Hormones and Behavior最新文献

{"title":"Role of deep brain photoreceptors in regulation of daily and seasonal responses in birds","authors":"Diego J. Valdez","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105760","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105760","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Birds exhibit an extraordinary morphological, physiological, and behavioral diversity that allows them to adapt to the diverse environments of our planet. To achieve this, they utilize different sensory structures. One of these structures is located in the deep brain and contains neurons with photopigments (Deep Brain Photoreceptors, DBP) that detect daily and seasonal changes in ambient light (photoperiod), allowing the individual to adjust and synchronize physiological processes with the environment. This DBPs detects and transmits light information to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, regulating the gonadal recrudescence/regression cycle and possibly daily responses in birds.</div><div>This work reviews and discusses the state of the art about the presence and functionality of DBPs in a phylogenetic context, with a particular focus on annual reproductive responses and their little-known relationship with daily responses. Exceptions to the seasonal reproductive regulation mechanism, as observed in opportunistic bird species such as the eared dove, where food availability appears to drive the activity of the gonadal oscillator are also discussed. Finally, the possible neural pathways through which DBPs transmit photoperiodic information to the circadian system in birds are proposed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 105760"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Finger pointing: Why bias against 2D:4D ratios doesn't add up","authors":"Ashlyn Swift-Gallant ,&nbsp;S. Marc Breedlove","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105759","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105759","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In response to our invited review of the use of digit ratios such as 2D:4D as a retrospective marker of prenatal androgen exposure, the Editor-In-Chief of this journal published a Commentary disputing the findings we had reported, citing a preprint suggesting the sex difference in digit ratios was an artifact of “allometry”, and casting doubt on a previously published meta-analysis concluding that lesbians, on average, have lower digit ratios than straight women, suggesting there may be a bias against submitting negative results. Here we respond to those points and conclude that 2D:4D of the right hand remains the best available non-invasive retrospective indicator of prenatal androgen exposure in humans. Further, we offer a new dataset replicating once again the numerous previous reports that lesbians have significantly lower right-hand 2D:4D, indicative of greater prenatal androgen exposure, than heterosexual women, and further report that the ratios of bisexual women are intermediate between those of gay and straight women, without being significantly different from either. Together with previous reports, these new data further indicate that androgens act before birth in humans to promote the likelihood of being sexually attracted to women in adulthood.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 105759"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143929413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The neuroanatomy of menopause","authors":"Eileen Luders ,&nbsp;Inger Sundström Poromaa ,&nbsp;Florian Kurth","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105749","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105749","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sex hormones are known to affect brain structure. Given that menopause is marked by a significant decline in female sex hormones, there might be structural brain alterations around menopause. The aim of this article is to provide a narrative review on what we know today with respect to links between brain anatomy and menopause, while also considering potential effects of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). The review is focused on neuroimaging studies analyzing the macro-anatomy or micro-anatomy of the human brain as based on structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Out of the 32 studies reviewed here, 22 studies revealed at least some findings that suggest beneficial effects of estrogen. However, overall, findings are rather mixed pointing to both beneficial and adverse effects (or to no effects at all). The nature of the effects seemed to be unrelated to the spatial scales applied, the morphometric measures obtained, and the brain tissues targeted. Nevertheless, there were some intriguing effects in terms of the study design: Cross-sectionally, there seemed to be a trend for beneficial effects in small-scale studies and for adverse effects in large-scale studies. Longitudinally, there seemed to be a trend for beneficial effects in purely observational studies and for beneficial as well as adverse effects in controlled clinical trials. With particular respect to MHT, early treatment (short after the onset of menopause) might be more beneficial than later treatment. However, overall, data are insufficient to draw final conclusions and further research is required.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 105749"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143907739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Consequences of menopause for brain health","authors":"Nicole J. Gervais ,&nbsp;Claudia Barth ,&nbsp;Agnès Lacreuse","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105727","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105727","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 105727"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143891243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Consumption of dietary emulsifiers increases sensitivity to social stress in mice: A potential role for the COX molecular pathway","authors":"Amanda R. Arnold ,&nbsp;Benoit Chassaing ,&nbsp;Kiran Lakhani ,&nbsp;Coralie Bergeron ,&nbsp;Emma K. Shaughnessy ,&nbsp;Anna M. Rosenhauer ,&nbsp;Maura C. Stoehr ,&nbsp;Benjamin Horne ,&nbsp;Tyler Wilkinson ,&nbsp;Kim L. Huhman","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105750","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105750","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Chronic low-grade inflammation and exposure to stress are key contributing factors in the etiology and progression of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Dietary emulsifiers, such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and polysorbate-80 (P80), are commonly added to processed foods and drinks and are classified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Recently, however, we and others have reported that these additives at translationally relevant doses cause low-grade intestinal inflammation, microbiota dysbiosis, and alterations in gene expression in brain areas that mediate behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to stress-provoking stimuli.