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Click on the blue word to focus on the behavioral adaptations that are common in our mammalian females during pregnancy.
These behavioral changes affect the animals' daily life during pregnancy, such as increased nesting behavior and increased diet
.
In the laboratory setting, the mice rearranged their nests every day: during the dark phase, the mice cluttered the nest with their normal activity, but they groomed the nest in the same place before the light phase went to rest
.
The Edinger-Westphal nucleus (EA) is located in the oculomotor accessory nucleus of the midbrain, which is widely projected to the spinal cord, cerebellum, and brainstem and other brain regions, and expresses urocortin 1 (UCN1), cholecystokinin (CCK), cocaine amphetamine-regulated transcription peptides (CART) positive neurons
.
On February 3, 2022, the research team of Nicolas Renier at the Brain Institute of the Sorbonne University in Paris revealed that CART-positive neurons in the EA area play a key role in regulating nesting behavior during pregnancy
.
Figure 1: Reproductive state-dependent nesting behavior The researchers found that female mice were inactive in nesting behavior prior to mating, increased nesting behavior 1 week after mating with males, and increased even more during the second week of pregnancy Obvious
.
Interestingly, even after mating with vasectomized male mice, the female mice did not become pregnant, but there was a significant increase in nesting behavior, suggesting that this behavioral plasticity in female mice is dependent on reproductive status.
(Figure 1)
.
Through transparent brain technology and c-FOS neuron activation labeling technology, it was found that the brain areas activated in nesting behavior were mainly indeterminate zone, brainstem reticular structure, hippocampal CA1 area, and EA area, and both during pregnancy and nesting were satisfied.
The brain area activated in behavior is the EA area, and further experiments found that UCN1-positive neurons were mainly activated, which indicated that the polypeptide neurons in the EA area played a key role in nesting behavior during pregnancy
.
Figure 2: Fiber optic calcium imaging technology records the activity of CART-positive neurons in the calcium EA region.
The researchers found that the activity of CART-positive neurons in the EA region was significantly enhanced during nesting behavior by fiber-optic calcium imaging technology, and gradually decreased before entering sleep (Figure 2)
.
Chronic inhibition of this type of neurons reduced nesting behavior, while light activation of these neurons promoted nesting behavior in female mice
.
Figure 3: Changes in nesting behavior after specific induction of apoptosis of CART-positive neurons in the EA region After specific induction of the death of CART-positive neurons in the EA region by a caspase 3-dependent apoptosis virus, the nesting behavior of pregnant mice can be significantly reduced behavior
.
However, this reduction was not established under all conditions, and in the presence of pups, induction of apoptosis of CART-positive neurons in the EA region did not affect the nesting behavior of dams
.
When they then injected non-pregnant females with progesterone to reach pregnancy levels, the females also had enhanced nesting behavior, but this enhancement was attenuated by inducing the death of CART-positive neurons in the EA region
.
By injecting anterograde tracer virus, it was found that CART-positive neurons in the EA region mainly project to the brainstem, midbrain, hypothalamus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex, among which the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus receives the most neural projections
.
Despite these anatomical projections, the functional activity of these brain regions remains to be demonstrated: if some of these brain regions are satisfied to activate both during nesting behavior and after chronic activation of CART-positive neurons in the EA region, this that these brain regions are functionally active
.
Figure 4: CART-positive neurons in the EA region regulate the downstream functional brain regions of nesting behavior.
Further whole-brain c-FOS neuron activity labeling technology revealed the preoptic area, suprachiasmatic nucleus, zona indeterminate area, amygdala, ventrolateral area The periaqueductal gray matter and the reticular structure of the brainstem can satisfy the above two conditions at the same time, and become the downstream target brain regions for CART-positive neurons in the EA region to regulate nesting behavior
.
In general, this paper reveals the key neuron group that regulates adaptive behavior (nesting behavior) in pregnant mice: CART-positive neuron group in the EA region, inhibiting this type of neuron group inhibits nesting behavior, and after activating this neuron Promote nesting behavior
.
[References] 1.
https://doi.
org/10.
1016/j.
neuron.
