Wang Z, Smith W, Major D E, De Vries G J
Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003.
Brain Res. 1994 Jul 11;650(2):212-8. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(94)91784-1.
Three days of male and female cohabitation dramatically reduces the density of vasopressin-immunoreactive (AVP-ir) fibers in the lateral septum and lateral habenular nucleus of male, but not of female prairie voles. Here we tested whether this reduction is associated with changes in AVP messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), the presumed source of these fibers, and with changes in testosterone levels, which may influence AVP biosynthesis in the BST. In addition, we tested whether similar changes can be found in meadow voles, which unlike prairie voles do not dramatically change their social behaviors after mating. In both species, males showed more AVP mRNA-labeled cells in the BST and more grains per labeled cell than females. In prairie vole males, cohabitation increased the number of AVP mRNA labeled BST cells and the density of grains per labeled cells. It also raised plasma testosterone levels. No changes were found in prairie vole females nor in meadow voles of either sex. The changes in prairie vole male suggest that cohabitation stimulates AVP biosynthesis. The previously observed decrease in AVP-ir fiber density in the lateral septum and lateral habenular nucleus may therefore reflect increased synaptic release of AVP, which may contribute to mating-induced changes in social behaviors in prairie vole males.
三天的雌雄同居显著降低了雄性草原田鼠而非雌性草原田鼠外侧隔区和外侧缰核中加压素免疫反应性（AVP-ir）纤维的密度。在此，我们测试了这种降低是否与终纹床核（BST）中AVP信使核糖核酸（mRNA）表达的变化有关，BST被认为是这些纤维的来源，同时也测试了睾酮水平的变化是否与之相关，睾酮水平可能会影响BST中的AVP生物合成。此外，我们还测试了在草甸田鼠中是否能发现类似的变化，草甸田鼠与草原田鼠不同，交配后其社会行为不会发生显著变化。在这两个物种中，雄性在BST中显示出比雌性更多的AVP mRNA标记细胞以及每个标记细胞更多的颗粒。在草原田鼠雄性中，同居增加了AVP mRNA标记的BST细胞数量以及每个标记细胞的颗粒密度。同居还提高了血浆睾酮水平。在草原田鼠雌性以及草甸田鼠的雌雄个体中均未发现变化。草原田鼠雄性的这些变化表明同居刺激了AVP生物合成。因此，先前观察到的外侧隔区和外侧缰核中AVP-ir纤维密度的降低可能反映了AVP突触释放的增加，这可能有助于草原田鼠雄性交配诱导的社会行为变化。
