Brain oxytocin and neuropeptide S: From social preference to social fear

Munich Psychiatry Lecture Series | MPLS

  • Date: Feb 20, 2018
  • Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Inga Neumann
  • Chair of Neurobiology & Animal Physiology | University of Regensburg
  • Location: Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry
  • Room: Lecture Hall
  • Host: Ezgi Bulca
  • Contact: ezgi_bulca@psych.mpg.de
Brain oxytocin and neuropeptide S: From social preference to social fear
The neuropeptides oxytocin (OXT) and neuropeptide S (NPS) have gained substantial interest as important modulators of socio-emotional behaviours. As such, both OXT and NPS exert anxiolytic effects also in rats selectively bred for high (HAB) versus low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour, and were found to reverse non-social fear in models of cued fear-conditioning. Moreover, both neuropeptides are major players in the promotion of social interactions. For example, I will present data demonstrating that naturally occurring social preference behaviour is highly OXT-dependent both in laboratory rats and mice, and that social defeat-induced avoidance of conspecifics is reversed by each of these neuropeptides1,2.

In a specific mouse model of social fear conditioning (SFC), both OXT and NPS reverse social fear and reinstate social preference behaviour. In case of OXT, this effect has been linked to the lateral septum3. We could also show that activation of the endogenous OXT system as seen in lactation is accompanied by lack of SFC-induced social fear. Thus, enhanced OXT signaling specifically in the lateral septum seems responsible for enhanced resilience of lactating mice against trauma.
As OXT and NPS share many behavioural effects, we tested possible interactions between these neuropeptide systems. Thus, NPS activated hypothalamic OXT neurons, which express the NPS receptors. Both NPS and OXT exert an anxiolytic effect directly within the PVN, but in case of NPS, this essentially requires local OXT activity: When local OXT actions were prevented (either pharmacologically or chemogenetically) the anxiolytic effect of NPS was prevented. 4
Thus, the multiple neuropeptide effects described within the brain in particular modulating socio-emotional behaviours likely rely on their context-specific interactions. Supported by DFG, BMBF and EU.

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