Work

How do social dominance and social information influence reproduction and the brain?

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: How does living in a social environment influence the brain? In particular, we ask the following questions: How do animals perceive and use social information? How does the perception of social information influence the reproductive system? Where is this represented in the brain? We present a model system in which these questions can be addressed, focusing on the brain's role in integrating information. In the social fish, Astatotilapia burtoni (Haplochromis), the relationship between social status and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH1) has been well established. Change in status results in numerous changes in the physiology of A. burtoni at every level of organization. Social status can regulate reproduction via the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. GnRH1 is used by the brain to signal the pituitary about reproductive state so reproductive control depends on regulation of this signaling peptide. In this fish, social dominance is tightly coupled to fertility. Here, we have exploited this link to understand the regulatory systems from circulating hormones, brain volume to gene expression.

Source: Integrative and Comparative Biology

DOI: 10.1093/icb/icn089

Authors: J. K. Desjardins, R. D. Fernald

Institution: Stanford University

Language: English

Topic: Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones

Subfield: Reproductive Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Award: How social behavior changes the brain