Vocal recognition of partners by female prairie voles

iScience, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 28(2), P. 111796 - 111796

Published: Jan. 11, 2025

Recognizing conspecifics is vital for differentiating mates, offspring, and social threats. Individual recognition often reliant upon chemical or visual cues but can also be facilitated by vocal signatures in some species. In common laboratory rodents, playback studies have uncovered communicative functions of vocalizations, scant behavioral evidence exists individual recognition. Here, we find that the socially monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) emits behavior-dependent vocalizations communicate identity. Vocalizations males change after bonding with a female; however, acoustic variation across individuals greater than within-individual variation. Critically, females behaviorally discriminate their partner's from stranger's, even if emitted to another stimulus female. These results establish foundation voles, where neurobiological tools enable future revealing its causal neural mechanisms.

Language: Английский

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Sex differences in neural representations of social and nonsocial reward in the medial prefrontal cortex

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 15(1)

Published: Sept. 13, 2024

Language: Английский

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Different Roles of D1/D2 Medium Spiny Neurons in the Nucleus Accumbens in Pair Bond Formation of Male Mandarin Voles

Published: Feb. 24, 2025

The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system has been implicated in pair bond formation. However, involvements of DA release, real time activities, and electrophysiological activities D1/D2 medium spiny neurons (MSNs) the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell bonding remain unclear. This work verified that male mandarin voles after released higher levels NAc displayed D1 MSNs activity lower D2 upon sniffing their partners compared to an unknown female. Moreover, induced differential alterations both synaptic plasticity neuronal intrinsic excitability MSNs. In addition, chemogenetic inhibition ventral pallidum (VP) -projecting enhanced formation, while activation VP-projecting inhibited These findings suggest different / regulated by increasing release may be a neurobiological mechanism underlying

Language: Английский

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Oxytocin and Dopamine Receptor Expression: Cellular Level Implications for Pair Bonding

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 4, 2025

Oxytocin ( Oxtr ) and dopamine Drd1 , Drd2 receptors provide a canonical example for how differences in neuromodulatory drive individual species-level behavioral variation. These systems exhibit striking functionally-relevant nucleus accumbens (NAc) expression across monogamous prairie voles Microtus ochrogaster promiscuous meadow pennsylvanicus ). However, their cellular organization remains largely unknown. Using multiplex situ hybridization, we mapped sexually naïve mate-paired voles. Prairie have more Oxtr+ cells than voles, but distribution dopamine-receptor cell class was similar, indicating general upregulation rather bias. enriched that express both Drd1+/Drd2+ suggesting these may be particularly sensitive to oxytocin. We found no species or pairing-induced Drd1+ Drd2+ counts, prior reports of reflect already expressing receptors. Finally, used single-nucleus sequencing the first comprehensive map Drd1-5 molecularly-defined NAc types vole. results critical framework understanding nonapeptide catecholamine recruit distinct shape social behavior.

Language: Английский

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Integrating the COM-B model into behavioral neuroscience: A framework for understanding animal behavior

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 111346 - 111346

Published: March 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Opposite‐sex pairing alters social‐induced GCaMP and dopamine activity in the insula of male prairie voles

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: May 15, 2025

Abstract The prairie vole ( Microtus ochrogaster ) is a monogamous rodent species which displays selective social behaviors to conspecifics after establishing pair‐bonded relationship, specifically partner‐directed affiliation and stranger‐directed aggression. This selectivity relies on the ability of an individual respond appropriately context requires salience detection valence assignment. anterior insular cortex (aIC) has been implicated in stimulus processing categorization across variety contexts, but its regulation pair bond–induced voles not studied. Here, we examined whether neural activity gene expression aIC change during male–female pairings male voles. Opposite‐sex pairing was characterized by changes calcium dopamine transients that corresponded with display bond maturation. Furthermore, D1 D2 receptor mRNA significantly higher males 48 h cohabitation female partner compared same‐sex housed males, remained elevated week cohabitation. Together, these results implicate role for receptors transition from early‐ late‐phase bonding.

