Oxytocin (OT) neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVH) play an important role in various physiological and behavioral processes, including the initiation of milk ejection and the regulation of maternal behaviors. However, their activity patterns at the single-cell level remain poorly understood. Using microendoscopic Ca 2+ imaging in freely moving mouse dams, we demonstrate highly correlated pulsatile activity among individual OT neurons during lactation. The number of OT neurons engaged in the pulsatile activity significantly increased, along with a broadening of individual waveforms in the mid-lactation stage. Notably, only ~10% of the imaged OT neurons exhibited a significantly elevated response during pup retrieval, a hallmark of maternal behaviors, with a magnitude smaller than that observed during lactation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the utility of microendoscopic imaging for PVH OT neurons and highlight the flexible adjustments of their individual activity patterns in freely behaving mouse dams.

中文翻译：

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显微内窥镜检查揭示小鼠 dam 中催产素神经元活性的灵活调节


下丘脑室旁核 （PVH） 中的催产素 （OT） 神经元在各种生理和行为过程中起重要作用，包括乳汁喷出的启动和母体行为的调节。然而，它们在单细胞水平上的活动模式仍然知之甚少。在自由移动的小鼠母细胞中使用显微内窥镜 Ca 2 + 成像，我们证明了哺乳期间单个 OT 神经元之间高度相关的脉动活动。参与搏动活动的 OT 神经元数量显着增加，同时在哺乳中期阶段单个波形变宽。值得注意的是，只有 ~10% 的成像 OT 神经元在幼仔取回期间表现出显着升高的反应，这是母体行为的标志，其幅度小于哺乳期间观察到的量级。总的来说，这些发现证明了显微内窥镜成像对 PVH OT 神经元的效用，并强调了它们在自由行为的小鼠大坝中对个体活动模式的灵活调整。