Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: Recent studies have indicated that during the neonatal period oxytocin (OT) has an organizational effect within the central nervous system, including the expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα).Neonatal manipulation of oxytocin in both rats and prairie voles altered the expression of ERα in a site specific manner in females.Exogenous oxytocin decreased the expression of ERα in the medial preoptic area (MPOA).While oxytocin could alter the expression of ERα through several mechanisms, this study tested the hypothesis that oxytocin alters ERα expression by selectively affecting neuronal survival.Preliminary data indicates that in female prairie voles a single treatment with oxytocin on the day of birth increases apoptosis in ERα expressing neurons in the MPOA.This decrease in neuronal survival is speculated to contribute to the alterations in social behavior.Here I used fluorescent immunocytochemistry to double-label free floating sections for apoptotic activity and ERα.Data from this study did not support the hypothesis that OT alters ERα expression by selectively affecting neuronal survival of ERα-containing cells, as there was no correlation between the expression of ERα on the rate of cell death in regions that have previously been shown to be affected by neonatal manipulation of OT, including the MPOA, ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), and arcuate nucleus (ARC).However, OT affected apoptosis rate in an age-dependent and region-specific manner.Moore, for their advice and guidance throughout this project.I wish to thank Peter-James Zushin and Stephanie Zito for their support and friendship through the last couple of years.I wish to thank Chiara Benvenuto, Alissa
Author: Khanhbao N. Nguyen
Institution: University of Akron
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: University of Akron
OpenAlex ID: W2606489817