Effects of cohabitation on emotion and hypothalamic oxytocin expression in middy gerbils
Received date: 2022-08-16
Accepted date: 2022-12-08
Online published: 2023-03-23
Cohabitation between male and female is an important stage of long lasting pair bonding, which involves a series of physical and emotional changes. However, due to the lack of monogamous animal models, the neurobiological regulation, especially the sex difference, in the process of pair bonding is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of male and female cohabitation on emotion and the numbers of oxytocin-neuron in relative brain regions in middy gerbils (Meriones meridianus) using elevated plus maze, forced swimming and immunohistochemical methods. The results showed that, after 10 days of cohabitation, the frequency of entering the open arm of female gerbils in the cohabitation group (FF) was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the anxiety index was significantly increased (P < 0.05). In the forced swimming experiment, the frequency and time in immobility in FF were significantly increased (P < 0.05). The expression level of oxytocin in paraventricular nucleus and supraoptic nucleus of hypothalamus in FF was significantly increased (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant changes in behavior and oxytocin levels in cohabiting males, which may be related to sexual dyssynchrony in the formation of pair bonds. In conclusion, cohabitation only causes anxiety-like behavior in female middy gerbils, which may be related to hypothalamic oxytocin system.
Fei MIAO , Zixuan KONG , Shaobin YANG , Peng YU . Effects of cohabitation on emotion and hypothalamic oxytocin expression in middy gerbils[J]. ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA, 2023 , 43(2) : 164 -170 . DOI: 10.16829/j.slxb.150725
| null | Albers H E. 2015. Species, sex and individual differences in the vasotocin/vasopressin system: relationship to neurochemical signaling in the social behavior neural network. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 36: 49-71. |
| null | Anacker A M, Beery A K. 2013. Life in groups: the roles of oxytocin in mammalian sociality. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 7: 185. |
| null | Bosch O J, Nair H P, Ahern T H, Neumann I D, Young L J. 2009. The CRF system mediates increased passive stress?coping behavior following the loss of a bonded partner in a monogamous rodent. Neuropsychopharmacology, 34 (6): 1406-1415. |
| null | Bosch O J, Dabrowska J, Modi M E, Johnson Z V, Keebaugh A C, Barrett C E, Ahern T H, Guo J D, Grinevich V, Rainnie D G, Neumann I D, Young L J. 2016. Oxytocin in the nucleus accumbens shell reverses CRFR2-evoked passive stress-coping after partner loss in monogamous male prairie voles. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 64: 66-78. |
| null | Cacho M S, Yamamoto M E, Chellappa S. 2007. Mating system of the Amazonian cichlid angel fish, Pterophyllum scalare . Brazilian Journal of Biology, 67 (1): 161-165. |
| null | Choleris E, Little S R, Mong J A, Puram S V, Langer R, Pfaff D W. 2007. Microparticle?based delivery of oxytocin receptor antisense DNA in the medial amygdala blocks social recognition in female mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104 (11): 4670-4675. |
| null | Crawford D A,? Cherry M J,? Kelly B D,? Garrison E P,? Shindle D B,? Conner L M,? Chandler R B,? Miller K V. 2019. Chronology of reproductive investment determines predation risk aversion in a felid‐ungulate system. Ecology and Evolution, 9 (6): 3264-3275. |
| null | Garrison J L, Macosko E Z, Bernstein S, Pokala N, Albrecht R, Bargmann C I. 2012. Oxytocin/vasopressin?related peptides have an ancient role in reproductive behavior. Science, 338 (6106): 540-543. |
