Neurocircuitry of Motivated Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0308, USA.
Rural Drug Addiction Research Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 660 N 12th St., Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA.
Biol Sex Differ. 2024 Apr 3;15(1):33. doi: 10.1186/s13293-024-00608-0.
Recent preclinical research exploring how neuropeptide transmitter systems regulate motivated behavior reveal the increasing importance of sex as a critical biological variable. Neuropeptide systems and their central circuits both contribute to sex differences in a range of motivated behaviors and regulate sex-specific behaviors. In this short review, we explore the current research of how sex as a biological variable influences several distinct motivated behaviors that are modulated by the melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neuropeptide system. First, we review how MCH regulates feeding behavior within the context of energy homeostasis differently between male and female rodents. Then, we focus on MCH's role in lactation as a sex-specific process within the context of energy homeostasis. Next, we discuss the sex-specific effects of MCH on maternal behavior. Finally, we summarize the role of MCH in drug-motivated behaviors. While these topics are traditionally investigated from different scientific perspectives, in this short review we discuss how these behaviors share commonalities within the larger context of motivated behaviors, and that sex differences discovered in one area of research may impact our understanding in another. Overall, our review highlights the need for further research into how sex differences in energy regulation associated with reproduction and parental care contribute to regulating motivated behaviors.
最近的临床前研究探索了神经肽递质系统如何调节动机行为，揭示了性别作为一个关键的生物学变量的重要性日益增加。神经肽系统及其中枢回路都有助于一系列动机行为的性别差异，并调节特定于性别的行为。在这篇简短的综述中，我们探讨了目前关于性别作为一个生物学变量如何影响几种不同的动机行为的研究，这些行为受到黑色素浓缩激素（MCH）神经肽系统的调节。首先，我们回顾了 MCH 如何在雄性和雌性啮齿动物体内不同地调节能量平衡背景下的摄食行为。然后，我们专注于 MCH 在哺乳作为能量平衡背景下的一种特定于性别的过程中的作用。接下来，我们讨论了 MCH 对母性行为的性别特异性影响。最后，我们总结了 MCH 在药物驱动的行为中的作用。虽然这些主题传统上是从不同的科学角度进行研究的，但在这篇简短的综述中，我们讨论了这些行为如何在更大的动机行为背景下共享共同性，并且在一个研究领域中发现的性别差异可能会影响我们对另一个领域的理解。总的来说，我们的综述强调了需要进一步研究与生殖和育儿有关的能量调节中的性别差异如何调节动机行为。
