Knockdown of sexually differentiated vasopressin expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis reduces social and sexual behaviour in male, but not female, mice.

ABSTRACT: The neuropeptide arginine-vasopressin (AVP) has long been implicated in the regulation of social behaviour and communication, but the sources of AVP release relevant for behaviour have not been precisely determined. Ablations of the sexually dimorphic AVP cells within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), which are more numerous in males, affect social behaviour differently in males and females. However, it is unknown whether these behavioural effects are caused by a reduction of AVP or of other factors associated with these cells. To test the role of AVP specifically, we used an shRNA viral construct to knock down AVP gene expression within the BNST of wild-type male and female mice, using scrambled sequence virus as a control, and evaluated subsequent changes in social behaviou

SUBMITTER: Rigney N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9213575 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature