Cited by 305Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeuropeptides and Animal Physiology

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 71 of the 71 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 51 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

A Distributed Network for Social Cognition Enriched for Oxytocin Receptors

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Abstract

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide important for social behaviors such as maternal care and parent–infant bonding. It is believed that oxytocin receptor signaling in the brain is critical for these behaviors, but it is unknown precisely when and where oxytocin receptors are expressed or which neural circuits are directly sensitive to oxytocin. To overcome this challenge, we generated specific antibodies to the mouse oxytocin receptor and examined receptor expression throughout the brain. We identified a distributed network of female mouse brain regions for maternal behaviors that are especially enriched for oxytocin receptors, including the piriform cortex, the left auditory cortex, and CA2 of the hippocampus. Electron microscopic analysis of the cerebral cortex revealed that oxytocin receptors were mainly expressed at synapses, as well as on axons and glial processes. Functionally, oxytocin transiently reduced synaptic inhibition in multiple brain regions and enabled long-term synaptic plasticity in the auditory cortex. Thus modulation of inhibition may be a general mechanism by which oxytocin can act throughout the brain to regulate parental behaviors and social cognition. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Oxytocin is an important peptide hormone involved in maternal behavior and social cognition, but it has been unclear what elements of neural circuits express oxytocin receptors due to the paucity of suitable antibodies. Here, we developed new antibodies to the mouse oxytocin receptor. Oxytocin receptors were found in discrete brain regions and at cortical synapses for modulating excitatory-inhibitory balance and plasticity. These antibodies should be useful for future studies of oxytocin and social behavior.

Overview

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TL;DR

The paper reports a novel specific antibody (OXTR-2) against the mouse oxytocin receptor and maps receptor expression across the brain, identifying a female-enriched distributed network including piriform cortex, hippocampal CA2, and left auditory cortex. Functionally, oxytocin transiently reduced synaptic inhibition in several regions and enabled NMDA receptor-dependent long-term plasticity in auditory cortex.

Key findings

  • OXTR-2 was validated as specific: it detected a 43 kDa band in oxytocin-receptor-expressing HEK cells, labeled wild-type uterus and brain, and showed no labeling in oxytocin receptor knock-out tissue or after peptide preadsorption.
  • In adult mice, oxytocin receptors were widely expressed but enriched in specific regions: piriform cortex had more OXTR-2+ cells in females than males (p < 0.03); hippocampal CA2 had more OXTR-2+ cells than other hippocampal regions in females (p < 0.01); left auditory cortex had more OXTR-2+ cells than right auditory cortex in females (p < 0.002), with no lateralization in males (p > 0.9). Table 1 reported, for virgin females, left auditory cortex 26.5 ± 2.3% vs right 20.6 ± 3.0%, CA2 52.8 ± 5.9%, and piriform cortex 44.8 ± 7.5% vs males 10.5 ± 1.4%.
  • Electron microscopy showed OXTR-2 labeling at putative excitatory synapses (presynaptic: 6.3 ± 2.2% WT vs 1.4 ± 1.2% KO synapses, p < 10−4; postsynaptic spines: 22.0 ± 3.4% vs 3.7 ± 1.7%, p < 10−4), inhibitory synapses, axons, and glia, but not significantly in dendrites.
  • Oxytocin reduced evoked IPSCs in auditory cortex, piriform cortex, and PVN (e.g., auditory cortex 1 µM oxytocin decreased IPSCs to 80.7 ± 3.7% of baseline, n = 7, p < 0.003; piriform cortex 5 µM to 74.7 ± 4.5%, n = 6, p < 0.004; PVN 5 µM to 71.1 ± 5.3%, n = 5, p < 0.02), an effect blocked by the oxytocin receptor antagonist OTA. Oxytocin also enabled long-term potentiation and increased spike probability in auditory cortex, requiring NMDA receptors.

Methods

  • Custom polyclonal antibodies were generated against four mouse oxytocin receptor peptide sequences; OXTR-2 was affinity-purified and validated by dot blot, Western blot, immunohistochemistry in wild-type vs oxytocin receptor knock-out mice, and peptide preadsorption.
  • Receptor expression was quantified by confocal immunohistochemistry across 29 brain regions in experienced mothers, pup-naive adult virgin females, and adult males, with estrous state checked in some animals; additional methods included qPCR, RNAseq across postnatal ages, viral tracing of oxytocinergic axons, and electron microscopy in auditory cortex of 4 wild-type and 4 knock-out mice.
  • Synaptic function was tested with whole-cell recordings in acute slices from adult virgin female C57BL/6 or Oxt-IRES-Cre mice, using exogenous oxytocin, optogenetic release of endogenous oxytocin, and in vivo auditory cortex recordings with tone–oxytocin pairing.

Limitations

  • The paper states that receptor expression in some brain areas could be somewhat variable, that the study may have been underpowered to detect fine-grain differences in oxytocin receptors or oxytocinergic axon branches, and that animals were not behaviorally tested to control for paw preference or other functional lateralization.
  • The paper notes that topically applied oxytocin in vivo might diffuse to recorded cells 420–800 µm below the pial surface or act at more superficial synapses, and that mechanisms of oxytocin modulation may differ across regions (e.g., piriform cortex disinhibition was prevented by blocking excitation, unlike auditory cortex and PVN).
  • Evident from the text: the antibody is a custom polyclonal reagent validated in mouse, most functional experiments used virgin female mice and acute slices, and several proposed mechanisms (e.g., glial oxytocin receptor function, presynaptic vs postsynaptic actions) are hypotheses requiring further study.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.2409-15.2016

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    The oxytocin receptor knock-out mice used as controls lack oxytocin receptor protein.

    “tissues from the oxytocin-receptor knock-out uterus and brain, were used as controls in each Western blot analysis.”
    “oxytocin receptor knock-out brain sections”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The distribution of oxytocin receptors in the mouse brain determines which components of neural circuits are directly sensitive to oxytocin modulation and thus form an important network for control of social behavior.

    “The distribution of oxytocin receptors in the mouse brain determines which components of neural circuits are directly sensitive to oxytocin modulation and thus form an important network for control of social behavior.”
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Metadata

Authors
Mitre, M., Marlin, B. J., Schiavo, J. K., Morina, E., Norden, S. E., Hackett, T. A., Aoki, C. J., Chao, M. V., & Froemke, R. C.
Affiliations
  • New York University (US)
  • Vanderbilt University (US)
  • NYU Langone Health (US)
Venue
The Journal of Neuroscience
Published
2016-02-24
Volume
36
Issue
8
Pages
2517-2535
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
OpenAlex
W2278486104
Cited by
305
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 8
FWCI
41.41
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • McKnight Foundation
  • Vanderbilt University
  • National Institutes of Health (HD015052, NS-21072, EY13079)
  • Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R21MH105846, T32MH019524)
  • National Eye Institute (EY 13079, P30EY013079)
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (DC012527, K99DC009635, R01DC009836, DC009635, R00DC009635, K18DC012527, R01DC015388, DC009836, R01DC012557)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS021072, NS-21072, R56NS021072, T32NS086750)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P30HD015052, P30-HD015052-33, U54HD083211)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
Keywords
oxytocin receptor, oxytocin, maternal behavior, social cognition, piriform cortex, auditory cortex, hippocampal CA2, synaptic inhibition, excitation-inhibition balance, synaptic plasticity, glial processes, antibody development, parent-infant bonding
MeSH terms
Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Auditory Cortex, Cognition, Female, Humans, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Molecular Sequence Data, Nerve Net, Social Behavior, Receptors, Oxytocin, Mice, Knockout, Mice, HEK293 Cells

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