Oxytocin and the oxytocin receptor underlie intrastrain, but not interstrain, social recognition

Abbe H. Macbeth · Heon‐Jin Lee · Jennifer Stepp Edds · W. Scott Young

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Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies Face Recognition and Perception

Abstract

We studied three lines of oxytocin (Oxt) and oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) knockout (KO) male mice [Oxt(-/-), total Oxtr(-/-) and partial forebrain Oxtr (Oxtr(FB/FB))] with established deficits in social recognition to further refine our understanding of their deficits with regard to stimulus female's strain. We used a modified social discrimination paradigm in which subjects are singly housed only for the duration of the test. Additionally, stimulus females are singly housed throughout testing and are presented within corrals for rapid comparison of investigation by subject males. Wild-type (WT) males from all three lines discriminated between familiar and novel females of three different strains (C57BL/6, BALB/c and Swiss-Webster). No KO males discriminated between familiar and novel BALB/c or C57BL/6 females. Male Oxt(-/-) and Oxtr(-/-) mice, but not Oxtr(FB/FB) mice, discriminated between familiar and novel Swiss-Webster females. As this might indicate a global deficit in individual recognition for Oxtr(FB/FB) males, we examined their ability to discriminate between females from different strains and compared performance with Oxtr(-/-) males. WT and KO males from both lines were able to distinguish between familiar and novel females from different strains, indicating the social recognition deficit is not universal. Instead, we hypothesize that the Oxtr is involved in 'fine' intrastrain recognition, but is less important in 'broad' interstrain recognition. We also present the novel finding of decreased investigation across tests, which is likely an artifact of repeated testing and not because of stimulus female's strain or age of subject males.

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References

2000Social amnesia in mice lacking the oxytocin gene 2001Oxytocin in the Medial Amygdala is Essential for Social Recognition in the Mouse 2005Pervasive social deficits, but normal parturition, in oxytocin receptor-deficient mice 2004HOW THE BRAIN PROCESSES SOCIAL INFORMATION: Searching for the Social Brain 2002The Neuroendocrine Basis of Social Recognition 2003An estrogen-dependent four-gene micronet regulating social recognition: A study with oxytocin and estrogen receptor-α and -β knockout mice 1996Deficiency in Mouse Oxytocin Prevents Milk Ejection,but not Fertility or Parturition 2002The social deficits of the oxytocin knockout mouse

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2014Social bonding: regulation by neuropeptides 2016Oxytocin and behavior: Lessons from knockout mice 2015Involvement of the oxytocin system in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the sex-specific regulation of social recognition 2018Oxytocin and sex differences in behavior 2013The Roles of Oxytocin and CD38 in Social or Parental Behaviors

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