Altered Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Amygdalar Neuronal Activity in Adult Mice with Repeated Experience of Aggression

Smagin, D. A., Park, J. H., Michurina, T. V., Peunova, N., Glass, Z., Sayed, K., Bondar, N. P., Kovalenko, I. N., Kudryavtseva, N. N., Enikolopov, G. (December 2015) Altered Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Amygdalar Neuronal Activity in Adult Mice with Repeated Experience of Aggression. Front Neurosci, 9. p. 443. ISSN 1662-4548 (Print)1662-453X (Linking)

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Abstract

Repeated experience of winning in a social conflict setting elevates levels of aggression and may lead to violent behavioral patterns. Here, we use a paradigm of repeated aggression and fighting deprivation to examine changes in behavior, neurogenesis, and neuronal activity in mice with positive fighting experience. We show that for males, repeated positive fighting experience induces persistent demonstration of aggression and stereotypic behaviors in daily agonistic interactions, enhances aggressive motivation, and elevates levels of anxiety. When winning males are deprived of opportunities to engage in further fights, they demonstrate increased levels of aggressiveness. Positive fighting experience results in increased levels of progenitor cell proliferation and production of young neurons in the hippocampus. This increase is not diminished after a fighting deprivation period. Furthermore, repeated winning experience decreases the number of activated (c-fos-positive) cells in the basolateral amygdala and increases the number of activated cells in the hippocampus; a subsequent no-fight period restores the number of c-fos-positive cells. Our results indicate that extended positive fighting experience in a social conflict heightens aggression, increases proliferation of neuronal progenitors and production of young neurons in the hippocampus, and decreases neuronal activity in the amygdala; these changes can be modified by depriving the winners of the opportunity for further fights.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: adult neurogenesis aggression amygdala anxiety autism c-fos-positive cells hippocampus social conflict
Subjects: diseases & disorders > mental disorders > anxiety disorders
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > amygdala
organism description > animal behavior
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > hippocampus
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell functions > neurogenesis
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Enikopolov lab
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: 1 December 2015
Date Deposited: 10 Dec 2015 17:43
Last Modified: 06 Nov 2017 20:44
PMCID: PMC4664700
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/32172

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