Open AccessGenetic contributions to generalized arousal of brain and behavior
Author(s) -
Joan D Garey,
Andrew Goodwillie,
Jonathan Fröhlich,
Maria A. Morgan,
Jan-Ακε Gustafsson,
Oliver Smithies,
Kenneth S. Korach,
Sonoko Ogawa,
Donald W. Pfaff
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.1633773100
Subject(s) - arousal , biology , gene , gene duplication , neuroscience , psychology , genetics
We have identified a generalized arousal component in the behavior of mice. Analyzed by mathematical/statistical approaches across experiments, investigators, and mouse populations, it accounts for about 1/3 of the variance in arousal-related measures. Knockout of the gene coding for the classical estrogen receptor (ER-alpha), a ligand-activated transcription factor, greatly reduced arousal responses. In contrast, disrupting the gene for a likely gene duplication product, ER-beta, did not have these effects. A combination of mathematical and genetic approaches to arousal in an experimentally tractable mammal opens up analysis of a CNS function of considerable theoretical and practical significance.
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