Activation of androgen receptor-expressing neurons in the posterior medial amygdala is associated with stress resistance in dominant male hamsters.

ABSTRACT: Social stress is a negative emotional experience that can increase fear and anxiety. Dominance status can alter the way individuals react to and cope with stressful events. The underlying neurobiology of how social dominance produces stress resistance remains elusive, although experience-dependent changes in androgen receptor (AR) expression is thought to play an essential role. Using a Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) model, we investigated whether dominant individuals activate more AR-expressing neurons in the posterior dorsal and posterior ventral regions of the medial amygdala (MePD, MePV), and display less social anxiety-like behavior following social defeat stress compared to subordinate counterparts. We allowed male hamsters to form and maintain a dyadic dominance relationship

SUBMITTER: Whitten CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11330741 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature