Effect of sex and autism spectrum disorder on oxytocin receptor binding and mRNA expression in the dopaminergic pars compacta of the human substantia nigra
| Autor: | Sage S. Frehner, Kip T. Dooley, Michelle C. Palumbo, Aaron L. Smith, Mark M. Goodman, Karen L. Bales, Sara M. Freeman |
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| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Autism Spectrum Disorder Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Autism 1.1 Normal biological development and functioning Messenger Oxytocin Medical and Health Sciences General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology tyrosine hydroxylase Underpinning research Receptors Genetics 2.1 Biological and endogenous factors Animals Humans RNA Messenger Aetiology Pars Compacta Mammals Evolutionary Biology Neurosciences Biological Sciences Brain Disorders Substantia Nigra Mental Health Receptors Oxytocin RNA Female dopamine General Agricultural and Biological Sciences |
| Zdroj: | Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, vol 377, iss 1858 |
| ISSN: | 1471-2970 |
| Popis: | Oxytocin is an endogenous neuropeptide hormone that influences social behaviour and bonding in mammals. Variations in oxytocin receptor (OXTR) expression may play a role in the social deficits seen in autism spectrum disorder. Previous studies from our laboratory found a dense population of OXTR in the human substantia nigra (SN), a basal ganglia structure in the midbrain that is important in both movement and reward pathways. Here, we explore whether differences in OXTR can be identified in the dopaminergic SN pars compacta of individuals with autism. Postmortem human brain tissue specimens were processed for OXTR autoradiography from four groups: males with autism, females with autism, typically developing (TD) males and TD females. We found that females with autism had significantly lower levels of OXTR than the other groups. To examine potential gene expression differences, we performed in situ hybridization in adjacent slides to visualize and quantify OXTR mRNA as well as mRNA for tyrosine hydroxylase. We found no differences in mRNA levels for either gene across the four groups. These results suggest that a dysregulation in local OXTR protein translation or increased OXTR internalization/recycling may contribute to the differences in social symptoms seen in females with autism. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours’. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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