Topic: arginine vasopressin

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the central circadian clock, governing physiological processes through its output to the subparaventricular zone (SPZ). We investigated functional synaptic connectivity between the SCN and the SPZ neurons in mouse brain slices and we studied the effects of peptides expressed in the SCN on the SPZ neurons. Photostimulation of SCN neuromedin-S (NMS) neurons or the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) neurons induced opto-evoked inhibitory post-synaptic currents (oIPSCs) in 60% and 50% of recorded SPZ neurons, respectively. These responses were mediated by GABA

Dysregulation in the vasopressinergic system has been linked to social behavior deficits and Autism in humans. We utilized Shank3B+/- mice, a murine ASD model, to examine social behavior abnormalities associated with the pathology. Our findings not only confirmed well-documented sociability deficit, but also revealed a reduction in social aggression. We hypothesized that a dysregulated vasopressinergic system might contribute to the observed impairments in social behavior. The lateral septum (LS), a brain region implicated in social behaviors and densely innervated with arginine vasopressin (A