| null | Getz L L, Carter C S. 1980. Social organization in Microtus ochrogaster populations. Biologist, 62: 56-69. |
| null | Getz L L, Carter C S, Gavish L. 1981. The mating system of the prairie vole Microtus ochrogaster: field and laboratory evidence for pair?bonding. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 8: 189-194. |
| null | Gunnarsson T G, Gill J A, Sigurbj?rnsson T, Sutherland W J. 2004. Pair bonds: arrival synchrony in migratory birds. Nature, 431 (7009): 646. |
| null | Insel T R, Hulihan T J. 1995. A gender?specific mechanism for pair bonding: oxytocin and partner preference formation in monogamous voles. Behavioral Neuroscience, 109 (4): 782-789. |
| null | Lee B, Sur B, Yeom M, Shim I, Lee H, Hahm D H. 2016. Effects of systemic administration of ibuprofen on stress response in a rat model of post-traumatic stress disorder. The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology, 20 (4): 357. |
| null | Li T, Wang P, Wang S C, Wang Y F. 2016. Approaches mediating oxytocin regulation of the immune system. Frontiers in Immunology, 7: 693. |
| null | Lieberwirth C, Liu Y, Jia X, Wang Z. 2012. Social isolation impairs adult neurogenesis in the limbic system and alters behaviors in female prairie voles. Hormones and Behavior, 62 (4): 357-366. |
| null | Martin W, Inga D N. 2007. Centrally released oxytocin mediates Mating-Induced anxiolysis in male rats. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104 (42): 16681-16684. |
| null | Matsushita H, Latt H M, Koga Y, Nishiki T, Matsui H. 2019. Oxytocin and stress: neural mechanisms, stress?related disorders, and therapeutic approaches. Neuroscience, 417: 1-10. |
| null | Parihar V K, Hattiangady B, Kuruba R, Shuai B, Shetty A K. 2011. Predictable chronic mild stress improves mood, hippocampal neurogenesis and memory. Molecular Psychiatry, 16 (2): 171-183. |
| null | Poulin P, Pittman Q J. 1993. Oxytocin pretreatment enhances arginine vasopressin?induced motor disturbances and arginine vasopressin?induced phosphoinositol hydrolysis in rat septum: a cross-sensitization phenomenon. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 5 (1): 33-39. |
| null | Radtke?Schuller S, Schuller G, Angenstein F, Grosser O S, Goldschmidt J, Budinger E. 2016. Brain atlas of the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) in CT/MRI-aided stereotaxic coordinates. Brain Structure and Function, 221 (1): 11-272. |
| null | Serova L I, Tillinger A, Alaluf L G, Laukova M, Keegan K, Sabban E L. 2013. Single intranasal neuropeptide Y infusion attenuates development of PTSD-like symptoms to traumatic stress in rats. Neuroscience, 236: 298-312. |
| null | Smith A S, Wang Z. 2014. Hypothalamic oxytocin mediates social buffering of the stress response. Biological Psychiatry, 76: 281-288. |
| null | Yokoi S, Okuyama T, Kamei Y, Naruse K, Taniguchi Y, Ansai S, Kinoshita M, Young L, Takemori N, Kubo T, Takeuchi H, Schoofs L. 2015. An essential role of the arginine vasotocin system in Mate-Guarding behaviors in triadic relationships of medaka fish (Oryzias latipes). PLoS Genetics, 11 (2): e1005009. |
| null | Young L J, Wang Z. 2004. The neurobiology of pair bonding. Nature Neuroscience, 7 (10): 1048-1054. |
| null | Yu P, Yang M, Zhao H, Cao R, Gong D. 2020. Characteristics of pup ultrasonic vocalizations and parental behavior responses in midday gerbils (Meriones meridianus). Physiology and Beha vior, 224: 113075. |
| null | Zhang S H, He F, Yang X S, Chen X Y. 2016. Partner preference of Meriones meridianus in Minqin desert area. Sichuan Journal of Zoology, 35 (5): 648-653. (in Chinese) |
| null | 张世虎, 何芳, 杨旭升, 陈向阳. 2016. 民勤荒漠区子午沙鼠的配偶偏好行为研究. 四川动物, 35 (5): 648-653. |
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |
青公网安备 63010402000199号
青ICP备05000010号-2
