Social experience-dependent functional changes to synaptic input to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25713044
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University (2014-2015); Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (2013)
• Principal Investigator: AMANO Taiju 北海道大学, 薬学研究科(研究院), 講師 (00591950)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 養育行動 / 攻撃行動 / 分界条床核 / 内側視索前野 / 電気生理学 / 薬理学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

While virgin adult male mice attack pups, mice who have fathered pups care for them. To determine the neural mechanisms associated with paternal caregiving in mice, we performed whole-cell patch clamp recording in the rhomboid nucleus of the bed nulceus of the stria terminalis (BSTrh), which was activated after attack . By comparing of the amplitude of the postsynaptic potentials evoked by electrical stimulation among the virgin male, paternal males prior to the birth of their pups, and paternal males who have an experience with pups. We found increased inhibition in BSTrh depending on the experience of mice with pups. Excitotoxic lesioning of the medial preoptic area (MPOA), a region considered to be central to parental behavior, reversed this inhibition to the level seen in virgin males.

Free Research Field

神経薬理学