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Stress during pubertal development affects female sociosexual behavior in mice

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  • Yassine Bentefour

    (GIGA Neurosciences-Neuroendocrinology Lab – University of Liège)

  • Julie Bakker

    (GIGA Neurosciences-Neuroendocrinology Lab – University of Liège)

Abstract

Puberty is a crucial phase for the development of female sexual behavior. Growing evidence suggests that stress during this period may interfere with the development of sexual behavior. However, the neural circuits involved in this alteration remain elusive. Here, we demonstrated in mice that pubertal stress permanently disrupted sexual performance without affecting sexual preference. This was associated with a reduced expression and activation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl). Fiber photometry revealed that VMHvl nNOS neurons are strongly responsive to male olfactory cues with this activation being substantially reduced in pubertally stressed females. Finally, treatment with a NO donor partially restored sexual performance in pubertally stressed females. This study provides insights into the involvement of VMHvl nNOS in the processing of olfactory cues important for the expression of female sexual behavior. In addition, exposure to stress during puberty disrupts the integration of male olfactory cues leading to reduced sexual behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Yassine Bentefour & Julie Bakker, 2024. "Stress during pubertal development affects female sociosexual behavior in mice," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-47300-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47300-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ryan Remedios & Ann Kennedy & Moriel Zelikowsky & Benjamin F. Grewe & Mark J. Schnitzer & David J. Anderson, 2017. "Social behaviour shapes hypothalamic neural ensemble representations of conspecific sex," Nature, Nature, vol. 550(7676), pages 388-392, October.
    2. Vincent Hellier & Olivier Brock & Michael Candlish & Elodie Desroziers & Mari Aoki & Christian Mayer & Richard Piet & Allan Herbison & William Henry Colledge & Vincent Prévot & Ulrich Boehm & Julie Ba, 2018. "Female sexual behavior in mice is controlled by kisspeptin neurons," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-12, December.
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