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>To test whether emulsifier exposure sensitizes behavioral, hormonal, and neuronal responses to stress, C57BL/6 J male mice were given water +1 % emulsifier (CMC or P80) or water alone for 12 weeks after which they were exposed to social defeat stress. We previously found increased PTGS2 (COX-2) gene expression in the amygdala following emulsifier consumption. To determine whether inflammation, potentially through the COX pathway, is a potential mechanism driving emulsifier-induced increases in stress sensitivity, we administered the COX inhibitor aspirin (25 mg/kg/day) in conjunction with emulsifiers for the last six weeks of treatment.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In defeated mice, CMC increased circulating corticosterone, while both emulsifiers increased social avoidance behavior and altered defeat-induced c-Fos immunofluorescence in various brain regions. Moreover, behavioral and hormonal alterations were attenuated by aspirin.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These data demonstrate that ingestion of at least some dietary emulsifiers at concentrations analogous to those ingested by humans increases sensitivity to social stress in mice and that the COX pathway may be a mechanistic candidate by which emulsifier-induced increases in sensitivity to social stress occur.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 105750"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143887050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gendered interests and behavior in women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia or complete androgen insensitivity syndrome","authors":"Anna Strandqvist ,&nbsp;Martin Asperholm ,&nbsp;Henrik Falhammar ,&nbsp;Angelica Lindén Hirschberg ,&nbsp;Anna Nordenström ,&nbsp;Agneta Herlitz","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105748","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105748","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Psychological outcomes in people with <em>congenital adrenal hyperplasia</em> (CAH) and <em>complete androgen insensitivity syndrome</em> (CAIS) may provide information contributing to the understanding of development of behaviors that typically show sex differences. In this study, we investigated gender identity, friendship quality and occupational choices. Participants were women with 46,XX classic CAH (C-CAH; <em>n</em> = 29), non-classic CAH (NC-CAH; <em>n</em> = 13), women with 46, XY CAIS (<em>n</em> = 11), male controls (<em>n</em> = 147) and female controls (<em>n</em> = 142). Participants completed an online survey with questions on gender identity, friendship, (sex of friends in childhood, adolescence, adulthood), friendship style, and occupation. Results showed that (1) female and male controls differed on most outcomes. (2) Women with CAIS and women with NC-CAH responded in a pattern not different from female controls on most questions regarding gendered behavior. (3) Women with C-CAH and women with CAIS responded more similarly to male controls than female controls on the friendship questionnaire. (4) Women with C-CAH worked in occupations with a male sex distribution whereas females with CAIS worked in occupations that were not different from those of female or male controls. (5) More severe forms of CAH were associated with a response pattern more in line with that of male controls, whereas the opposite was true for females with less severe forms of CAH.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 105748"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143875005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hormonal synchrony in older couples' everyday life: The role of situational stressors and buffers","authors":"Dora Hopf ,&nbsp;Corina Aguilar-Raab ,&nbsp;Johanna U. Gödde ,&nbsp;Ekaterina Schneider ,&nbsp;Beate Ditzen ,&nbsp;Monika Eckstein","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105743","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105743","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Synchrony in physiology in romantic couples has been suggested to be a result of joint interaction and co-regulation of stress and affect. However, it is subject of debate whether synchrony in endocrine levels - especially in oxytocin - is generally beneficial or if a reciprocal transmission of stress may even be stress-increasing. The aim of this study was to investigate hormonal synchrony in older couples in relation to situational mindfulness, relationship conflict (quarreling), as well as situational resilience and subjective stress levels. A total of <em>N</em> = 26 individuals (i.e., <em>N</em> = 13 couples) aged between 52 and 75 years provided saliva samples and self-report measures 12 times over the course of 2 days (312 measures in total). Superior to randomly scrambled dyads, multilevel models predicted cortisol, alpha-amylase, and oxytocin levels from one partner for the other. Synchrony was higher at times of high levels of quarreling but mitigated in moments of high mindfulness. Moreover, oxytocin synchrony was reduced in couples exerting higher average levels of stress. We interpret this finding as buffering personal factors to protect against the transmission of dyadic stress. To draw implications for clinical interventions to promote these factors and given the preliminary character of the sample and the effects, future studies need to systematically expand this field of research and application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 105743"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143875006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interplay between prenatal bisphenol exposure, postnatal maternal care, and offspring sex in predicting DNA methylation relevant to anxiety-like behavior in rats","authors":"Samantha