Neurobiology of aggression in monogamous male prairie voles.

摘要

Using the well-established prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) model, my dissertation has explored the underlying neurochemical mechanisms regulating social behavior. In this dissertation I begin with describing the prairie vole model and reviewing the underlying neurochemical mechanisms of pair bonding and interactions between drug abuse and social behavior. Chapter 2 indentifies a sub-nucleus in the forebrain, the anterior hypothalamus (AH) that is behaviorally- and site-specifically activated during aggression. Chapter 3 demonstrates AH-vasopressin (AVP)-receptor expression and -release patterns directly regulating aggression associated with pair bonding or drug experience. Chapter 4 reveals a specific neuroanatomical circuit connecting the AH with the lateral septum, nucleus accumbens, and medial amygdala to coordinate social recognition, motivation, and behavioral expression associated with pair bonding-induced selective aggression. Finally, chapter 5 summarizes the data collected in this dissertation and discusses potential implications of these data as well as future studies in the neurobiology of aggression.