Abstract

Social animals actively engage in contact with conspecifics and experience stress upon isolation. However, the neural mechanisms coordinating the sensing and seeking of social contacts are unclear. Here we report that amylin-calcitonin receptor (Calcr) signaling in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) mediates affiliative social contacts among adult female mice. Isolation of females from free social interactions first induces active contact-seeking, then depressive-like behavior, concurrent with a loss of Amylin mRNA expression in the MPOA. Reunion with peers induces physical contacts, activates both amylin- and Calcr-expressing neurons, and leads to a recovery of Amylin mRNA expression. Chemogenetic activation of amylin neurons increases and molecular knockdown of either amylin or Calcr attenuates contact-seeking behavior, respectively. Our data provide evidence in support of a previously postulated origin of social affiliation in mammals.

The mechanisms coordinating the sensing and seeking of social contacts are unclear. Here, the authors show that amylin-calcitonin receptor signalling in the media preoptic area mediates affiliative social behaviors in female mice.

Details

Title
Amylin-Calcitonin receptor signaling in the medial preoptic area mediates affiliative social behaviors in female mice
Author
Kansai, Fukumitsu 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kaneko Misato 2 ; Maruyama Teppo 2 ; Yoshihara Chihiro 1 ; Huang, Arthur J 3 ; McHugh, Thomas J 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Itohara Shigeyoshi 4 ; Tanaka, Minoru 5 ; Kuroda, Kumi O 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, Saitama, Japan (GRID:grid.474690.8) 
 RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, Saitama, Japan (GRID:grid.474690.8); Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Tokyo, Japan (GRID:grid.412202.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 1088 7061) 
 RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, Saitama, Japan (GRID:grid.474690.8) 
 RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, Saitama, Japan (GRID:grid.474690.8) 
 Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Tokyo, Japan (GRID:grid.412202.7) (ISNI:0000 0001 1088 7061) 
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2626462916
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.