Abstract
Background
Oxytocin (OT) is considered to be a stress-buffering hormone, dampening the physiologic
effects of stress. However, OT can also be anxiogenic. We examined acute and long-lasting
effects of social defeat on OT neurons in male and female California mice.
Methods
We used immunohistochemistry for OT and c-fos cells to examine OT neuron activity
immediately after defeat (n = 6–9) and 2 weeks (n = 6–9) and 10 weeks (n = 4–5) later. We quantified Oxt messenger RNA with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (n = 5–9). Intranasal OT was administered to naïve and stressed mice tested in social
interaction and resident-intruder tests (n = 8–14).
Results
Acute exposure to a third episode of defeat increased OT/c-fos colocalizations in
the paraventricular nucleus of both sexes. In the medioventral bed nucleus of the
stria terminalis, defeat increased Oxt messenger RNA, total OT neurons, and OT/c-fos colocalizations in female mice but
not male mice. Intranasal OT failed to reverse stress-induced social withdrawal in
female mice and reduced social interaction behavior in female mice naïve to defeat.
In contrast, intranasal OT increased social interaction in stressed male mice and
reduced freezing in the resident-intruder test.
Conclusions
Social defeat induces long-lasting increases in OT production and OT/c-fos cells in
the medioventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis of female mice but not male mice.
Intranasal OT largely reversed the effects of stress on behavior in male mice, but
effects were mixed in female mice. These results suggest that changes in OT-sensitive
networks contribute to sex differences in behavioral responses to stress.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 16, 2015
Accepted:
October 2,
2015
Received in revised form:
September 18,
2015
Received:
June 26,
2015
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Society of Biological Psychiatry.
