{"title":"Differential representation of motivation and affective judgment by neurons in the primate ventral striatum and ventral pallidum during approach-avoidance decision-making","authors":"Jung-min N. OH , Satoko Amemori , Masahiko Takada , Ken-ichi Amemori","doi":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104955","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104955","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Decision-making often involves evaluating trade-offs between potential rewards and aversive outcomes, engaging both motivational drive and affective judgment. The ventral striatum (VS) and ventral pallidum (VP) are key regions involved in these processes. While the VS is associated with reward processing and incentive motivation, the VP encodes hedonic value and mediates motivated behaviors. However, their distinct roles under conditions that involve both appetitive and aversive outcomes remain unclear. In this study, we recorded single-unit activity from the VS and VP in macaques performing alternating approach-approach and approach-avoidance tasks. We focused on two behaviorally derived variables: fixation error frequency (FoE), reflecting motivational engagement, and chosen value (ChV), representing subjective value based on cost-benefit evaluation. Our results revealed a functional dissociation: VS neurons rapidly adjusted cue-period activity in anticipation of aversive contexts, suggesting a role in modulating internal motivational states. By contrast, VP neurons changed more gradually, except for rapid outcome-locked responses to actual air-puff delivery, indicating their involvement in processing actual aversive events. Nonetheless, neurons in both regions consistently encoded FoE and ChV across tasks. These findings highlight the dynamic yet complementary contributions of the VS and VP to the representation of motivation and valuation during decision-making under aversive conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19146,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Research","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 104955"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145023847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Role of orexin receptors in histamine- and chloroquine-induced pruriceptive processing","authors":"Anna Kanemaru-Kawazoe , Hideki Funahashi , Yoichiro Kogoh , Ayaka Haruta-Tsukamoto , Yu Miyahara , Toshikazu Nishimori , Yasushi Ishida , Yoji Hirano","doi":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104952","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104952","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It is known that orexin peptides are involved in nociceptive processing, while little is known about the roles of these peptides in itch processing. To reveal the functions of orexin peptides in pruriceptive processing, orexin A (OX-A) and orexin B (OX-B) were applied before histamine or chloroquine (CQ). The administration of OX-A reduced the numbers of scratching events and c-Fos positive cells induced by histamine and CQ, but not OX-B. To clarify the involvement of orexin receptors in pruriceptive processing, OX-A was administered after the injection of an orexin receptor type 1 (OX<sub>1</sub>) antagonist (SB334867) or an orexin receptor type 2 (OX<sub>2</sub>) antagonist (JNJ10397049) before histamine and CQ injections. The attenuating effects of OX-A on histamine- and CQ-induced scratching events were reversed by JNJ1039 and SB334867, respectively. To confirm the role of OX<sub>2</sub> receptor, an OX<sub>2</sub> receptor agonist (YNT185) was applied before the injection of histamine or CQ. Scratching events and c-Fos expression induced by histamine, but not CQ, were attenuated by the pretreatment with YNT185. These results indicate that OX-A elicits the attenuating effects in pruriceptive processing and that itch signals induced by histamine and CQ appear to be differentially regulated by the OX<sub>2</sub> receptors and OX<sub>1</sub> receptors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19146,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Research","volume":"219 ","pages":"Article 104952"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144920403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neuroscience ResearchPub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-06-25DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2025.104928
Katherine R. Day, Stephen D. Shea
{"title":"Dopamine dynamics underlying maternal motivation and reward","authors":"Katherine R. Day, Stephen D. Shea","doi":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104928","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104928","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maternal behavior comprises a diverse set of caregiving actions essential for ensuring offspring survival and development. Shaped by evolutionary pressures, these behaviors range from goal-directed and coordinated overt motor actions such as nest building and pup retrieval to sustained akinetic states such as nursing and crouching. These can each be thought of as varying along two continua, one which captures the appetitive versus consummatory aspects of a given behavior, and the other describes the relative activity or passivity of the behavior. Since individual behaviors (1) vary substantially