TY - JOUR
T1 - Dendritic morphology in the striatum and hypothalamus differentially exhibits experience-dependent changes in response to maternal care and early social isolation
AU - Shams, Soaleha
AU - Pawluski, Jodi L.
AU - Chatterjee-Chakraborty, Munmun
AU - Oatley, Hannah
AU - Mastroianni, Angela
AU - Fleming, Alison S.
PY - 2012/7/15
Y1 - 2012/7/15
N2 - Changes in neuron morphology, stemming from experiences in early life or adulthood, may be the basis for changes in behavior and their underlying functional mechanisms. For example, reproductive experience has been shown to significantly alter neuron morphology in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. In contrast to the effects of reproductive experience, a form of enrichment, on neuron morphology, our understanding of the effects of early social isolation on adult neuron morphology is limited. Therefore, the present study examined changes in neuron morphology in the dorsal (caudate nucleus) and ventral (nucleus accumbens, shell region) striatum and the medial preoptic area of adult virgin and postpartum females exposed to either artificial or maternal rearing during development. Primary results show that regardless of early social isolation, neurons in the caudate nucleus of postpartum females have decreased dendritic complexity compared to virgin females. Maternal experience also increased dendritic complexity in neurons of the nucleus accumbens shell. However, both early social isolation and maternal experience in adulthood influenced dendritic complexity in the medial preoptic area. Together these findings suggest that hypothalamic and striatal neurons show experience-dependent dendritic plasticity and the type and timing of these experiences differentially affect the location and degree of these morphological changes.
AB - Changes in neuron morphology, stemming from experiences in early life or adulthood, may be the basis for changes in behavior and their underlying functional mechanisms. For example, reproductive experience has been shown to significantly alter neuron morphology in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. In contrast to the effects of reproductive experience, a form of enrichment, on neuron morphology, our understanding of the effects of early social isolation on adult neuron morphology is limited. Therefore, the present study examined changes in neuron morphology in the dorsal (caudate nucleus) and ventral (nucleus accumbens, shell region) striatum and the medial preoptic area of adult virgin and postpartum females exposed to either artificial or maternal rearing during development. Primary results show that regardless of early social isolation, neurons in the caudate nucleus of postpartum females have decreased dendritic complexity compared to virgin females. Maternal experience also increased dendritic complexity in neurons of the nucleus accumbens shell. However, both early social isolation and maternal experience in adulthood influenced dendritic complexity in the medial preoptic area. Together these findings suggest that hypothalamic and striatal neurons show experience-dependent dendritic plasticity and the type and timing of these experiences differentially affect the location and degree of these morphological changes.
KW - Nucleus accumbens
KW - Caudate nucleus
KW - Medial preoptic area
KW - Artificial rearing
KW - Maternal behavior
KW - Dendritic morphology
U2 - 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.04.048
DO - 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.04.048
M3 - Article
C2 - 22569575
SN - 0166-4328
VL - 233
SP - 79
EP - 89
JO - Behavioural Brain Research
JF - Behavioural Brain Research
IS - 1
ER -