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Brain Res

Title:		Categorization of biologically relevant chemical signals in the medial amygdala
Author(s):		Samuelsen CL; Meredith M;
Address:		"Program in Neuroscience and Department of Biological Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4295, USA. samuelsen@neuro.fsu.edu"
Journal Title:		Brain Res
Year:		2009
Volume:		20090205
Issue:
Page Number:		33 - 42
DOI:		10.1016/j.brainres.2009.01.048
ISSN/ISBN:		1872-6240 (Electronic) 0006-8993 (Print) 0006-8993 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Many species employ chemical signals to convey messages between members of the same species (conspecific), but chemosignals may also provide information to another species (heterospecific). Here, we found that conspecific chemosignals (male, female mouse urine) increased immediate early gene-protein (IEG) expression in both anterior and posterior medial amygdala of male mice, whereas most heterospecific chemosignals (e.g.: hamster vaginal fluid, steer urine) increased expression only in anterior medial amygdala. This categorization of responses in medial amygdala conforms to our previously reported findings in male hamsters. The same characteristic pattern of IEG expression appears in the medial amygdala of each species in response to conspecific stimuli for that species. These results suggest that the amygdala categorizes stimuli according to the biological relevance for the tested species. Thus, a heterospecific predator (cat collar) stimulus, which elicited behavioral avoidance in mice, increased IEG expression in mouse posterior medial amygdala (like conspecific stimuli). Further analysis suggests reproduction related and potentially threatening stimuli produce increased IEG expression in different sub-regions of posterior medial amygdala (dorsal and ventral, respectively). These patterns of IEG expression in medial amygdala may provide glimpses of a tertiary sorting of chemosensory signals beyond the primary-level selectivity of chemosensory neurons and the secondary sorting in main and accessory olfactory bulbs"
Keywords:		"Amygdala/*physiology Analysis of Variance Animals Body Fluids Cats Cattle Cricetinae Exploratory Behavior/physiology Female *Gene Expression *Genes, Immediate-Early Immunohistochemistry Male Mice Mice, Inbred C57BL *Pheromones Physical Stimulation Proto-O;"
Notes:		"MedlineSamuelsen, Chad L Meredith, Michael eng F31 DC08062/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ F31 DC008062-01/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ R01 DC005813-05/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ R01 DC005813/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ DC 005813/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ F31 DC008062/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ T32 DC000044/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ T32 DC00044/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Netherlands 2009/04/17 Brain Res. 2009 Mar 31; 1263:33-42. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.01.048. Epub 2009 Feb 5"