| Project/Area Number |
17K08119
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Integrative animal science
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| Research Institution | Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
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| Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,810,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,110,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 2017: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
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| Keywords | オキシトシン / 養育行動 / 攻撃行動 / 背側縫線核 / マウス / 室傍核 / 授乳行動 / 神経科学 / 脳・神経 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Oxytocin is a hormone that promotes milk ejection. In other words, oxytocin promotes energy investment to their offspring. We hypothesized that oxytocin might promote energy investment by regulating nurturing behavior as well as milk ejection. As a result, we found that dams displayed nurturing behavior even under fasting conditions by oxytocin acting on the dorsal raphe nucleus. This function was not necessary for displaying nurturing behavior under sufficient dietary conditions. Nurturing behavior is suppressed under severely negative energy conditions. These results indicate that oxytocin in the dorsal raphe nucleus antagonizes the inhibition of nurturing behavior under negative conditions. We propose that oxytocin is required for displaying nurturing behavior under negative energy conditions.
In this research project, we found a neural mechanism by which maternal care and aggression were reciprocally regulated by glutamatergic signaling.
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
哺乳類の母親は乳を介してエネルギーを仔に分け与える。特に栄養状態が良くない場合は授乳は自分の生存に望ましいことではない。しかし母親は仔を捨てずに授乳し続ける。このような自己犠牲的な母親の性質を司る神経機構を明らかにする目的で本研究を実施した。仔育て中の母マウスを用いた実験から、オキシトシンが背側縫線核に作用することで低エネルギー条件下でも仔育てを継続することがわかった。また本研究では仔育て行動だけでなく、仔や縄張りを守るための行動である母親の攻撃行動の発現も背側縫線核で制御されていることがわかった。本研究は人の子育てや獣医学領域の諸問題への対策の基礎となると考えている。
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