Compositional variation in early life parenting structures alters oxytocin and vasopressin 1a receptor development in prairie voles ( Microtus ochrogaster )

Across mammals, juveniles sleep more than adults, with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep at a lifetime maximum early in life. One function of REM sleep may be to facilitate brain development of complex behaviors. Here, we applied 1 week of early-life sleep disruption (ELSD) in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), a highly social rodent species that forms lifelong pair bonds. Electroencephalographic recordings from juvenile voles during ELSD revealed decreased REM sleep and reduced γ power compared to baseline. ELSD impaired pair bond formation and altered object preference in adulthood. Furthermore, ELSD increased GABAergic parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the primary somatosensory cortex in adulthood, a brain region relevant to both affected behaviors. We propose that, early in life, sleep is crucial for tuning inhibitory neural circuits and the development of species-typical affiliative social behavior.

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Social interactions, cross-fostering, and sibling recognition in prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z99-109 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 77 (10) ◽

pp. 1631-1636 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Guillermo Paz y Miño C. ◽

Zuleyma Tang-Martínez

Keyword(s):

Social Interactions ◽

Kin Selection ◽

Early Life ◽

Genetic Relatedness ◽

Microtus Ochrogaster ◽

Prairie Voles ◽

Incest Avoidance ◽

Sibling Recognition ◽

Cross Fostering ◽

As If

Sibling recognition in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) has been traditionally inferred from incest avoidance or lack of reproduction among littermates. Researchers have concluded that when sibling prairie voles are isolated from one another there is a breakdown of incest avoidance (and therefore of sibling recognition). In a reevaluation of these studies, using social interactions rather than incest avoidance, we found that the breakdown of incest avoidance was not equivalent to a breakdown of sibling recognition. We explored the effects of cross-fostering on sibling recognition by looking at changes in amicable or agonistic behaviors that were then used to infer sibling recognition. Prairie voles that were cross-fostered with nonsiblings were not able to recognize their own siblings when reunited and tested for social interactions in adulthood. Siblings reared apart treated their own siblings as if they were not closely related and nonsiblings reared together treated nonsiblings as if they were their own siblings. The mechanism of sibling recognition in prairie voles is association or familiarity. The ability to recognize siblings may be limited to individuals that are raised together. Sibling recognition in prairie voles may be a by-product of familiarity in early life and not a mechanism restricted to genetic relatedness as predicted by kin-selection theory.

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Decision letter for "Early postnatal gene expression in the developing neocortex of prairie voles ( Microtus ochrogaster ) is related to parental rearing style"

10.1002/cne.24856/v2/decision1 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Microtus Ochrogaster ◽

Prairie Voles ◽

Developing Neocortex ◽

Parental Rearing

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Response of Prairie Voles, Microtus ochrogaster (Rodentia, Arvicolidae), to Scent Over-marks of Two Same-sex Conspecifics: A Test of the Scent-masking Hypothesis

Forest Pathology ◽

10.1046/j.1439-0329.1999.00482.x ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 29 (6) ◽

pp. 1009-1017

Author(s):

Raymond L. Woodward ◽

Michelle K. Schmick ◽

Michael H. Ferkin

Keyword(s):

Microtus Ochrogaster ◽

Same Sex ◽

Prairie Voles

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Chronic Intranasal Oxytocin has Dose-dependent Effects on Central Oxytocin and Vasopressin Systems in Prairie Voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Neuroscience ◽

10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.11.037 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 369 ◽

pp. 292-302 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

C.D. Guoynes ◽

T.C. Simmons ◽

G.M. Downing ◽

S. Jacob ◽

M. Solomon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microtus Ochrogaster ◽

Prairie Voles ◽

Dose Dependent

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Do prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) change their activity and space use in response to domestic cat (Felis catus) excreta?

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mammalia-2020-0012 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Brian Keane ◽

Phillip J. Long ◽

Yasmeen Fleifil ◽

Nancy G. Solomon

Keyword(s):

Space Use ◽

Felis Catus ◽

Domestic Cat ◽

Microtus Ochrogaster ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Domestic Cats ◽

Prairie Voles ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Odor Cues ◽

Risk Of Predation

AbstractBehavioral changes that reduce the risk of predation in response to predator-derived odor cues are widespread among mammalian taxa and have received a great deal of attention. Although voles of the genus Microtus are staples in the diet of many mammalian predators, including domestic cats (Felis catus), there are no previous studies on vole space utilization and activity levels in response to odor cues from domestic cats. Therefore, the objective of our study was to investigate responses of adult prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) living in semi-natural habitats to odor cues from domestic cat excreta. Contrary to expectations, neither adult males or females showed significant changes in space use or willingness to enter traps in response to cat odors. One hypothesis to explain our results are that prairie voles have not co-evolved with domestic cats long enough to respond to their odors. Other possible explanations include whether levels of odors in the environment were sufficient to trigger a response or that the perceived risk of predation from odor cues alone did not outweigh relative costs of changing space use and activity levels. Future studies should consider multiple factors when determining what cues are sufficient to elicit antipredatory behavior.

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