title: Vasopressin infusion into the lateral septum of adult male rats rescues progesterone-induced impairment in social recognition.
abstract: It is well established that social recognition memory is mediated, in part, by arginine vasopressin (AVP). AVP cells within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and medial amygdala (MeA) send AVP-ergic projections to the lateral septum (LS). We have demonstrated that progesterone treatment decreases AVP immunoreactivity within the BST, the MeA and the LS, and that progesterone treatment impairs social recognition. These data suggested that progesterone may impair social recognition memory by decreasing AVP. In the present experiment, we hypothesized that infusions of AVP into the LS would rescue the progesterone-induced impairment in social recognition within adult male rats. One week after adult male rats underwent cannula surgery, they were given systemic injections of either a physiological dose of progesterone or oil control for 3 days. Four hours after the last injection, we tested social recognition memory using the social discrimination paradigm, a two-trial test that is based on the natural propensity for rats to be highly motivated to investigate novel conspecifics. Immediately after the first exposure to a juvenile, each animal received bilateral infusions of either AVP or artificial cerebrospinal fluid into the LS. Our results show that, as expected, control animals exhibited normal social discrimination. In corroboration with our previous results, animals given progesterone have impaired social discrimination. Interestingly, animals treated with progesterone and AVP exhibited normal social discrimination, suggesting that AVP treatment rescued the impairment in social recognition caused by progesterone. These data also further support a role for progesterone in modulating vasopressin-dependent behavior within the male brain.
authors: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Neuroscience Training Program, 7225 Medical Sciences Center, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706-1532, USA.
authors: M E
authors: ME
authors: Bychowski
authors: J D
authors: JD
authors: Mena
authors: C J
authors: CJ
authors: Auger
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D057967:Infusions, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D011374:Progesterone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014667:Vasopressins; D011374:Progesterone
references: Brain Res. 1997 Jun 20;760(1-2):1-7
references: 9237511
references: Braz J Med Biol Res. 2004 Jun;37(6):791-7
references: 15264021
references: Neurosci Lett. 1987 Jun 26;77(3):353-9
references: 3614767
references: Neurosci Lett. 2005 Mar 16;376(3):160-5
references: 15721214
references: Brain Res. 1988 Feb 23;442(1):105-18
references: 2834008
references: Exp Aging Res. 1981 Spring;7(1):25-32
references: 7238548
references: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011 Jul;36(6):843-53
references: 21185124
references: Physiol Behav. 1995 Aug;58(2):315-21
references: 7568435
references: Behav Pharmacol. 1994 Feb;5(1):90-98
references: 11224255
references: Horm Behav. 2012 Apr;61(4):598-604
references: 22366506
references: Brain Res. 2006 Jan 5;1067(1):58-66
references: 16376865
references: Front Neuroendocrinol. 2002 Apr;23(2):200-24
references: 11950245
references: J Neurosci Methods. 1980 Dec;3(2):129-49
references: 6110810
references: Brain Res. 1988 Aug 2;457(1):143-7
references: 3167559
references: J Gerontol. 1992 Sep;47(5):B164-70
references: 1512426
references: Physiol Behav. 1994 Jan;55(1):145-9
references: 8140159
references: Brain Res. 1990 Jun 11;519(1-2):150-7
references: 1975762
references: Neurobiol Aging. 2005 Jun;26(6):957-64
references: 15718055
references: Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1987;91(3):363-8
references: 3104959
references: J Neuroendocrinol. 2002 Jul;14(7):561-7
references: 12121493
references: J Sleep Res. 2005 Mar;14(1):83-90
references: 15743338
references: J Neuroendocrinol. 2006 Mar;18(3):187-94
references: 16454802
references: J Pineal Res. 1991 Sep;11(2):57-62
references: 1757885