C. Lauby ,&nbsp;Isha Agarwal ,&nbsp;Hannah E. Lapp ,&nbsp;Melissa Salazar ,&nbsp;Sofiia Semyrenko ,&nbsp;Danyal Chauhan ,&nbsp;Amy E. Margolis ,&nbsp;Frances A. Champagne","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105745","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105745","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as bisphenols, can alter neurodevelopmental trajectories and have a lasting neurobehavioral impact through epigenetic pathways. However, outcomes associated with prenatal bisphenol exposure may also be shaped by the postnatal environment and collectively these environmental effects may be sex-specific. Thus, an integrative research design that includes multiple early life exposures and considers sex differences may be essential for predicting outcomes. In the current study, we use a multivariate approach to examine the contributions of prenatal bisphenol exposure, postnatal maternal care, and offspring sex to variation in DNA methylation of well-studied candidate genes (NR3C1, BDNF, OXTR) in the ventral hippocampus and amygdala of adult Long-Evans rats. Main effects of postnatal maternal care and interactions with prenatal bisphenol exposure were consistently found for DNA methylation within the NR3C1 gene (ventral hippocampus) and within the BDNF and OXTR genes (amygdala). Sex-specific effects were also found across all analyses. Overall, our findings suggest that both early-life factors (prenatal and postnatal) and offspring sex contribute to variation in DNA methylation in genes and brain regions relevant for the expression of anxiety-like behavior. These results highlight the need to consider the brain region-specific effects of multiple exposures in males and females to understand the lasting effects of early environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 105745"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143858769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The microbiota shapes the development of the mouse hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus","authors":"Yvonne C. Milligan ,&nbsp;Nicole V. Peters ,&nbsp;Gabby West ,&nbsp;Laura R. Cortes ,&nbsp;Benoit Chassaing ,&nbsp;Geert J. de Vries ,&nbsp;Alexandra Castillo-Ruiz","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105742","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105742","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microbes massively colonize the mammalian newborn at birth. We previously reported that the microbiota influences key neurodevelopmental events, e.g., when compared to their conventionally colonized (CC) counterparts, sterile newborn mice (“germ-free” or GF) show higher cell death in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Here, we tested the hypothesis that the microbiota, perhaps via cell death mechanisms, shapes PVN development. To this aim, we used a cross-fostering approach that also allowed us to test whether any potential effects are influenced by microbial colonization at birth or programmed prenatally via the maternal microbiota. Specifically, we cross-fostered GF pups to CC dams (GF → CC) immediately after birth and compared them to control groups cross-fostered within microbial status (CC → CC, GF → GF). At postnatal day 7, GF → GF and GF → CC newborns had fewer PVN cells than did CC → CC newborns, without affecting PVN volume. In a follow-up experiment, we confirmed a reduction in PVN cell number with no change in PVN volume in adult GF mice. Thus, the greater cell death previously observed in the PVN of newborn GF mice is associated with a permanent reduction in cell number. Because the deficit is not altered by introducing a microbiota at birth, our findings also suggest that the maternal microbiota shapes development of the PVN starting in utero.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"172 ","pages":"Article 105742"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143851574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of adolescent high-fat diet and psychosocial stress on neuroendocrine stress responses and binge eating behavior in adult male Lewis rats","authors":"Julio Sierra ,&nbsp;Timothy B. Simon ,&nbsp;Darine Abu Hilal ,&nbsp;Yaria Arroyo Torres ,&nbsp;José M. Santiago Santana ,&nbsp;Johnny D. Figueroa","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105744","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105744","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Childhood obesity is a multifactorial disease affecting &gt;160 million adolescents worldwide. Adolescent exposure to obesogenic environments, characterized by access to high-fat diets and stress, precipitates maladaptive eating habits in adulthood such as binge eating. Evidence suggests a strong association between Western-like high–saturated fat (WD) food consumption and dysregulated hormone fluctuations. However, few studies have explored the long-term impact of adolescent WD and psychosocial stress on brain and behavior. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the impact of adolescent exposure to an obesogenic diet on stress resiliency and increased susceptibility for binge-like eating behaviors. Adolescent male Lewis rats were given WD (41% fat; <em>n</em> = 40) or control diet (CD, 16% fat; <em>n</em> = 38) for 4 weeks before undergoing a stress protocol of predator exposure and social instability (CDE, WDE, CDU, WDU; <em>n</em> = 16/group). Subjects were provided intermittent WD access (24 h/week) to evaluate binge-like eating behavior in adulthood. Fecal corticosterone and testosterone were measured at four timepoints throughout adolescence and adulthood. WD rats exhibited increased body weight (<em>p</em> = 0.0217) and elevated testosterone in mid-adolescence (<em>p</em> = 0.0312) and blunted stress-induced corticosterone response in mid-late adolescence (CDE:WDE, <em>p</em> = 0.028). Adolescent hormone levels were negatively correlated with binging and explained the variability between adult rats expressing hyperphagic and hypophagic behaviors. These results demonstrate that exposure to WD in adolescence disrupts hormone fluctuations and stress responsivity, with effects persisting into adulthood. This underscores the importance of addressing obesogenic environments early to mitigate their lasting impact on hormone regulation and stress responsiveness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 105744"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143843874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}