Lateral septal vasopressin in rats: role in social and object recognition?

doi:10.1016/S0006-8993(97)00269-2

Brain Research

Volume 760, Issues 1–2, 20 June 1997, Pages 1-7

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-8993(97)00269-2 Get rights and content

Abstract

The capacity of male rats to remember familiar conspecifics is called social recognition. It is a form of short-term memory modulated by lateral septal (LS) vasopressin (VP). The specificity of this phenomenon was studied by examining whether recognition of previously investigated objects is also under control of lateral septal VP. For social recognition male Wistar rats were confronted with juveniles for 5 min. Re-exposure to the same juvenile took place after 30 or 120 min, or with a different juvenile after 30 min. This procedure was duplicated for object recognition using a plastic food cup or a 50 ml Erlenmeyer flask. After these initial tests osmotic minipumps and brain cannulae were implanted, infusing VP receptor antagonist into the LS (dPTyr(Et)AVP, 1 ng/0.5 μl/h, bilateral). Animals were re-tested for social and object recognition using 30 min re-test interval (same juvenile or object). We reproduced previous reports concerning social recognition; animals recognized juveniles after 30 min, not after 120 min and VP antagonist treatment blocked recognition. Testing for object recognition revealed a reduction in investigation time at the 30 min interval (same and different object), but not after 120 min. VP antagonist treatment was unable to block object recognition. The data suggest that, in contrast to social recognition, object recognition reflects a form of habituation, which is not under the control of lateral septal VP.

Introduction

The research on social recognition and underlying mechanisms started in 1982 when Thor and Holloway proposed a test of social memory [40]. The test is based on the tendency of adult male rats to spend a great amount of time investigating novel juveniles. The test uses juveniles to exclude confounding effects of aggression and sexual behavior. When exposed to the same juvenile for a second time shortly after a first exposure, but within 1 h, a sharp drop in investigatory behavior will occur. This drop in behavior is absent when the adult is exposed to a different juvenile or when the interexposure time exceeds 1–2 h. This time related social investigation of conspecifics is considered to be an ethological model for short-term social memory 11, 18, 40.

Substantial research has been performed since to gain insight in the underlying mechanisms of social recognition. It has been shown that in the intact male rat vasopressin (VP) is the key modulator of this behavior 6, 12, 15, 26, 27, 33. Studies revealed that peripheral and central application of VP or related substances improves social memory. Application of VP receptor antagonists reduced the performance of adult rats to recognize previously met juveniles [4]. Several studies have implicated the lateral septum (LS) as a causally involved brain area 12, 15, 26, although very recently it has been shown that also the ventral and dorsal hippocampus is involved in social memory [42]. The VP containing fibers in the LS originate from the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) and the medial amygdala 8, 9, 13, 14. The released VP exerts its action through the postsynaptically located V1_a-receptor 29, 38, 41.

Next to the role of lateral septal VP in social recognition it is implicated in a diversity of behavioral and physiological functions. Since long it has been shown to play a role in learning and memory, in particular in avoidance behavior 7, 24, 43. It has further been demonstrated to mediate antipyresis [10], hibernation 20, 21, and, also relevant in a social context, septo-hypothalamic VP is involved in flank and scent marking 2, 16, 17. More recently, it was shown to regulate paternal behavior in microtine rodents 3, 44, 45, reconfirming the differential functions of lateral septal VP.

In view of this variety of functions of lateral septal VP, one may question the specificity of VP in social recognition. The observed effects in a social recognition test may be due for example to more general effects on investigatory behavior. The present experiment will therefore measure object recognition in a paradigm identical to social recognition and it will test the effects of a VP receptor antagonist in the LS on both paradigms, thus answering two main questions. First, is the rat's performance, as seen in juvenile recognition, confined to a social context or is it a general feature of investigatory behavior? Second, if so, does lateral septal VP play a role in object recognition as it does in social recognition?

Section snippets

Animals

The subjects were male Wistar rats obtained from our own breeding facilities, weighing approx. 350 g at the beginning of the experiment. Initially, animals were housed in perspex cages in groups of five to eight animals. Two days prior to testing they were individually housed in standard cages (20×30×15 cm) with free access to water and lab chow on a 12:12 h light-dark cycle (lights off at 8.30 h), at a temperature of 19–21°C. Housing and all behavioral testing took place in the same room under

Results

During behavioral testing of the untreated animals one rat showed severe aggression towards the juvenile and was discarded from statistical analysis. Brain examination of the cannulated rats revealed improper placement of the cannulae in three animals. The minipump tubing had been obstructed in two animals during the experiment. Incomplete video registration during behavioral testing further reduced the number of saline- and VP antagonist-treated animals to eight and nine respectively.

Discussion

As expected 1, 11, 12, 32, 42, VP antagonism was able to effectively block social recognition of a previously exposed juvenile. In object recognition VP antagonism had no effect and thus seems to be independent of lateral septal VP receptors. However, it cannot be concluded, from the present results, that the lateral septum itself is not involved in object recognition. Myhrer [28]showed that lesioning of this area reduces the animal's preference to investigate a novel object compared to

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Research reportLateral septal vasopressin in rats: role in social and object recognition?

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Animals

Results

Discussion

Eur. J. Pharmacol.

Brain Res.

Physiol. Behav.

Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Pharmacol. Ther.

Regul. Pept.

Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Physiol. Behav.

Physiol. Behav.

Physiol. Behav.

Behav. Processes

Brain Res.

Anim. Behav.

Brain Res. Bull.

Neurosci. Lett.

Physiol. Behav.

Trends Neurosci.

Mol. Brain Res.

Physiol. Behav.

Research report
Lateral septal vasopressin in rats: role in social and object recognition?