Neural mechanisms underlying memory formation for male mouse pheromones

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K07302
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 48020:Physiology-related
• Research Institution: Kochi University
• Principal Investigator: Taniguchi Mutsuo 高知大学, 教育研究部医療学系基礎医学部門, 准教授 (10304677)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 村田 芳博 高知大学, 教育研究部医療学系基礎医学部門, 助教 (40377031)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 電気生理学 / 鋤鼻系 / シグナル伝達 / 相反性シナプス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated the effect of vasopressin (AVP) on reciprocal synaptic responses (DDI) measured from mitral cells in slice preparations from mice AOB with using the patch-clamp technique. We demonstrated that AVP significantly reduced the IPSCs triggered by applying a depolarizing voltage step from -70 mV in Mg2+-free solution.
To investigate the role of V1a receptors in the GABAergic trasmission, the current response of granule or mitral cells was recorded in the presence of antagonists for glutamatergic transmission, CNQX and AP5. An extracellular application of AVP slightly suppressed voltage-activated Ca2+ currents in the GCs without affecting the magnitude of the response of mitral cells to GABA, suggesting that AVP reduces the GABAergic transmission to some extent through the inhibition of Ca2+ currents.

Free Research Field

環境生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

マウスにおいては、社会行動は個体認識に依存するものが多く、その個体認識には匂いやフェロモンの情報が用いられることがわかっている。本研究は、化学シグナルが動物行動に影響を及ぼす作用機序をシナプスレベルで明らかにすることを通して、動物の社会行動の神経基盤を支える仕組み（個体間の絆形成・破綻機構など）の解明に貢献できる。