryo Sakaga, Jureepon Roboon, Dinh Thi Nguyen, Hiroshi Ishii, Mika Takarada-Iemata, Takumi Nishiuchi, Takayuki Kannon, Kazuyoshi Hosomichi, Atsushi Tajima, Yasuhiko Yamamoto, Hiroshi Okamoto, Akira Sugawara, Haruhiro Higashida, Osamu Hori
Summary: This study reveals that astrocytes, specifically the CD38 protein expressed in them, play a crucial role in social behavior by regulating oxytocin release and synapse formation. Deletion of CD38 in postnatal astrocytes impairs social memory and inhibits synaptogenesis, highlighting the importance of astrocytes in neural circuit formation.
Article
Neurosciences
Diego Scheggia, Filippo La Greca, Federica Maltese, Giulia Chiacchierini, Maria Italia, Cinzia Molent, Fabrizio Bernardi, Giulia Coccia, Nicolo Carrano, Elisa Zianni, Fabrizio Gardoni, Monica Di Luca, Francesco Papaleo
Summary: Decisions regarding self-interest or the interest of others depend on context and relationships between individuals, and the neurobiology underlying these choices is not well understood. This study found that amygdala neurons play a role in prosocial decision-making, with specific projections to the prefrontal cortex mediating altruistic choices and projections from the prefrontal cortex to the amygdala modulating self-interest motives.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Adrienne C. Loewke, Adelaide R. Minerva, Alexandra B. Nelson, Anatol C. Kreitzer, Lisa A. Gunaydin
Summary: The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) plays a key role in controlling defensive behavior through specific top-down projections. The dmPFC-amygdala projection is involved in reflexive fear behavior, while the dmPFC-striatum projection regulates anxious avoidance behavior. These findings provide important insights into the neural mechanisms underlying anxiety disorders.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Gunasingh Jeyaraj Masilamoni, Allison Weinkle, Stella M. Papa, Yoland Smith
Summary: This study found decreased serotonergic and catecholaminergic innervation in the frontal cortex at early stages of Parkinson's disease. The use of MPTP-treated monkeys as animal models revealed that these changes may contribute to early non-motor symptoms in PD.
Article
Substance Abuse
Marcia Spoelder, Peter Hesseling, Annemarie M. Baars, Jose G. Lozeman-van't Klooster, Marthe D. Rotte, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren, Heidi M. B. Lesscher
ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
(2015)
Editorial Material
Behavioral Sciences
Paul Willner, Jack Bergman, Louk Vanderschuren, Bart Ellenbroek
BEHAVIOURAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Editorial Material
Behavioral Sciences
Paul Willner, Jack Bergman, Louk Vanderschuren, Bart Ellenbroek
BEHAVIOURAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Maartje M. J. Veeneman, Ruth Damsteegt, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren
BEHAVIOURAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Michela Servadio, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren, Viviana Trezza
BEHAVIOURAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Heidi M. B. Lesscher, Marcia Spoelder, Marthe D. Rotte, Martijn J. Janssen, Peter Hesseling, Jose G. Lozeman-van't Klooster, Annemarie M. Baars, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren
BEHAVIOURAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Antonia Manduca, Maria Morena, Patrizia Campolongo, Michela Servadio, Maura Palmery, Luigia Trabace, Matthew N. Hill, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren, Vincenzo Cuomo, Viviana Trezza
EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Neurosciences
Marcia Spoelder, Kimberly T. Tsutsui, Heidi M. B. Lesscher, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren, Jeremy J. Clark
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Neurosciences
Johannes W. de Jong, Theresia J. M. Roelofs, Frederique M. U. Mol, Anne E. J. Hillen, Katharina E. Meijboom, Mieneke C. M. Luijendijk, Harrie A. M. van der Eerden, Keith M. Garner, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren, Roger A. H. Adan
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Neurosciences
E. J. Marijke Achterberg, Linda W. M. van Kerkhof, Michela Servadio, Maaike M. H. van Swieten, Danielle J. Houwing, Mandy Aalderink, Nina V. Driel, Viviana Trezza, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2016)
Article
Neurosciences
Marcia Spoelder, Heidi M. B. Lesscher, Peter Hesseling, Annemarie M. Baars, Jose G. Lozeman-van t Klooster, Rob Mijnsbergen, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Neurosciences
Fiona D. Zeeb, P. J. J. Baarendse, L. J. M. J. Vanderschuren, Catharine A. Winstanley
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2015)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rahul Pandit, Esther M. van der Zwaal, Mieneke C. M. Luijendijk, Maike A. D. Brans, Andrea J. van Rozen, Ralph J. A. Oude Ophuis, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren, Roger A. H. Adan, Susanne E. la Fleur
Article
Neurosciences
Petra J. J. Baarendse, Jules H. W. Limpens, Louk J. M. J. Vanderschuren
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2014)