The Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster): An Animal Model for Behavioral Neuroendocrine Research on Pair Bonding

Brandon J. Aragona

113 citations0/0 files storedILAR Journal

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior Animal Behavior and Reproduction Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies

Abstract

Pair bond formation has been investigated much less than many other social behaviors, perhaps in part because traditional laboratory mice and rats do not exhibit this behavior. However, pair bonding is common among monogamous animals such as the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). In this review, we discuss how the prairie vole has been used as a model system to investigate the neurobiology of pair bonding. Descriptions include neuroanatomical differences between monogamous and non-monogamous voles, as well as how manipulations of vasopressin, oxytocin, dopamine, and corticosterone systems affect pair bond formation. Also summarized are potential interactions among these systems that regulate pair bonding, and the extent of sexual dimorphism in underlying mechanisms. Pair bonding in prairie voles is an excellent model system for studying central processing of social information. Understanding the mechanisms underlying this behavior may provide important insights into human disorders associated with impaired social functioning.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 113 citations exist upstream.

References

1999The Medial Extended Amygdala in Male Reproductive Behavior A Node in the Mammalian Social Behavior Network 2001The neurobiology of attachment 1993A role for central vasopressin in pair bonding in monogamous prairie voles 1979Induction of maternal behavior in virgin rats after intracerebroventricular administration of oxytocin 1992Oxytocin receptor distribution reflects social organization in monogamous and polygamous voles.1982Oxytocin Induces Maternal Behavior in Virgin Female Rats 1995Physiological substrates of mammalian monogamy: The prairie vole model 2003Nucleus accumbens oxytocin and dopamine interact to regulate pair bond formation in female prairie voles

Cited by

2006Oxytocin and Vasopressin: Genetics and Behavioral Implications 2007Neural correlates of pair-bonding in a monogamous primate 2021What is a pair bond?2005Raised plasma nerve growth factor levels associated with early-stage romantic love 2011Octodon degus. A useful animal model for social-affective neuroscience research: Basic description of separation distress, social attachments and play

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.