2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
The study for the developmental mechanism of sociality which is specific to mammalian species
| Project/Area Number |
18H02356
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Section | 一般 |
|---|
| Review Section |
Basic Section 42030:Animal life science-related
|
|---|
| Research Institution | Azabu University |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
|
|---|
| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
守口 徹 麻布大学, 生命・環境科学部, 教授 (10512006)
宮内 栄治 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 統合生命医科学研究センター, 研究員(移行) (60634706)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
|
| Keywords | 社会適応性 / オキシトシン / 発達 / 人工哺乳 / 細菌叢 |
|---|
| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanism by which "social adaptability" in mammalian animals develops by maternal factors. First, we found that the infant-specific oxytocin nervous system is one of the neural systems responsible for the development of social adaptability. We also searched for a new responsible nervous system and found that there are memory cells in the paraventricular nucleus of thalamus and hippocampal dentate gyrus that are activated both by maternal stimuli in infancy and during maternal behavior in adulthood. We focused on maternal licking/grooming as one of the maternal factors, and found that pain sensitivity increased when caress-sensitive nerves in the pups were specifically suppressed in the early stages of life. From experiments using artificially reared mice, we also found that Lactobacillus in mother's milk is a maternal factor that promotes the development of sociability and cognitive ability in the pups.
|
| Free Research Field |
動物行動神経科学
|
| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
動物がその繁殖能力や環境への適応能力を最大限発揮するためには、他個体を適切に認知し、社会的状況に適した行動や社会的ストレスを軽減させるような生理反応を引き起こす“社会適応性”が必須である。本研究は、社会適応性が母からの適切な母性因子により発達することを明らかにし、その神経学的メカニズムを初めて明らかにした。また、社会適応性発達に関わる母性因子として、母からの撫で刺激の重要性を実証するとともに、母乳中の乳酸菌も母性因子の一つであることを示した。これらの知見は今後の適切な動物飼育方法に加え、人の育児スタイルの在り方にも影響を与える。また社会適応性発達を考慮した人工乳開発などへの応用も考えられる。
|
