TY - JOUR
T1 - Extrahypothalamic oxytocin neurons drive stress-induced social vigilance and avoidance
AU - Duque-Wilckens, Natalia
AU - Torres, Lisette Y.
AU - Yokoyama, Sae
AU - Minie, Vanessa A.
AU - Tran, Amy M.
AU - Petkova, Stela P.
AU - Hao, Rebecca
AU - Ramos-Maciel, Stephanie
AU - Rios, Roberto A.
AU - Jackson, Kenneth
AU - Flores-Ramirez, Francisco J.
AU - Garcia-Carachure, Israel
AU - Pesavento, Patricia A.
AU - Iniguez, Sergio D.
AU - Grinevich, Valery
AU - Trainor, Brian C
N1 - Funding Information:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We thank C. J. Clayton for animal care and I. Brust-Mascher for imaging. This work was supported by Becas Chile Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (to N.D.-W.); SC3GM130467 (to S.D.I.); Human Frontiers Science Program Award RGP0019/2015, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1158-2; DFG Grants GR 3619/16-1, GR 3619/4-1, SFB 1158, and Swiss National Science Foundation-DFG grant GR 3619/8-1; and Fritz Thyssen Foundation grant 10.16.2.018 MN (to V.G.); and NIH R01 MH121829-01 (to B.C.T.).
PY - 2020/10/20
Y1 - 2020/10/20
N2 - Oxytocin increases the salience of both positive and negative social contexts and it is thought that these diverse actions on behavior are mediated in part through circuit-specific action. This hypothesis is based primarily on manipulations of oxytocin receptor function, leaving open the question of whether different populations of oxytocin neurons mediate different effects on behavior. Here we inhibited oxytocin synthesis in a stress-sensitive population of oxytocin neurons specifically within the medioventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTmv). Oxytocin knockdown prevented social stress-induced increases in social vigilance and decreases in social approach. Viral tracing of BNSTmv oxytocin neurons revealed fibers in regions controlling defensive behaviors, including lateral hypothalamus, anterior hypothalamus, and anteromedial BNST (BNSTam). Oxytocin infusion into BNSTam in stress naïve mice increased social vigilance and reduced social approach. These results show that a population of extrahypothalamic oxytocin neurons plays a key role in controlling stress-induced social anxiety behaviors.
AB - Oxytocin increases the salience of both positive and negative social contexts and it is thought that these diverse actions on behavior are mediated in part through circuit-specific action. This hypothesis is based primarily on manipulations of oxytocin receptor function, leaving open the question of whether different populations of oxytocin neurons mediate different effects on behavior. Here we inhibited oxytocin synthesis in a stress-sensitive population of oxytocin neurons specifically within the medioventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTmv). Oxytocin knockdown prevented social stress-induced increases in social vigilance and decreases in social approach. Viral tracing of BNSTmv oxytocin neurons revealed fibers in regions controlling defensive behaviors, including lateral hypothalamus, anterior hypothalamus, and anteromedial BNST (BNSTam). Oxytocin infusion into BNSTam in stress naïve mice increased social vigilance and reduced social approach. These results show that a population of extrahypothalamic oxytocin neurons plays a key role in controlling stress-induced social anxiety behaviors.
KW - Anxiety
KW - Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis
KW - California mouse
KW - Extended amygdala
KW - Morpholino
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U2 - 10.1073/pnas.2011890117
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2011890117
M3 - Article
C2 - 33020267
AN - SCOPUS:85093826649
VL - 117
SP - 26406
EP - 26413
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
SN - 0027-8424
IS - 42
ER -