Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Kwon, Hyung-Bae
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT), a neuropeptide synthesized in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, functions to increase the precedence of social stimuli and promote the development of a wide range of social behaviors. However, whether OXT has a predicting role in social reward has yet to be examined. In this study, we developed a genetically encoded, scalable OXT sensor named OXTR-iTango2 and applied this technique to define the role of OXT in learned social behaviors. OXTR-iTango2 enables the combination of light- and ligand- dependent gene expression both in vitro and in vivo neural systems. In order to study the predictive role of OXT during expected socially rewarding experiences, we first conditioned animals to a social environment, and then selectively labeled OXT-sensitive ventral tegmental area dopamine (VTA-DA) neurons when animals encountered a conditioned stimulus that stood to predict a familiar social reward. Recurrent exposure to the same social stimulus normally lowered the degree of social interaction, but this reduced interaction was not observed when OXT-sensitive DA neurons were optogenetically inhibited. Thus, our findings support the notion that OXT plays a role beyond promoting social interactions, leading for a new proposed hypothesis that OXT mediation also leads to active avoidance of mundane social interactions.
Extent
201 p.
Recommended Citation
Mignocchi, Neymi Layne, "DEVELOPMENT OF A GENETICALLY-ENCODED OXYTOCIN SENSOR TO DEFINE THE ROLE OF OXYTOCIN IN PREDICTING SOCIAL REWARD" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present. 490.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general/490
Identifier
FA00013509
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.