Identification of the dopaminergic projection pathways responsible for courtship vocalizations and sexual motivation in male mice

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K03144
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 10040:Experimental psychology-related
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: Kanno Kouta 鹿児島大学, 法文教育学域法文学系, 准教授 (80722470)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 奥野 浩行 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域医学系, 教授 (80272417)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 超音波発声 / 音声コミュニケーション / マウス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the emotional state expressed in ultrasonic courtship vocalizations of mice and dopaminergic activity. We hypothesized that males, which are highly sexually motivated, frequently exhibit characteristic vocalizations when they encounter females and that dopaminergic neurons are activated. We attempted to test these hypotheses by manipulating and imaging neural activity, but were unable to establish such experimental systems and could not test the hypotheses. In contrast, the behavioral analysis was successful. We developed a method to quantify the acoustic features that can be described as the "rise" of the vocalizations when sexual motivation is heightened. Furthermore, we demonstrated the possibility of observing such a rise among multiple individuals.

Free Research Field

齧歯類社会行動、音声コミュニケーション、行動神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

私はこれまでに一貫してマウス超音波発声の内容が示す生物学的意義を研究してきた。このことにより、近年、生物医学・神経科学分野では、コミュニケーションに障害が見られる発達障害のモデルマウスにおいて超音波発声が頻繁に解析されている。本研究の成果も、そのような病態モデルマウスの行動表現型に対する解析・解釈に今後貢献しうる。高精度な実験・解析手法が蓄積されることにより、動物実験心理学や神経科学分野の研究者に広く技術を提供することにもつながる。また、本研究は、感情表現にも繋がる情動の表出とそのメカニズムを探るもので、そのような基礎研究の進展に貢献する意義を持つ。