along these axes, and (2) evolve in time, we propose that motivated execution of them is likely accomplished through dynamic regulation by multiple circuits and neuromodulatory systems. One important regulator of maternal behaviors is dopamine (DA), a key neuromodulator that makes diverse contributions to behavior. Classically, dopamine is hypothesized to play a role in both the appetitive (e.g. pup retrieval) and consummatory (e.g. nursing, grooming) aspects of maternal behavior via distinct circuitry. Considering recent studies revealing the temporal dynamics of DA during maternal behavior, we examine the complexity of the concepts of appetitive and consummatory drive as maternal behavior unfolds in time. We propose that seemingly discrete behaviors, like pup retrieval, may be appreciated as evolving sequences of appetitive and consummatory components that reflect shifts in underlying neural dynamics at different timescales.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19146,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Research","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 104928"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144512188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neuroscience ResearchPub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-06-20DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2025.104925
Marc H. Bornstein , Amir Gandjbakhche , Thien Nguyen , Gianluca Esposito
{"title":"Parent brain responses to child facial and vocal communication: What different methodologies reveal about parenting cognitions and practices as well as their moderation by parental status, gender, and culture as well as child characteristics","authors":"Marc H. Bornstein , Amir Gandjbakhche , Thien Nguyen , Gianluca Esposito","doi":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104925","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104925","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parenting is constituted of caregiving cognitions and practices, based in evolution and biology as well as culture and context, and lodged in nervous system structure and function. This narrative review first discusses parenting and an orientation toward caregiving in terms of its nature, constituents, and goals. Next, the review operationalizes parenting cognitions and practices that are expressed in response to facial and vocal cues of young offspring and revealed in naturalistic and experimental studies using behavioral preferences, attention tasks, and implicit association tests. Studies of autonomic and central nervous system structures and functions in the service of parenting are subsequently reviewed. Taken together, these investigations of the parent nervous system reveal associations with, and likely neuropsychological underpinnings of, parenting cognitions and practices and begin to unveil specific mechanisms and loci in the human nervous system that define a neuroscience of parenting.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19146,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Research","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 104925"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144369102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Functional analysis of periaqueductal gray neurons projecting to the medulla in active and passive defensive behaviors","authors":"Yuki Honshuku , Yuki Yamaguchi , Koki Kawazoe , Yuki Nishida , Yuki Kurauchi , Masabumi Minami , Hiroshi Katsuki , Natsuko Hitora-Imamura","doi":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104939","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104939","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fear responses and defensive behaviors are essential for survival. Fear responses are mediated by neural circuits that detect threatening stimuli and classify them as “unpleasant” or “aversive”. These circuits coordinate the selection of defensive behaviors, such as freezing or flight, depending on the perceived imminence of the threat. Activation of excitatory neurons in the lateral/ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (l/vlPAG) induces diverse fear responses, depending on the subregions, projection targets, and stimulation intensity. Some l/vlPAG neurons project to the magnocellular nucleus of the medulla (Mc). However, it remains unclear which of the diverse behaviors arising from different intensities of l/vlPAG stimulation are mediated via the l/vlPAG-Mc pathway. Additionally, the role of the l/vlPAG-Mc pathway activation in driving negative or positive valence-related behavior is unknown. To address these questions, we used optogenetics to stimulate Mc-projecting l/vlPAG neurons at two levels of light intensity and analyzed the resulting behavioral changes. Strong stimulation of Mc-projecting l/vlPAG neurons induced flight behavior, whereas weak stimulation elicited a freezing response. Real-time and conditioned place aversion tests indicated that strong stimulation was aversive. These findings suggest that strong stimulation of Mc-projecting l/vlPAG neurons induces active defensive behavior and behavioral aversion, while weak stimulation induces passive defensive behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19146,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Research","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 104939"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144595420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neuroscience ResearchPub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-07-11DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2025.104940
