Neural Circuits, Neurotransmitters, and Behavior

Abstract Gonadal hormones contribute to the sexual differentiation of brain and behavior throughout the lifespan, from initial neural patterning to “activation” of adult circuits. Sexual behavior is an ideal system in which to investigate the mechanisms underlying hormonal activation of neural circuits. Sexual behavior is a hormonally regulated, innate social behavior found across species. Although both sexes seek out and engage in sexual behavior, the specific actions involved in mating are sexually dimorphic. Thus, the neural circuits mediating sexual motivation and behavior in males and females are overlapping yet distinct. Furthermore, sexual behavior is strongly dependent on circulating gonadal hormones in both sexes. There has been significant recent progress on elucidating how gonadal hormones modulate physiological properties within sexual behavior circuits with consequences for behavior. Therefore, in this mini-review we review the neural circuits of male and female sexual motivation and behavior, from initial sensory detection of pheromones to the extended amygdala and on to medial hypothalamic nuclei and reward systems. We also discuss how gonadal hormones impact the physiology and functioning of each node within these circuits. By better understanding the myriad of ways in which gonadal hormones impact sexual behavior circuits, we can gain a richer and more complete appreciation for the neural substrates of complex behavior.

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Japanese studies on neural circuits and behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans

Frontiers in Neural Circuits ◽

10.3389/fncir.2013.00187 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hiroyuki Sasakura ◽

Yuki Tsukada ◽

Shin Takagi ◽

Ikue Mori

Keyword(s):

Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Neural Circuits ◽

Japanese Studies ◽

And Behavior

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Addiction: Taking the brain seriously

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x00043090 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 582-582

Author(s):

Steven E. Hyman

Keyword(s):

Neural Circuits ◽

Behavioral Analysis ◽

Interacting Agents ◽

Target Article ◽

Brain And Behavior ◽

And Behavior ◽

The Brain

AbstractHeyman's target article is an analytical tour de force, but it makes too hard a distinction between voluntary and driven behavior. It is more fruitful to think about brain and behavior as shifting, interacting “agents,” represented by multiple neural circuits. This has the virtue of better connecting behavioral analysis with wet neuroscience.

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Theoretical principles of multiscale spatiotemporal control of neuronal networks: a complex systems perspective

10.1101/097618 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Nima Dehghani

Keyword(s):

Neural Circuits ◽

Multiple Scales ◽

Information Theoretic ◽

Systems Perspective ◽

Control Behavior ◽

Neural Computations ◽

Fine Control ◽

And Behavior ◽

Spatiotemporal Control ◽

Theoretic Description

Success in the fine control of the nervous system depends on a deeper understanding of how neural circuits control behavior. There is, however, a wide gap between the components of neural circuits and behavior. We advance the idea that a suitable approach for narrowing this gap has to be based on a multiscale information-theoretic description of the system. We evaluate the possibility that brain-wide complex neural computations can be dissected into a hierarchy of computational motifs that rely on smaller circuit modules interacting at multiple scales. In doing so, we draw attention to the importance of formalizing the goals of stimulation in terms of neural computations so that the possible implementations are matched in scale to the underlying circuit modules.

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Minimally invasive neural stimulation with a novel ultra-sensitive step function opsin: implications and future directions

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00472.2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 124 (5) ◽

pp. 1312-1314

Author(s):

Aamna Lawrence ◽

Hui Ho Vanessa Chang

Keyword(s):

Minimally Invasive ◽

Nonhuman Primate ◽

Neural Circuits ◽

Step Function ◽

Neural Stimulation ◽

Primate Research ◽

Future Directions ◽

Cortical Areas ◽

Light Delivery ◽

And Behavior

Optogenetics has become a popular tool to probe the link between neural circuits and behavior, since the technique was first introduced in 2005. Recently, Gong et al. (Gong X, Mendoza-Halliday D, Ting JT, Kaiser T, Sun X, Bastos AM, Wimmer RD, Guo B, Chen Q, Zhou Y, Pruner M, Wu CWH, Park D, Deisseroth K, Barak B, Boyden ES, Miller EK, Halassa MM, Fu Z, Bi G, Desimone R, Feng G. Neuron 107: 38–51, 2020) developed an ultra-sensitive step-function opsin capable of activating any region of the mouse brain and cortical areas in macaques with external illumination, thus aiming toward minimally invasive light delivery. In this article, we highlight and discuss the new opsin's potential in nonhuman primate research.

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Epigenetic regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor: Implications in neurodevelopment and behavior

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x12001100 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

pp. 377-378 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Benjamin D. Schanker

Keyword(s):

Epigenetic Regulation ◽

Neurotrophic Factor ◽

Neuronal Plasticity ◽

Neural Circuits ◽

Scientific Progress ◽

Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor ◽

Research Findings ◽

And Behavior

AbstractSeveral recent research findings have implicated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a mediator of neuronal plasticity. The BDNF gene is under extensive epigenetic regulation, which modulates how much or how little environmental experiences become encoded within neurons and neural circuits. Future scientific progress within the postgenomic paradigm requires elucidation of the functional trajectory in neogenetic and environment interactions.

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