Sex differences in the regulation of social and anxiety-related behaviors: insights from vasopressin and oxytocin brain systems. (April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bredewold, Remco; Veenema, Alexa H
• Is Part Of: Current opinion in neurobiology. Volume 49(2018)
• Page Start: 132
• Page End: 140
• Publication Date: 2018-04
• Subjects: Neurobiology -- Periodicals; 573.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.02.011
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-4388

Abstract

Highlights: AVP regulates social behavior and anxiety in sex-specific ways in juvenile rats. OXT induces sex-specific activation of same three brain regions in humans and rats. Prefrontal cortex OXT regulates anxiety in sex-specific ways in mice but not rats. Prefrontal cortex OXT modulates sociosexual motivation in female mice. AVP/OXT may mediate sex-specific vulnerability and resilience to mental disorders. Abstract : To understand how the brain regulates behavior, many variables must be taken into account, with sex as a prominent variable. In this review, we will discuss recent human and rodent studies showing the sex-specific involvement of the neuropeptides vasopressin and oxytocin in social and anxiety-related behaviors. We discuss that sex differences can be evident at pre-pubertal ages as seen in the sex-specific regulation of social recognition, social play, and anxiety by the vasopressin system in juvenile rats. We further discuss that the oxytocin system in humans and rodents alters brain activation, anxiety, and sociosexual motivation in sex-specific ways. Finally, we propose that knowledge of vasopressin and oxytocin mediated sex-specific brain mechanisms can provide essential insights into how these neuropeptide systems contribute to sex-specific vulnerability as well as resilience to perturbations, with subsequent relevance to social and emotional disorders.