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Brain Sciences
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Advances in Neurogenetics of Social Behavior
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Advances in Neurogenetics of Social Behavior

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2022) | Viewed by 5262

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kyle Gobrogge

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Interests: behavioral neuroscience
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Brandon Molligoda

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Interests: behavioral neuroscience

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent advances in big data approaches to neurogenetics, neuroimaging technology, and behavioral modeling have recontextualized our understanding of sociosexual behavior in both human and animal models. This Special Issue will focus on contemporary neuroscience research uncovering the neural representations of social behavior across species and model systems from emerging leaders in the behavioral neurobiology field. The issue will highlight research that holds great promise for translation from basic neuroscientific experiments performed in the lab and in the wild which aim to help to better understand social communication and associated neurodivergent conditions, such as autism spectrum disorders.

Dr. Kyle Gobrogge
Dr. Brandon Molligoda
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • optogenetics
  • DREADDs
  • calcium imaging
  • social vigilance
  • fMRI

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2370 KiB  
Article
Effects of Group Size on Behavior, Reproduction, and mRNA Expression in Brains of Brandt’s Voles
by Wei Lu, Shuli Huang, Jing Liu, Erdenetuya Batsuren, Guoliang Li, Xinru Wan, Jidong Zhao, Zuoxin Wang, Wenxuan Han and Zhibin Zhang
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(2), 311; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci13020311 - 12 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1227
Abstract
For social animals, a moderate group size is greatly important to maintain their reproductive success. However, the underlying neurobiological mechanism of group size on behavior and reproduction has rarely been investigated. In this study, we examined the effects of group size (1, 2, [...] Read more.
For social animals, a moderate group size is greatly important to maintain their reproductive success. However, the underlying neurobiological mechanism of group size on behavior and reproduction has rarely been investigated. In this study, we examined the effects of group size (1, 2, 4 pairs of adult male and female voles raised per cage) on behavior and reproduction. Meanwhile, the mRNA expression of stress and reproduction response-related genes in male brains was detected. We found that Brandt’s voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii) in the large-sized group fight more severely than those in the small-sized group. Meanwhile, male voles were more anxious than females. The average number of embryos and litters per female in the medium-sized group was significantly higher than that of large-sized group. In male voles, stress- or reproduction-response mRNA expressions were more related to final group size or final density due to death caused by fighting. Our results indicated that a moderate group size was beneficial to the reproductive output of Brandt’s voles. Our study highlights the combined effects of stress- or reproduction-related gene expression or behavior in regulating the fitness of voles with different group sizes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Neurogenetics of Social Behavior)
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11 pages, 277 KiB  
Article
Cognition, Behavior, Sexuality, and Autonomic Responses of Women with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
by Carlo Pruneti and Sara Guidotti
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(11), 1448; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci12111448 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1716
Abstract
(1) Background: Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (FHA) can be caused by the hyper activation of neuro-endocrine responses to stress. Among other endocrine factors and hypothalamic dysfunctions, the psychophysiological stress response can very frequently lead to an inhibition of the gonadal–pituitary axis. The aim of [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (FHA) can be caused by the hyper activation of neuro-endocrine responses to stress. Among other endocrine factors and hypothalamic dysfunctions, the psychophysiological stress response can very frequently lead to an inhibition of the gonadal–pituitary axis. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of neurovegetative activation in a group of young women affected by this condition. (2) Methods: Twenty-five women (mean age = 21.1 ± 4.34) with FHA were consecutively recruited. Information on psycho-physiological distress was collected through a Psychopathological assessment (with the administration of three psychometric tests) and the Psychophysiological Stress Profile (PSP). Their data were compared with a control group. (3) Results: In the PSP, the patients displayed significantly higher values compared to controls in terms of the parameters of muscle tension (sEMG), skin conductance (SCL/SCR), heart rate (HR), and peripheral temperature (PT). Furthermore, autonomic hyper-activation at rest, marked reactivity to stress, and reduced recovery were seen. Moreover, a condition characterized by psychological distress (anxiety and somatic complaints, depressed and irritable mood, obsessive-compulsive traits) emerged. (4) Conclusions: The results highlight autonomic hyper-activation in FHA, which is also associated with psychological distress. Considering that FHA is a condition that affects multiple systems between mind and body, a multimodal, multidimensional, and multidisciplinary assessment of stress is becoming an emerging need. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Neurogenetics of Social Behavior)

Review

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19 pages, 680 KiB  
Review
Neurodevelopmental Model Explaining Associations between Sex Hormones, Personality, and Eating Pathology
by Ziyu Zhao and Kyle Gobrogge
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(6), 859; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci13060859 - 25 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1432
Abstract
Clinical scientists have been investigating the relationships between sex hormones, personality, and eating disorders for decades. However, there is a lack of direct research that addresses whether personality mediates or moderates the relationships between sex hormones and eating pathology. Moreover, the neural mechanisms [...] Read more.
Clinical scientists have been investigating the relationships between sex hormones, personality, and eating disorders for decades. However, there is a lack of direct research that addresses whether personality mediates or moderates the relationships between sex hormones and eating pathology. Moreover, the neural mechanisms that underlie the interactive associations between these variables remain unclear. This review aims to summarize the associations between these constructs, describe a neural mechanism mediating these relationships, and offer clinical strategies for the early identification and intervention of eating disorders. The gathered evidence shows that aggressiveness, impulsivity, and obsessive-compulsiveness may mediate or moderate the relationships between sex hormones and eating pathology, but only among females. Furthermore, sex hormone receptor density in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathway may explain the neural mechanism of these associations. Future research should use more comprehensive personality measurements and assess the mediation and moderation effects of temperament while taking the hormone levels of women across menstrual cycles into account. Additionally, electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging should be implemented to directly assess brain activity and corroborate these findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Neurogenetics of Social Behavior)
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