瑞典卡罗林斯卡学院Christian Broberger、Stefanos Stagkourakis等研究人员合作发现,下丘脑网络振荡控制父亲行为的神经激素回路。该项研究成果于2020年8月6日在线发表在《细胞》杂志上。
Title: A Neuro-hormonal Circuit for Paternal Behavior Controlled by a Hypothalamic Network Oscillation
Author: Stefanos Stagkourakis, Kristina O. Smiley, Paul Williams, Sarah Kakadellis, Katharina Ziegler, Joanne Bakker, Rosemary S.E. Brown, Tibor Harkany, David R. Grattan, Christian Broberger
Issue&Volume: 2020-08-06
Abstract: Parental behavior is pervasive throughout the animal kingdom and essential for species survival. However, the relative contribution of the father to offspring care differs markedly across animals, even between related species. The mechanisms that organize and control paternal behavior remain poorly understood. Using Sprague-Dawley rats and C57BL/6 mice, two species at opposite ends of the paternal spectrum, we identified that distinct electrical oscillation patterns in neuroendocrine dopamine neurons link to a chain of low dopamine release, high circulating prolactin, prolactin receptor-dependent activation of medial preoptic area galanin neurons, and paternal care behavior in male mice. In rats, the same parameters exhibit inverse profiles. Optogenetic manipulation of these rhythms in mice dramatically shifted serum prolactin and paternal behavior, whereas injecting prolactin into non-paternal rat sires triggered expression of parental care. These findings identify a frequency-tuned brain-endocrine-brain circuit that can act as a gain control system determining a species’ parental strategy.
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.07.007
Source: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(20)30872-2