Fundamental research of the onset mechanism of emotional disorders in perinatal women.

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K04493
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: TOMIHARA Kazuya 鹿児島大学, 法文教育学域法文学系, 教授 (00272146)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小川 園子 筑波大学, 人間系, 教授 (50396610) ; 菅野 康太 鹿児島大学, 法文教育学域法文学系, 准教授 (80722470)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: エストロゲン / 産後うつ / マウス / 恐怖条件づけ / 不安 / 周産期 / 遺伝子発現抑制 / 神経内分泌メカニズム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Estrogens, which are female hormones, result in the suppression and enhancement of the emotional behavior of the female mouse depending on the concentration and action period. In this study, using adeno-associated viruses to suppress the gene expression of two nuclear estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes, we tried to clarify which brain site is involved in these behavioral transformations. As a result, it was suggested that ERβ in the medial nucleus of the amygdala and ERα in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus might be involved in the suppressing effects of emotion. However, since knockdown of gene expression of ER in only one brain site did not have any effect on the enhancement of emotional behavior, it was speculated that there is interaction between ERs in multiple brain sites.

Free Research Field

実験心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

女性は男性の２倍程度抑うつや不安などの気分障害に罹患しやすく，特に周産期にはその傾向が顕著となる。メスマウスの情動行動調節に様々な脳部位のエストロゲン受容体の機能が関与している可能性を示唆した本研究の結果は，「産後うつ」などの周産期の女性の感情障害の発症メカニズムの解明や，性特異的な感情障害の治療法の開発に広く貢献するものと考えられる。