Kathryn N. Phoenix , Andre Marozsan , Susan Liu-Chen , Lizhong Zhang , Amit Mogha , Yan Wong , Catherine A. Brownstein , Raja Padidela
{"title":"Asfotase alfa restores PLP-dependent GABA, cystathionine, and amino acid metabolism in a mouse model of hypophosphatasia","authors":"Kathryn N. Phoenix , Andre Marozsan , Susan Liu-Chen , Lizhong Zhang , Amit Mogha , Yan Wong , Catherine A. Brownstein , Raja Padidela","doi":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104940","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104940","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assessed whether asfotase alfa treatment in Akp2<sup>-/-</sup> mice (a model of hypophosphatasia) reversibly normalizes GABA and cystathionine in brain tissue to concentrations in wild-type mice. To do this, metabolite concentrations were analyzed at postnatal days 10 and 48. The data showed that asfotase alfa treatment significantly increased GABA concentrations and significantly decreased cystathionine concentrations in Akp2<sup>-/-</sup> mice compared with vehicle-treated Akp2<sup>-/-</sup> mice (GABA: 1.28 ± 0.03 vs 0.48 ± 0.02 μmol/g [<em>P</em> < 0.0001]; cystathionine: 0.06 ± 0.00 vs 0.60 ± 0.02 μmol/g [<em>P</em> < 0.0001]). Concentrations post-treatment were similar to those in wild-type mice. Asfotase alfa withdrawal negated these effects. These analyses demonstrated that asfotase alfa restores GABA and cystathionine concentrations in a murine model of hypophosphatasia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19146,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Research","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 104940"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144626779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The impact of sleep on the Th17/Treg axis and cytokine levels in patients with major depressive disorder","authors":"Tiantian Fu , Wanting Zhang , Shengxiao Zhang , Feng Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104927","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104927","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the relationship between immune parameters and sleep quality in patients with depression, in which 65 depression patients and 63 healthy controls were enrolled between August 2021 and June 2024, with sleep assessments ultimately completed by 59 depression patients following exclusions. Th17/Treg cell ratios and cytokine levels were measured using flow cytometry and cytometric bead array (CBA), and correlation and regression analyses were performed to evaluate associations between sleep quality and inflammatory markers. Elevated Th17 cells, Th17/Treg imbalance, and increased IL-6 and IL-17 levels were observed in depression patients compared to controls (all <em>P</em> < 0.0167), while higher IL-4, IL-6, and IL-17 levels were found in patients with sleep disorders (all <em>P</em> < 0.0071). Th17/Treg ratios were positively correlated with sleep disturbance scores, whereas Treg levels showed an inverse correlation, and IL-6, IL-17, IFN-γ, and TNF-α levels were positively associated with sleep disturbances (all <em>P</em> < 0.05). Furthermore, IL-6 and IFN-γ were identified as significant predictors of poor sleep quality (all <em>P</em> < 0.05). These findings suggest that inflammatory dysregulation, particularly elevated IL-6 and IFN-γ, is associated with poorer sleep quality in depression patients, providing potential insights for enhanced clinical management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19146,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Research","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 104927"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144512189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neuroscience ResearchPub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-07-05DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2025.104932
Hiroki Uno , Takahide Itokazu , Toshihide Yamashita
{"title":"Formyl peptide receptor 2 antagonist WRW4 ameliorates diabetes-induced cognitive decline in mice","authors":"Hiroki Uno , Takahide Itokazu , Toshihide Yamashita","doi":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104932","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104932","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cognitive impairment is a significant complication of diabetes. Although the detailed mechanism remains unclear, prolonged neuroinflammation mediated by microglia is recognized as a key contributor to neural dysfunction. Recent studies have shown that Formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1), a G protein-coupled chemoattractant receptor, plays a role in microglial activation and brain pathology. However, the involvement of FPR2, another isoform within the FPR family, in microglial activation and cognitive decline has not yet been explored. In this study, we observed an increased expression of FPR2 in microglia within the hippocampus of type 2 diabetes (db/db) mice. Furthermore, we demonstrated that intracerebroventricular administration of WRW4, a selective FPR2 antagonist, alleviates diabetes-related cognitive decline. Histological analysis revealed that WRW4 treatment mitigates morphological alteration and upregulation of a phagocytic marker (CD68) of the microglia in the hippocampus of db/db mice. These results indicate that FPR2 plays a critical role in inducing diabetes-related microglial phenotype. