title: Neuropeptide Regulation of Social Attachment: The Prairie Vole Model.
abstract: Social attachments are ubiquitous among humans and integral to human health. Although great efforts have been made to elucidate the neural underpinnings regulating social attachments, we still know relatively little about the neuronal and neurochemical regulation of social attachments. As a laboratory animal research model, the socially monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) displays behaviors paralleling human social attachments and thus has provided unique insights into the neural regulation of social behaviors. Research in prairie voles has particularly highlighted the significance of neuropeptidergic regulation of social behaviors, especially of the roles of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP). This article aims to review these findings. We begin by discussing the role of the OT and AVP systems in regulating social behaviors relevant to social attachments, and thereafter restrict our discussion to studies in prairie voles. Specifically, we discuss the role of OT and AVP in adult mate attachments, biparental care, social isolation, and social buffering as informed by studies utilizing the prairie vole model. Not only do these studies offer insight into social attachments in humans, but they also point to dysregulated mechanisms in several mental disorders. We conclude by discussing these implications for human health. © 2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:81-104, 2017.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Manal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tabbaa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Brennan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Paedae
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Zuoxin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D006801:Humans; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000502:physiology*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; D010121:Oxytocin