小柯机器人

近日，美国纽约大学Dayu Lin等研究人员合作发现，一条下丘脑催产素专用回路控制厌恶性社会学习。相关论文于2024年1月24日在线发表于国际学术期刊《自然》。

通过一系列功能操作和记录实验，研究人员发现视交叉后部视上核（SOR^OXT）中的催产素神经元和下丘脑腹内侧前分部腹外侧部分（aVMHvl^OXTR）中表达催产素受体的细胞是失败诱导社交回避的关键回路。在失败前，aVMHvl^OXTR细胞对攻击者线索的反应微乎其微。在失败过程中，aVMHvl^OXTR细胞被高度激活，并在SOR独家催产素供应的帮助下，增强其对攻击者线索的反应。战败后，强烈的攻击者诱导的aVMHvl^OXTR细胞活化会驱使动物避开攻击者，并最大限度地减少未来的战败。

这项研究揭示了一个神经过程，它支持由失败引起的快速社会学习，并强调了大脑催产素系统在社会可塑性中的重要性。

研究人员表示，要在复杂的社会群体中生存，一个人需要知道应该接近谁，更重要的是，应该避开谁。在小鼠中，一次失败就会导致失败的小鼠在数周内远离胜利者。

附：英文原文

Title: A dedicated hypothalamic oxytocin circuit controls aversive social learning

Author: Osakada, Takuya, Yan, Rongzhen, Jiang, Yiwen, Wei, Dongyu, Tabuchi, Rina, Dai, Bing, Wang, Xiaohan, Zhao, Gavin, Wang, Clara Xi, Liu, Jing-Jing, Tsien, Richard W., Mar, Adam C., Lin, Dayu

Issue&Volume: 2024-01-24

Abstract: To survive in a complex social group, one needs to know who to approach and, more importantly, who to avoid. In mice, a single defeat causes the losing mouse to stay away from the winner for weeks1. Here through a series of functional manipulation and recording experiments, we identify oxytocin neurons in the retrochiasmatic supraoptic nucleus (SOROXT) and oxytocin-receptor-expressing cells in the anterior subdivision of the ventromedial hypothalamus, ventrolateral part (aVMHvlOXTR) as a key circuit motif for defeat-induced social avoidance. Before defeat, aVMHvlOXTR cells minimally respond to aggressor cues. During defeat, aVMHvlOXTR cells are highly activated and, with the help of an exclusive oxytocin supply from the SOR, potentiate their responses to aggressor cues. After defeat, strong aggressor-induced aVMHvlOXTR cell activation drives the animal to avoid the aggressor and minimizes future defeat. Our study uncovers a neural process that supports rapid social learning caused by defeat and highlights the importance of the brain oxytocin system in social plasticity.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06958-w

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06958-w

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