Title | Hyperexcited limbic neurons represent sexual satiety and reduce mating motivation |
Authors | Zhou, Xiaojuan Li, Ang Mi, Xue Li, Yixuan Ding, Zhaoyi An, Min Chen, Yalan Li, Wei Tao, Xianming Chen, Xinfeng Li, Ying |
Affiliation | Chinese Inst Brain Res, Beijing 102206, Peoples R China Peking Univ, Acad Adv Interdisciplinary Studies, Beijing 102206, Peoples R China |
Keywords | FOS IMMUNOREACTIVITY SOCIAL-BEHAVIOR HYPOTHALAMUS AGGRESSION CHANNEL MICE AREA |
Issue Date | 24-Feb-2023 |
Publisher | SCIENCE |
Abstract | Transient sexual experiences can have long-lasting effects on behavioral decisions, but the neural coding that accounts for this change is unclear. We found that the ejaculation experience selectively activated estrogen receptor 2 (Esr2)-expressing neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST)-BNSTEsr2-and led to persistent decreases in firing threshold for days, during which time the mice displayed sexual satiety. Inhibition of hyperexcited BNSTEsr2 elicited fast mating recovery in satiated mice of both sexes. In males, such hyperexcitability reduced mating motivation and was partially mediated by larger HCN (hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated) currents. Thus, BNSTEsr2 not only encode a specific mating action but also represent a persistent state of sexual satiety, and alterations in a neuronal ion channel contribute to sexual experience-dependent long-term changes to mating drive. |
URI | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11897/685163 |
ISSN | 0036-8075 |
DOI | 10.1126/science.abl4038 |
Indexed | SCI(E) |
Appears in Collections: | 前沿交叉学科研究院 |