Paternal deprivation affects the functional maturation of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)- and calbindin-D28k-expressing neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) of the biparental Octodon degus

Tomasz Gos,Jay Schulkin,Katharina Braun,Joerg Bock,Gerd Poeggel,Anna Gos

doi:10.1007/s00429-013-0617-4

Abstract

While the critical role of maternal care on the development of brain and behavior of the offspring has been extensively studied, our knowledge about the importance of paternal care for brain development of his offspring is still comparatively scarce. The aim of this study in the biparental caviomorph rodent Octodon degus was to analyze the impact of paternal care on the development of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-expressing neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Both brain areas are key players in neuronal circuits that regulate hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) activity. At the age of postnatal day (PND) 21, we found that paternal deprivation resulted in a decreased density of CRH-containing neurons in the medial, but not in the lateral BNST, whereas no changes were observed in the PVN. These deprivation-induced changes were still prominent in adulthood. At PND 21, the density of Ca-binding protein calbindin D28K (CaBP-D28K)-expressing neurons was specifically increased in the medial, but not lateral BNST of father-deprived animals. In contrast, adult father-deprived animals show significantly decreased density of CaBP-D28K-expressing neurons in the lateral, but not medial BNST. Taken together, these results may have important implications for our understanding of the experience-driven development of neural circuits that regulate HPA activity mediating acute responses to stress and chronic anxiety.

Highlights

At the age of postnatal day (PND) 21, we found that paternal deprivation resulted in a decreased density of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-containing neurons in the medial, but not in the lateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), whereas no changes were observed in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN)
We show here for the first time in the biparental caviomorph rodent O. degus that paternal care strongly affects
The medial and lateral compartments of the BNST, which are parts of extended amygdala involved in the regulation of autonomic and neuroendocrine systems (Alheid 2003), display differences between their functional properties

Summary

Introduction

Studies on humans and experimental investigations on animal models revealed that emotional deprivation or stressful family settings were a major source of vulnerability to develop behavioral and mental disorders in later life. Studies on humans and animal models revealed that paternal care significantly affected the development of cortico-limbic synaptic circuits (Helmeke et al 2009; Braun et al 2011; Seidel et al 2011; Narita et al 2010). Recent studies show that socio-emotional stimulation, in particular during the interaction with the mother, is essential for the development of endocrine functions, brain wiring and behavior; much less is known about the contribution of paternal care. We tested the hypothesis that paternal deprivation affects the development of CRH- and CaBP-D28kexpressing neurons, the BNST and the PVN as hypothalamic key players of HPA stress modulation

Materials and methods

Results

Discussion