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Oxytocin signaling in the medial amygdala is required for sex discrimination of social cues
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
The neural control of social behaviors in rodents requires the encoding of pheromonal cues by the vomeronasal system. Here we show that the typical preference of male mice for females is eliminated in mutants lacking oxytocin, a neuropeptide modulating social behaviors in many species. Ablation of the oxytocin receptor in aromatase-expressing neurons of the medial amygdala (MeA) fully recapitulates the elimination of female preference in males. Further, single-unit recording in the MeA uncovered significant changes in the sensory representation of conspecific cues in the absence of oxytocin signaling. Finally, acute manipulation of oxytocin signaling in adults is sufficient to alter social interaction preferences in males as well as responses of MeA neurons to chemosensory cues. These results uncover the critical role of oxytocin signaling in a molecularly defined neuronal population in order to modulate the behavioral and physiological responses of male mice to females on a moment-to-moment basis.
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“Ablating OXTR expression in aromatase-positive neurons in the MeA abolishes male mouse preferences for females (96).”
From Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior: From Neural Circuits to Clinical Opportunities (2022) · cites this paper as [96]
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“OXTRs in the MeA receive OXT input from the PVN that help discriminate between sexand individual cues (53,74,96).”
From Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior: From Neural Circuits to Clinical Opportunities (2022) · cites this paper as [96]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Yao, S., Bergan, J., Lanjuin, A., & Dulac, C.
- Affiliations
- Allen Institute for Brain Science (US)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Dulac, Catherine
- Venue
- eLife
- Publisher
- eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
- Published
- 2017-12-12
- Volume
- 6
- ISSN
- 2050-084X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5768418
- OpenAlex
- W2746264266
- Cited by
- 151
- References
- 108
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 16.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- eLife (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (R01DC013087)
- Simons Foundation (Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative - 308094)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Keywords
- oxytocin signaling, medial amygdala, gender discrimination, social behavior, vomeronasal system, oxytocin receptor, female preference, social interaction, mice
- MeSH terms
- Amygdala, Animals, Cells, Cultured, Cues, Discrimination, Psychological, Female, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Oxytocics, Oxytocin, Sensory Receptor Cells, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Social Behavior, Receptors, Oxytocin, Mice, Knockout, Mice
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