Frank Beach award winner: Neuroendocrinology of group living

Beery, Annaliese K.

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.11.002

Cited by 24 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 126 publications

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“…This review is focused on opioids and the reinforcement of flocking behavior; however, a major focus of current research on group living, including flocking in birds, is on neuropeptides in the vasopressin/oxytocin, “nonapeptide” family (homologs to avian vasotocin/mesotocin) (Goodson, 2008, 2012; Goodson et al, 2009b, 2012a; Goodson and Kingsbury, 2011; Ondrasek et al, 2018; Beery, 2019). Opioids have long been known to alter nonapeptide release (Bicknell and Leng, 1982; Brown et al, 2000), and nonapeptides influence opioid activity to modulate behavioral responses to social and painful stimuli (including the pain of social separation) (Csiffary et al, 1992; Yang et al, 2007, 2011a,b; Moaddab et al, 2015; Amini-Khoei et al, 2017).…”

Section: Integration With Prior Studies On “Nonapeptides” and Flockinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Do Birds Flock? A Role for Opioids in the Reinforcement of Gregarious Social Interactions

2019

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The formation of social groups provides safety and opportunities for individuals to develop and practice important social skills. However, joining a social group does not result in any form of obvious, immediate reinforcement (e.g., it does not result in immediate copulation or a food reward), and individuals often remain in social groups despite agonistic responses from conspecifics. Much is known about neural and endocrine mechanisms underlying the motivation to perform mate- or offspring-directed behaviors. In contrast, relatively little is known about mechanisms underlying affiliative behaviors outside of these primary reproductive contexts. Studies on flocking behavior in songbirds are beginning to fill this knowledge gap. Here we review behavioral evidence that supports the hypothesis that non-sexual affiliative, flocking behaviors are both (1) rewarded by positive social interactions with conspecifics, and (2) reinforced because affiliative contact reduces a negative affective state caused by social isolation. We provide evidence from studies in European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris , that mu opioid receptors in the medial preoptic nucleus (mPOA) play a central role in both reward and the reduction of a negative affective state induced by social interactions in flocks, and discuss potential roles for nonapeptide/opioid interactions and steroid hormones. Finally, we develop the case that non-sexual affiliative social behaviors may be modified by two complementary output pathways from mPOA, with a projection from mPOA to the periaqueductal gray integrating information during social interactions that reduces negative affect and a projection from mPOA to the ventral tegmental area integrating information leading to social approach and reward.

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Section: Integration With Prior Studies On “Nonapeptides” and Flockinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Do Birds Flock? A Role for Opioids in the Reinforcement of Gregarious Social Interactions

2019

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“…The meadow vole ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ) is a promiscuous, uniparental vole species (Getz, 1972 ; Boonstra et al, 1993 ) that has been studied for its seasonal peer relationships (reviewed in Beery, 2019 ). In the summer reproductive season, meadow voles are intolerant of other individuals: females defend distinct territories, while males roam across multiple female territories.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Affiliation, Aggression, and Selectivity of Peer Relationships in Meadow and Prairie Voles

Lee

Goodwin

Freitas

et al. 2019

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

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Relationships between adult peers are central to the structure of social groups. In some species, selective preferences for specific peers provide a foundation for consistent group composition. These preferences may be shaped by affiliation toward familiar individuals, and/or by aversion to unfamiliar individuals. We compared peer interactions in two vole species that form selective preferences for familiar same-sex individuals but differ in mating system. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) form pair bonds with mates and may reside in family groups. Meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) are promiscuous breeders that form communal winter groups in the wild, and exhibit greater social behavior in short day (SD) lengths in the laboratory. We characterized affiliative, anxiety-like, and aggressive interactions with familiar and novel same-sex conspecifics in meadow and prairie voles housed in summer- or winter-like photoperiods. Species differences in affective behaviors were pronounced, with prairie voles exhibiting more aggressive behavior and less anxiety-like behavior relative to meadow voles. Meadow voles housed in short (vs. long) day lengths were more affiliative and more interactive with strangers; prosocial behavior was also facilitated by a history of social housing. Prairie voles exhibited partner preferences regardless of sex or day length, indicating that selective peer preferences are the norm in prairie voles. Prairie vole females formed preferences for new same-sex social partners following re-pairing; males were often aggressive upon re-pairing. These data suggest that preferences for familiar peers in prairie voles are maintained in part by aggression toward unfamiliar individuals, as in mate partnerships. In contrast, social tolerance is an important feature of meadow vole peer affiliation, demonstrated by low aggression toward unfamiliar conspecifics, and consistent with field data on winter tolerance.

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“…Other species that have been used in social behaviour research include mole rats, California and singing mice, and meadow and prairie voles . Prairie voles especially became an important animal model for studying pair‐bonds, social support/consoling behaviour and the consequences of social loss and/or biparental care.…”

Section: Laboratory Rodentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social creatures: Model animal systems for studying the neuroendocrine mechanisms of social behaviour

Robinson

Bosch

Levkowitz

et al. 2019

J Neuroendocrinology

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The interaction of animals with conspecifics, termed social behaviour, has a major impact on the survival of many vertebrate species. Neuropeptide hormones modulate the underlying physiology that governs social interactions, and many findings concerning the neuroendocrine mechanisms of social behaviours have been extrapolated from animal models to humans. Neurones expressing neuropeptides show similar distribution patterns within the hypothalamic nucleus, even when evolutionarily distant species are compared. During evolution, hypothalamic neuropeptides and releasing hormones have retained not only their structures, but also their biological functions, including their effects on behaviour. Here, we review the current understanding of the mechanisms of social behaviours in several classes of animals, such as worms, insects and fish, as well as laboratory, wild and domesticated mammals.

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Frank Beach award winner: Neuroendocrinology of group living

Cited by 24 publications

References 126 publications

Why Do Birds Flock? A Role for Opioids in the Reinforcement of Gregarious Social Interactions

Why Do Birds Flock? A Role for Opioids in the Reinforcement of Gregarious Social Interactions

Affiliation, Aggression, and Selectivity of Peer Relationships in Meadow and Prairie Voles

Social creatures: Model animal systems for studying the neuroendocrine mechanisms of social behaviour

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