Lim Miranda M, Murphy Anne Z, Young Larry J
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
J Comp Neurol. 2004 Jan 19;468(4):555-70. doi: 10.1002/cne.10973.
Oxytocin receptors (OTR) and vasopressin V1a receptors (V1aR) in the ventral forebrain play critical roles in the formation of pair bonds in the monogamous prairie vole. Previous reports have been inconsistent in the identification of the specific brain regions in the ventral forebrain that express these receptors. To delineate more clearly the neuroanatomical boundaries of the OTR and V1aR fields in this species, we compared OTR and V1aR binding in adjacent brain sections and also with markers that delineate neuroanatomical boundaries in the ventral forebrain. OTR binding displayed an overlapping distribution with substance P mRNA and preproenkephalin mRNA, both markers for the shell and core of the nucleus accumbens. V1aR binding was nonoverlapping with each of these markers but colocalized with iron accumulation as shown by Perls' iron stain as well as leucine-enkephalin immunoreactivity, both markers for the ventral pallidum. OTR and V1aR mRNA were also restricted within the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum, respectively. Furthermore, destruction of ventral striatal dopaminergic terminals with 6-hydroxydopamine infusions into the nucleus accumbens did not alter OTR binding. Immunocytochemical analysis of oxytocin and vasopressin in the ventral forebrain demonstrated the presence of oxytocin-immunoreactive fibers in the nucleus accumbens and vasopressin-immunoreactive fibers in the ventral pallidum, with males showing a greater density of vasopressin fibers than females, but there was no such sex difference in the oxytocin system. Based on these results, we discuss potential neural mechanisms by which receptors in these brain regions mediate pair bond formation in this monogamous species. J. Comp. Neurol. 468:555-570, 2004.
腹侧前脑的催产素受体（OTR）和血管升压素V1a受体（V1aR）在一夫一妻制草原田鼠的配偶关系形成中发挥着关键作用。以往的报告在确定腹侧前脑中表达这些受体的特定脑区方面并不一致。为了更清楚地描绘该物种中OTR和V1aR区域的神经解剖学边界，我们比较了相邻脑切片中的OTR和V1aR结合情况，以及与描绘腹侧前脑神经解剖学边界的标记物的结合情况。OTR结合与P物质mRNA和前脑啡肽原mRNA呈现重叠分布，这两种都是伏隔核壳部和核心的标记物。V1aR结合与这些标记物均不重叠，但与珀尔斯铁染色显示的铁积累以及亮氨酸脑啡肽免疫反应性共定位，这两种都是腹侧苍白球的标记物。OTR和V1aR mRNA也分别局限于伏隔核和腹侧苍白球内。此外，向伏隔核内注射6-羟基多巴胺破坏腹侧纹状体多巴胺能终末，并未改变OTR结合。对腹侧前脑催产素和血管升压素的免疫细胞化学分析表明，伏隔核中有催产素免疫反应性纤维，腹侧苍白球中有血管升压素免疫反应性纤维，雄性的血管升压素纤维密度高于雌性，但催产素系统不存在这种性别差异。基于这些结果，我们讨论了这些脑区中的受体介导这种一夫一妻制物种配偶关系形成的潜在神经机制。《比较神经学杂志》468:555 - 570，2004年。