2022.
01.
012 The pictures in the text are from the references
These behavioral changes affect the animals' daily life during pregnancy, such as increased nesting behavior and increased diet
.
In the laboratory setting, the mice rearranged their nests every day: during the dark phase, the mice cluttered the nest with their normal activity, but they groomed the nest in the same place before the light phase went to rest
.
The Edinger-Westphal nucleus (EA) is located in the oculomotor accessory nucleus of the midbrain, which is widely projected to the spinal cord, cerebellum, and brainstem and other brain regions, and expresses urocortin 1 (UCN1), cholecystokinin (CCK), cocaine amphetamine-regulated transcription peptides (CART) positive neurons
.
On February 3, 2022, the research team of Nicolas Renier at the Brain Institute of the Sorbonne University in Paris revealed that CART-positive neurons in the EA area play a key role in regulating nesting behavior during pregnancy
.
Figure 1: Reproductive state-dependent nesting behavior The researchers found that female mice were inactive in nesting behavior prior to mating, increased nesting behavior 1 week after mating with males, and increased even more during the second week of pregnancy Obvious
.
Interestingly, even after mating with vasectomized male mice, the female mice did not become pregnant, but there was a significant increase in nesting behavior, suggesting that this behavioral plasticity in female mice is dependent on reproductive status.
(Figure 1)
.
Through transparent brain technology and c-FOS neuron activation labeling technology, it was found that the brain areas activated in nesting behavior were mainly indeterminate zone, brainstem reticular structure, hippocampal CA1 area, and EA area, and both during pregnancy and nesting were satisfied.
The brain area activated in behavior is the EA area, and further experiments found that UCN1-positive neurons were mainly activated, which indicated that the polypeptide neurons in the EA area played a key role in nesting behavior during pregnancy
.
Figure 2: Fiber optic calcium imaging technology records the activity of CART-positive neurons in the calcium EA region.
The researchers found that the activity of CART-positive neurons in the EA region was significantly enhanced during nesting behavior by fiber-optic calcium imaging technology, and gradually decreased before entering sleep (Figure 2)
.
Chronic inhibition of this type of neurons reduced nesting behavior, while light activation of these neurons promoted nesting behavior in female mice
.
Figure 3: Changes in nesting behavior after specific induction of apoptosis of CART-positive neurons in the EA region After specific induction of the death of CART-positive neurons in the EA region by a caspase 3-dependent apoptosis virus, the nesting behavior of pregnant mice can be significantly reduced behavior
.
However, this reduction was not established under all conditions, and in the presence of pups, induction of apoptosis of CART-positive neurons in the EA region did not affect the nesting behavior of dams
.
When they then injected non-pregnant females with progesterone to reach pregnancy levels, the females also had enhanced nesting behavior, but this enhancement was attenuated by inducing the death of CART-positive neurons in the EA region
.
By injecting anterograde tracer virus, it was found that CART-positive neurons in the EA region mainly project to the brainstem, midbrain, hypothalamus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex, among which the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus receives the most neural projections
.
Despite these anatomical projections, the functional activity of these brain regions remains to be demonstrated: if some of these brain regions are satisfied to activate both during nesting behavior and after chronic activation of CART-positive neurons in the EA region, this that these brain regions are functionally active
.
Figure 4: CART-positive neurons in the EA region regulate the downstream functional brain regions of nesting behavior.
Further whole-brain c-FOS neuron activity labeling technology revealed the preoptic area, suprachiasmatic nucleus, zona indeterminate area, amygdala, ventrolateral area The periaqueductal gray matter and the reticular structure of the brainstem can satisfy the above two conditions at the same time, and become the downstream target brain regions for CART-positive neurons in the EA region to regulate nesting behavior
.
In general, this paper reveals the key neuron group that regulates adaptive behavior (nesting behavior) in pregnant mice: CART-positive neuron group in the EA region, inhibiting this type of neuron group inhibits nesting behavior, and after activating this neuron Promote nesting behavior
.
[References] 1.
https://doi.
org/10.
1016/j.
neuron.
2022.
01.
012 The pictures in the text are from the references