Language: Английский

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PhAT: A Flexible Open‐Source GUI‐Driven Toolkit for Photometry Analysis

Current Protocols, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 3(5)

Published: May 1, 2023

Photometry approaches detect sensor-mediated changes in fluorescence as a proxy for rapid molecular within the brain. As flexible technique with relatively low cost to implement, photometry is rapidly being incorporated into neuroscience laboratories. Yet, although multiple data acquisition systems now exist, robust analytical pipelines resulting remain limited. Here we present Analysis Toolkit (PhAT)-a free open-source analysis pipeline that provides options signal normalization, incorporation of streams align behavior and other events, calculation event-related fluorescence, comparison similarity across fluorescent traces. A graphical user interface (GUI) enables use this software without prior coding knowledge. In addition providing foundational tools, PhAT designed readily incorporate community-driven development new modules more bespoke analyses, be easily exported enable subsequent statistical testing and/or code-based analyses. addition, provide recommendations regarding technical aspects experiments, including sensor selection validation, reference considerations, best practices experimental design collection. We hope distribution protocols will lower barrier entry users improve quality collected data, increasing transparency reproducibility © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Software environment installation Alternate update 2: GUI-driven fiber Support Examining Interacting graphs 3: Adding Creating functions Jupyter Notebook.

Language: Английский

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Prairie voles as a model for adaptive reward remodeling following loss of a bonded partner

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 1535(1), P. 20 - 30

Published: April 9, 2024

Loss of a loved one is painful event that substantially elevates the risk for physical and mental illness impaired daily function. Socially monogamous prairie voles are laboratory-amenable rodents form life-long pair bonds exhibit distress upon partner separation, mirroring phenotypes seen in humans. These attributes make an excellent model studying biology loss. In this review, we highlight parallels between humans voles, focusing on reward system engagement during bonding As yearning unique feature differentiates loss from other negative states, posit which homeostatic mechanisms help to maintain disrupted loss, resulting impacts. Finally, synthesize studies delineate remodeling systems adaptation. The stalling these processes likely contributes prolonged grief disorder, diagnosis recently added Diagnostic Statistical Manual Psychiatry.

Language: Английский

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Vocal recognition of partners by female prairie voles

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: July 24, 2024

ABSTRACT Recognizing conspecifics is vitally important for differentiating kin, mates, offspring and social threats. 1 Although often reliant upon chemical or visual cues, individual recognition across the animal kingdom also facilitated by unique acoustic signatures in vocalizations. 2–4 However, amongst large Muroidea superfamily of rodents that encompasses laboratory species amenable to neurobiological studies, there scant behavioral evidence vocal despite variation. 5–10 Playback studies have found coarse communicative functions like mate attraction territorial defense, but limited finer ability discriminate known individuals’ 11–17 Such a capacity would be adaptive form lifelong pair bonds requiring partner identification timescales, distances sensory modalities, so improve chance finding Muroid rodent, we investigated communication prairie vole ( Microtus ochrogaster ) – one few socially monogamous mammals. 18 We ultrasonic vocalizations adult voles can communicate identity. Even though males change after cohabitating with female bond, variation individuals greater than within an different common context are identifiable above chance. Critically, females behaviorally their partner’s over stranger’s, even if emitted another stimulus female. These results establish foundation voles, where tools 19–22 enable future revealing its causal neural mechanisms. Highlights display Adult USVs more variable experience Individual identity decoded from Carefully constructed protocol sustains vole’s interest playback Female recognize mate’s

Language: Английский

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The effects of different types of social interactions on the electrophysiology of neurons in the nucleus accumbens in rodents

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 164, P. 105809 - 105809

Published: July 14, 2024

BORLAND, J.M., The effects of different types social interactions on the electrophysiology neurons in nucleus accumbens rodents, NEUROSCI BIOBEH REV 21(1) XXX-XXX, 2024.-Sociality shapes an organisms' life. is a critical brain region for mental health. In following review, physiology synthesized. More specifically, sex behavior, aggression, defeat, pair-bonding, play affiliative interactions, parental behaviors, isolation from and maternal separation measures excitatory synaptic transmission, intracellular signaling factors transcription translation rodent models are reviewed. Similarities differences depending type interaction then discussed. This review improves understanding molecular mechanisms sociality.

Language: Английский

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