Novelty-induced behavioral traits correlate with numbers of brainstem noradrenergic neurons and septal cholinergic neurons in C57BL/6J mice.
It is generally accepted that different brain regions regulate specific behavioral responses and that structural alterations in these regions may affect behavior. We investigated whether inter-individual variability in novelty-induced behaviors in C57BL/6J mice correlates with numbers of noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus and cholinergic neurons in the septum. We found that exploration of new stimuli correlated negatively with numbers of noradrenergic neurons, whereas anxiety correlated positively with numbers of cholinergic neurons. The observed correlations suggest physiologically plausible links between structure and function and indicate that precise morphological estimates can be predictive for behavioral responses.
Tereshchenko
Yuliya
Y
Zentrum für Molekulare Neurobiologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Falkenried 94, Hamburg 20251, Germany.
Brandewiede
Joerg
J
Schachner
Melitta
M
Irintchev
Andrey
A
Morellini
Fabio
F
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002452:Cell Count; D002755:Choice Behavior; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008125:Locus Coeruleus / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D012688:Septum Pellucidum / Q000166:cytology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000109:Acetylcholine; D009638:Norepinephrine