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of FPR2 signal inhibition as a novel strategy to mitigate cognitive decline associated with diabetes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19146,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Research","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 104932"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144575930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neuroscience ResearchPub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-06-28DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2025.104929
Yumi Hamasaki, Masabumi Minami, Taiju Amano
{"title":"Effects of MEK1/2 blocker U0126 on the medial preoptic synapse and behavioral selection of male mice","authors":"Yumi Hamasaki, Masabumi Minami, Taiju Amano","doi":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104929","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104929","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The central part of the mouse medial preoptic area (cMPOA) is involved in parental behavior because the neurotoxic lesion of the cMPOA disturbed parental behavior and switched to infanticidal behavior. The cMPOA receives projection from many brain regions, including the medial amygdala (Me). We have previously found that optogenetic inhibition of the projection pathway from the Me to the cMPOA in virgin male mice suppressed the infanticidal behavior of virgin mice toward pups. Furthermore, electrophysiological analysis has revealed that intracellular signaling-mediated disinhibition occurs in the cMPOA neurons during the transition from virgin to father in gestation experience (FGE) mice. However, the specific downstream signal transduction pathway remains unclear. In this study, we utilized U0126, a MEK1/2 inhibitor, because U0126 has been reported to modulate GABAergic currents. Therefore, we examined the contribution of U0126 at the synaptic and behavioral levels. Applying U0126 to the cMPOA neurons in FGE mice restored eIPSP as much as that in cMPOA neurons in virgin mice. Furthermore, microinfusion of U0126 into the cMPOA shifted the behavioral pattern of FGE mice toward infanticide. These changes were not observed in the mice that experienced parenting. The results suggest that MEK1/2 mediates neurotransmission in the cMPOA and contributes to the stage transition from virgin to FGE mice after mating with females.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19146,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Research","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 104929"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144529024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neuroscience ResearchPub Date : 2025-09-01Epub Date: 2025-06-13DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2025.104923
Nanami Kasakura, Yuka Murata, Kanzo Suzuki, Eri Segi-Nishida
{"title":"Role of endogenous NT-3 in neuronal activity and neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus","authors":"Nanami Kasakura, Yuka Murata, Kanzo Suzuki, Eri Segi-Nishida","doi":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104923","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neures.2025.104923","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) is a neurotrophic factor that regulates neuronal differentiation and synaptic plasticity. In the adult central nervous system, NT-3 is predominantly expressed in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). Chronic antidepressant treatment suppresses <em>Ntf3</em> expression in the DG; however, its functional significance remains unclear. To investigate the role of NT-3 in the adult DG, an adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated knockdown system was employed in mice. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that TrkC, the high-affinity receptor for NT-3, was highly expressed in the DG. Under basal conditions, NT-3 knockdown significantly reduced the expression of FosB, an activity-dependent marker. Gene expression analysis showed that <em>Arc</em>, <em>Egr1</em>, and <em>Fosb</em> expressions were also significantly decreased. Although NT-3 knockdown did not affect cell proliferation in the DG, it impaired dendritic elongation in immature neurons. Additionally, NT-3 knockdown significantly reduced <em>Npy</em> expression. These findings suggest that endogenous NT-3 in the adult DG regulates both basal neuronal activity and newborn neuronal differentiation, contributing to hippocampal homeostasis. Further research is required to determine whether NT-3 downregulation induced by chronic antidepressant treatment influences neuronal activity and hippocampal plasticity in neuropsychiatric conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19146,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Research","volume":"218 ","pages":"Article 104923"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144302583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}