Behavioral and physiological responses of female prairie voles (<i>Microtus ochrogaster</i>) to various stressful conditions

Smith, A. R.; Lieberwirth, Claudia; Wang, Zuoxin

doi:10.3109/10253890.2013.794449

Cited by 32 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 71 publications

(92 reference statements)

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“…Pair-bonded females received 1 hr immobilization, recovered either alone or with their male partner for 30 min, and were examined for their anxiety-like behaviors in an elevated plus maze (EPM) test and circulating levels of corticosterone. Immobilized females recovering alone displayed a substantial increase in EPM anxiety-like behaviors, including delayed open arm latency ( F (3, 17) = 4.93, p < 0.05), fewer open arms entries ( F (3, 22) = 3.86, p < 0.05), and reduced open arm duration ( F (3, 22) = 5.14, p < 0.01), compared to the handled controls (Figure 1A,B), similar to our previous reports (13). The former also had a rise in circulating corticosterone compared to the latter ( F (3, 21) = 6.32, p < 0.01; Figure 1D).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Hypothalamic Oxytocin Mediates Social Buffering of the Stress Response

Smith

Wang

2014

Biological Psychiatry

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287

268

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Background While stressful life events can enhance the risk of mental disorders, positive social interactions can propagate good mental health and normal behavioral routines. Still, the neural systems that promote these benefits are undetermined. Oxytocin is a hormone involved in social behavior and stress; thus, we focus on the impact that social buffering has on the stress response and the governing effects of oxytocin. Methods Female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) were exposed to 1 hr immobilization stress then recovered alone or with their male partner to characterize the effect of social contact on the behavioral, physiological, and neuroendocrine stress response. In addition, we treated immobilized females recovering alone with oxytocin, or vehicle, and females recovering with their male partner with a selective oxytocin receptor antagonist, or vehicle. Group sizes varied from 6 to 8 voles (n = 98 total). Results We found that 1 hr immobilization increased anxiety-like behaviors and circulating levels of corticosterone, a stress hormone, in females recovering alone, but not the females recovering with their male partner. This social buffering by the male partner on biobehavioral responses to stress was accompanied by increased oxytocin release in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Intra-PVN oxytocin injections reduced behavioral and corticosterone responses to immobilization whereas injections of an oxytocin receptor antagonist blocked the effects of the social buffering. Conclusions Together, our data demonstrate that PVN oxytocin mediates the social buffering effects on the stress response, and thus may be a target for treatment of stress-related disorders.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Hypothalamic Oxytocin Mediates Social Buffering of the Stress Response

Smith

Wang

2014

Biological Psychiatry

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287

268

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“…Prairie voles spent significantly more time directing allogrooming towards distressed familiar partners (mates or siblings) than to control individuals (non-shocked), but not towards stressed strangers. This affiliative pattern was also observed in a previous study on social buffering of the stress response in prairie voles (Smith, Lieberwirth & Wang, 2013). Conversely, meadow voles did not show differences in the duration of allogrooming based on the state of their partner.…”

Section: (E) Rodentssupporting

confidence: 87%

The comparative study of empathy: sympathetic concern and empathic perspective‐taking in non‐human animals

Pérez-Manrique

Gomila

2017

Biological Reviews

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While empathy is a century-old psychological concept, its study in non-human animals has become the focus of much recent scientific interest, as it promises to provide the clues to understand the evolutionary origins of our social and moral nature. A review of the comparative study of empathy is thus timely to complement and constrain anthropocentric views, and to integrate current findings. However, this is not an easy task. The study of animal empathy has developed using different paradigms, different concepts of the phenomena involved, and the absence of a systematic program. Herein, we carry out a comprehensive review of the literature on complex forms of empathy in non-human animals: sympathetic concern and empathic perspective-taking. In particular, we focus on consolation and targeted helping, as the best examples of each category. In so doing, we try to shed light on the current debate concerning whether these phenomena are exclusively human traits. First, we try to clarify the terminology and taxonomy of forms of empathy, providing operative criteria for these phenomena that are applicable to both human and non-human animals. Second, we discuss whether the available evidence qualifies such behaviour as empathic. Third, we aim to provide an integrative view of the field, clarifying the challenges and conditions to satisfy. We also hope to highlight the importance of the study of these processes for elucidating the evolutionary history of this capacity across the animal kingdom.

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“…The 5-min EPM test was conducted to assess anxiety-like behaviors [32, 51]. The testing apparatus was elevated 45 cm off the ground and consisted of two open arms (35 L × 6.5 W cm) and two closed arms (35 L × 6.5 W × 15 H cm) that crossed in the middle.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Plasma Oxt (1:8), AVP (1:4), and corticosterone (1:1000) were each measured (in duplicates) using commercial kits previously used and validated in prairie voles [32, 40, 51, 58, 59]. The detecting limits of the kits were 11.7pg/mL for Oxt (ADI-900-153, Enzo Life Sciences, Farmingdale, NY), 3.39 pg/mL for AVP (ADI-900-017, Enzo Life Sciences, Farmingdale, NY), and 7.7 ng/mL for corticosterone (07120102, MP Biomedicals, Orangeburg, NY).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breaking bonds in male prairie vole: Long-term effects on emotional and social behavior, physiology, and neurochemistry

Sun

Smith

Lei

et al. 2014

Behavioural Brain Research

107

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Social relationships are essential for many fundamental aspects of life while bond disruption can be detrimental to mental and physical health. Male prairie voles form enduring social bonds with their female partners, allowing the evaluation of partner loss on behavior, physiology, and neurochemistry. Males were evaluated for partner preference formation induced by 24 h of mating, and half were separated from their partner for 4 wk. In Experiment 1, partner loss significantly increased anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated plus maze and light-dark box tests and marginally increased depressive-like behaviors in the forced swim test. In addition, while intruder-directed aggression is common in pair bonded prairie voles, separated males were affiliative and lacked aggression toward an unfamiliar female and an intruding male conspecific. Partner loss increased the density of oxytocin-immunoreactivity (-ir), vasopressin-ir, and corticotrophin-releasing hormone-ir cells in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and oxytocin-ir cells in the supraoptic nucleus. Tyrosine hydroxylase-ir was not affected. In Experiment 2, partner preference was observed after 2 wk of partner loss but eliminated after 4 wk partner loss. Body weight gain and plasma corticosterone concentrations were elevated throughout the 4 wk. No effects were observed for plasma oxytocin or vasopressin. Together, partner loss elicits anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors, disrupts bond-related behaviors, and alters neuropeptide systems that regulate such behaviors. Thus, partner loss in male prairie voles may provide a model to better understand the behavior, pathology, and neurobiology underlying partner loss and grief.

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Behavioral and physiological responses of female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) to various stressful conditions

Cited by 32 publications

References 71 publications

Hypothalamic Oxytocin Mediates Social Buffering of the Stress Response

Hypothalamic Oxytocin Mediates Social Buffering of the Stress Response

The comparative study of empathy: sympathetic concern and empathic perspective‐taking in non‐human animals

Breaking bonds in male prairie vole: Long-term effects on emotional and social behavior, physiology, and neurochemistry

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