Serotonin and arginine–vasopressin mediate sex differences in the regulation of dominance and aggression by the social brain

作者：Joseph I. Terranova, Zhimin Song, Tony E. Larkin, Nathan Hardcastle, Alisa Norvelle, Ansa Riaz, H. Elliott Albers · 发表于：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 年份：2016 · DOI：10.1073/pnas.1610446113 · 被引用次数：126 · 研究领域：Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior、Stress Responses and Cortisol、Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

There are profound sex differences in the incidence of many psychiatric disorders. Although these disorders are frequently linked to social stress and to deficits in social engagement, little is known about sex differences in the neural mechanisms that underlie these phenomena. Phenotypes characterized by dominance, competitive aggression, and active coping strategies appear to be more resilient to psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared with those characterized by subordinate status and the lack of aggressiveness. Here, we report that serotonin (5-HT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) act in opposite ways in the hypothalamus to regulate dominance and aggression in females and males. Hypothalamic injection of a 5-HT1a agonist stimulated aggression in female hamsters and inhibited aggression in males, whereas injection of AVP inhibited aggression in females and stimulated aggression in males. Striking sex differences were also identified in the neural mechanisms regulating dominance. Acquisition of dominance was associated with activation of 5-HT neurons within the dorsal raphe in females and activation of hypothalamic AVP neurons in males. These data strongly indicate that there are fundamental sex differences in the neural regulation of dominance and aggression. Further, because systemically administered fluoxetine increased aggression in females and substantially reduced aggression in males, there may be substantial gender differences in the...