Research Project
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Rats that had received gentle stroking stimuli emitted 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations, an index of positive emotion, during stroking stimuli. In addition, these rats showed higher preference for the stroking stimuli. These rats showed low level of anxiety-related behavior. Oxytocin neurons activated following stroking stimuli were mainly located in the caudal hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (caudal PVN). Oxytocin neurons of the caudal PVN mainly project their axons toward several brain regions including cingulate cortex, insular cortex and hypothalamus area. In addition, stroking stimuli induced c-Fos protein, an index of neuronal activation, in the cingulate cortex and insular cortex. These findings suggest that post-weaning repeated stroking facilitates affiliative social response in rats possibly via activation of oxytocin neurons in the caudal PVN and cingulate cortex and insular cortex.
撫で刺激を幼若期から繰り返し与えることで、ラットが成長後、撫で刺激を好むようになり、不安が低下したり、撫でてくれる人を嗜好したりするようになることがわかった。ホルモンの一種であるオキシトシンは生殖や社会行動に大きく影響を及ぼす因子であることが知られている。撫でられることを好むラットは、撫でられる時にオキシトシンを産生する特定の領域の神経細胞が活性化することが明らかになった。このことから、撫で刺激により快情動がもたらされ、不安が低下する現象の背景に特定の領域のオキシトシン産生細胞が関与する可能性が示された。撫で刺激がもたらす生物学的な機能とそのメカニズムを理解することに貢献した。
All 2018 2017 2016 2015
All Journal Article (4 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 1 results, Peer Reviewed: 4 results, Open Access: 3 results, Acknowledgement Compliant: 2 results) Presentation (8 results) (of which Invited: 1 results)
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Volume: 79 Pages: 20-30
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.01.036
Molecular Psychiatry
Volume: in press Issue: 9 Pages: 1-7
10.1038/mp.2015.190
Interdisciplinary Information Sciences
Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Pages: 189-195
10.4036/iis.2015.b.03
110009966527
Neuroscience Letters
Volume: 600 Pages: 22-27
10.1016/j.neulet.2015.05.055
