Role of septal vasopressin innervation in paternal behavior in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

Abstract

Role of septal vasopressin innervation in paternal behavior in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) (

Vasopressin and the transmission of paternal behavior across generations in mated, cross-fostered Peromyscus mice.

“…In addition, the two species did not differ statistically in the correlations between the behavioral and AVP measurements (Cohen & Cohen, 1983). These findings add to the body of evidence suggesting that AVP may facilitate paternal behavior in monogamous rodent species such as the prairie vole (Bamshad et al, 1993(Bamshad et al, , 1994Wang & De Vries, 1993;Wang et al, 2000;Wang, Ferris, & De Vries, 1994;Wang, Smith, et al, 1994; but see Lonstein & De Vries, 1999) and in facultatively paternal species such as the meadow vole ). To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate a correlation between specific paternal behaviors (the HGI score and paternal retrievals) and AVP in the BNST, a brain area associated with paternal behavior (e.g., Kirkpatrick, Kim, & Insel, 1994).…”

“…More direct evidence of a role for AVP in regulating paternal behavior is found in studies in which researchers examined the effects of intracerebroventricular injections of AVP and its antagonist. Injections of AVP increased paternal behavior in monogamous prairie voles (Wang, Ferris, & De Vries, 1994) and inhibited pup-directed aggression in addition to inducing paternal behavior in facultatively paternal meadow voles . In contrast, injections of an AVP antagonist decreased paternal behavior in prairie voles (Wang, Ferris, & De Vries, 1994) and meadow voles .…”

“…Injections of AVP increased paternal behavior in monogamous prairie voles (Wang, Ferris, & De Vries, 1994) and inhibited pup-directed aggression in addition to inducing paternal behavior in facultatively paternal meadow voles . In contrast, injections of an AVP antagonist decreased paternal behavior in prairie voles (Wang, Ferris, & De Vries, 1994) and meadow voles . When castration eliminated AVP-ir staining in the lateral septum of male prairie voles, it also decreased expression of paternal behavior (Wang & De Vries, 1993).…”

Role of pregnancy and parturition in induction of maternal behavior in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

“…In addition, whereas females showed no change in parental responsiveness during pregnancy in the present study, males show a gradual increase in parental responsiveness that begins within days after mating and reaches maximal levels days before pups are born (Bamshad et al, 1994). It may be that the denser vasopressin innervation found in male versus female voles (Bamshad et al, 1993) contributes to this sex difference as intracranial vasopressin injections promote paternal behavior whereas injections of vasopressin antagonists inhibit it (Wang et al, 1994;Bales et al, 2004a). Having a denser vasopressin innervation may therefore make virgin males more likely to show parental behavior than virgin females and may help males reach full parental responsiveness after mating much earlier than females even though they do not get pregnant, let alone ever experience parturition.…”

The genetic basis of parental care evolution in monogamous mice

“…Studies of monogamous and promiscuous voles defined a prominent role for the vasopressin and oxytocin pathways in affiliative behaviours, showing, for example, that differences in the spatial distribution of the vasopressin 1a receptor in the male brain are associated with changes in pair-bonding behaviour 2,3 . Oxytocin and vasopressin are known to regulate many aspects of parental care 4–7 , but how genetic variation in these pathways contributes to natural differences in parental care is poorly understood.…”