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The Journal of Neuroscience, October 15, 2001, 21(20):8278-8285
Oxytocin in the Medial Amygdala is Essential for Social
Recognition in the Mouse
Jennifer N.
Ferguson,
J. Matthew
Aldag,
Thomas R.
Insel, and
Larry J.
Young
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and the Department of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
Oxytocin (OT) knock-out mice fail to recognize familiar
conspecifics after repeated social exposures, despite normal olfactory and spatial learning abilities. OT treatment fully restores social recognition. Here we demonstrate that OT acts in the medial amygdala during the initial exposure to facilitate social recognition. OT given
before, but not after, the initial encounter restores social
recognition in OT knock-out mice. Using c-Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) as a marker of neuronal activation in this initial
encounter, we found similar neuronal activation in the wild-type (WT)
and OT knock-out mouse in olfactory bulbs, piriform cortex, cortical amygdala, and the lateral septum. Wild-type, but not OT knock-out mice
exhibited an induction of Fos-IR in the medial amygdala. Projections
sites of the medial amygdala also failed to show a Fos-IR induction in
the OT knock-out mice. OT knock-out, but not WT, mice showed dramatic
increases in Fos-IR in the somatosensory cortex and the hippocampus,
suggesting alternative processing of social cues in these animals. With
site-specific injections of OT and an OT antagonist, we demonstrate
that OT receptor activation in the medial amygdala is both necessary
and sufficient for social recognition in the mouse.
Key words:
oxytocin; social memory; social recognition; olfaction; pheromone; medial amygdala
Copyright © 2001 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/01/21208278-08$05.00/0
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