title: Oxytocin receptors modulate a social salience neural network in male prairie voles.
abstract: Social behavior is regulated by conserved neural networks across vertebrates. Variation in the organization of neuropeptide systems across these networks is thought to contribute to individual and species diversity in network function during social contexts. For example, oxytocin (OT) is an ancient neuropeptide that binds to OT receptors (OTRs) in the brain and modulates social and reproductive behavior across vertebrate species, including humans. Central OTRs exhibit extraordinarily diverse expression patterns that are associated with individual and species differences in social behavior. In voles, OTR density in the nucleus accumbens (NAc)-a region important for social and reward learning-is associated with individual and species variation in social attachment behavior. Here we test whether OTRs in the NAc modulate a social salience network (SSN)-a network of interconnected brain nuclei thought to encode valence and incentive salience of sociosensory cues-during a social context in the socially monogamous male prairie vole. Using a selective OTR antagonist, we test whether activation of OTRs in the NAc during sociosexual interaction and mating modulates expression of the immediate early gene product Fos across nuclei of the SSN. We show that blockade of endogenous OTR signaling in the NAc during sociosexual interaction and mating does not strongly modulate levels of Fos expression in individual nodes of the network, but strongly modulates patterns of correlated Fos expression between the NAc and other SSN nuclei.
authors: Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. Electronic address: zjohnso2@gmail.com.
authors: Zachary V
authors: ZV
authors: Johnson
authors: Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. Electronic address: hasse.walum@emory.edu.
authors: Hasse
authors: H
authors: Walum
authors: Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. Electronic address: mikemxxiao@gmail.com.
authors: Yao
authors: Y
authors: Xiao
authors: Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. Electronic address: paula.c.riefkohl@emory.edu.
authors: Paula C
authors: PC
authors: Riefkohl
authors: Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. Electronic address: lyoun03@emory.edu.
authors: Larry J
authors: LJ
authors: Young
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology; D010152:Pair Bond; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D012919:Social Behavior
chemical_list: D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin; D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: Fos; Functional connectivity; Functional coupling; Immediate early gene; Nucleus accumbens; Pair bonding network; Sexual behavior; Social behavior; Social behavior network; Social decision making network; Striatum