October 9 - 12, 2012
Building 10 & Natcher Conference Center
- General Schedule of Events
- Opening Plenary Session
- Concurrent Symposia Sessions
- Poster Sessions
- National Graduate Student Research Conference
- FARE Award Ceremony
- Special Exhibits on Resources for Intramural Research
- TSA Research Festival Exhibit Show
- Clinical Center Tours
- Research Festival Committees
- Past Research Festivals
Elimination of raphe oxytocin receptor expression: effects on maternal behavior, aggression and serotoninergic fibers and implications for sex differences in oxytocin-serotonin interactions
| Wednesday, November 06, 2013 — Poster Session I | |||
|---|---|---|---|
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. |
FAES Academic Center (Upper-Level Terrace) |
NIMH |
NEURO-40 |
Authors
- S. K. Williams
- J. H. Pagani
- W. S. Young III
Abstract
Oxytocin (Oxt) and serotonin (5-HT) are important contributors to aggression and parental care. Oxt receptors (Oxtr) are expressed on 5-HT neurons of the raphe nuclei (RN), suggesting a direct role for Oxt to modulate 5-HT dependent behaviors. Mice with the Oxtr gene flanked by LoxP sites were crossed with mice expressing Cre recombinase under the 5-HT transporter promoter. The resulting offspring lacked expression of Oxtr specifically in the RN (RN Oxtr KO). Adult female mice were tested to measure anxiety, pup retrieval behavior and maternal aggression. Females were tested for olfactory habituation, and then 5-HT fiber distribution was investigated. Female RN Oxtr KO mice did not differ in tests of anxiety, maternal retrieval, maternal aggression or olfactory ability. Additionally, RN Oxtr KO 5-HT fiber projection distribution was unaltered. The selective elimination of Oxt actions upon 5-HT cells and/or axons does not affect anxiety or maternal behaviors, unlike in situations of more global eliminations of Oxt or Oxtr. These results contrast the large reduction in aggression in RN Oxtr KO males. This contrast may represent an important sex difference in the interaction of Oxt and 5-HT signaling. This interaction may be important in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders.
