Selective vulnerability of parvocellular oxytocin neurons in social dysfunction.

ABSTRACT: Selective vulnerability offers a conceptual framework for understanding neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease, where specific neuronal types are selectively affected and adjacent ones are spared. However, the applicability of this framework to neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly those characterized by atypical social behaviors, such as autism spectrum disorder, remains uncertain. Here we show that an embryonic disturbance, known to induce social dysfunction in male mice, preferentially impaired the gene expression crucial for neural functions in parvocellular oxytocin (OT) neurons-a subtype linked to social rewards-while neighboring cell types experienced a lesser impact. Chemogenetic stimulation of OT neurons at the neonatal stage ameliorated social deficits in ea

SUBMITTER: Tsurutani M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11456597 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature