The role of prolactin and testosterone in mediating seasonal differences in the self-grooming behavior of male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus

Leonard, Stuart T.; Alizadeh-Naderi, Reza; Stokes, Kristen Rae; Ferkin, Michael H.

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2005.05.011

Cited by 19 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…1). Self-grooming is remarkably similar across species in several taxa 1–5 . Humans engage in self-grooming, and this behaviour shows some similarity to that seen in other animals 12,13 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Neurobiology of rodent self-grooming and its value for translational neuroscience

Stewart²,

et al. 2015

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Self-grooming is a complex innate behaviour with an evolutionary conserved sequencing pattern and is one of the most frequently performed behavioural activities in rodents. In this Review, we discuss the neurobiology of rodent self-grooming, and we highlight studies of rodent models of neuropsychiatric disorders — including models of autism spectrum disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder — that have assessed self-grooming phenotypes. We suggest that rodent self-grooming may be a useful measure of repetitive behaviour in such models, and therefore of value to translational psychiatry. Assessment of rodent self-grooming may also be useful for understanding the neural circuits that are involved in complex sequential patterns of action.

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confidence: 99%

Neurobiology of rodent self-grooming and its value for translational neuroscience

Stewart²,

et al. 2015

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“…We do know that voles and other mammals spend different amounts of time engaged in self-grooming when they encounter the scents of particular conspecifics (Steiner 1973(Steiner , 1974Brockie 1976;Wiepkema 1979;Leonard et al 2005;Ferkin 2005;Ferkin and Leonard 2005). It is possible that the amount of time they do so may reflect the type or the nature of interaction that groomers would have with those conspecifics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Blood was centrifuged to obtain serum, which was stored at −70°C. The serum level of testosterone for males and estradiol for females was later determined with a commercially available ELISA kit (Diagnostic Systems Laboratories, Inc., Webster, TX; Leonard et al 2005). We verified that all LP males had high testosterone (∼1.2 ng/ml) and all LP females had high estradiol titers (∼240 pg/ml), and that all SP males had low titers of testosterone (0.2 ng/ml) and all SP females had low estradiol (110 pg/ml).…”

Section: Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal differences in self-grooming in meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus

Leonard

Ferkin

2005

acta ethol

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We determined whether seasonal differences exist in the amount of time meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, self-groom when they encounter the scents of conspecifics. To do so, we used voles that were born and reared under long photoperiod (LP) and short photoperiod (SP). LP voles represent those found in free-living populations during the spring and summer breeding season, whereas SP voles characterize those found in free-living populations during the fall and winter nonbreeding season. Experiment 1 showed that LP male and female voles selfgroomed more in response to odors of LP opposite-sex conspecifics as compared to those of other LP and SP conspecifics, suggesting that they may be self-grooming to signal sexual interest or excitement to potential mates. Experiment 2 demonstrated that SP males self-groomed more in response to scents of LP female voles and those of SP males as compared to scents of LP males and SP females, whereas SP females spent similar amounts of time self-grooming in response to scents of LP males, LP females, SP females, and SP males. These seasonal differences in self-grooming may reflect differences in the messages produced by groomers when they broadcast their odors as well as differences in the meaning of such odors to opposite-sex conspecifics. Alternatively, these data may be associated with seasonal differences in sexual motivation of the groomers when exposed to scents of particular conspecifics.

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“…Day length is a sufficient cue to prompt shifts in both olfactory preferences (Ferkin and Zucker, 1991), and huddling behavior (Beery et al, 2008b), with temperature further affecting social preferences (Ondrasek et al, 2015). Several studies have begun to investigate the hormonal and neural pathways potentially involved in these behavioral shifts (Anacker et al, 2016; Beery et al, 2008b, 2014; Beery and Zucker, 2010; Ferkin and Zucker, 1991; Leonard et al, 2005; Leonard and Ferkin, 1999; Parker et al, 2001). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Septal oxytocin administration impairs peer affiliation via V1a receptors in female meadow voles

Anacker

Christensen

LaFlamme

et al. 2016

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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The peptide hormone oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in social behaviors, including social bond formation. In different contexts, however, OT is also associated with aggression, social selectivity, and reduced affiliation. Female meadow voles form social preferences for familiar same-sex peers under short, winter-like day lengths in the laboratory, and provide a means of studying affiliation outside the context of reproductive pair bonds. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the actions of OT in the lateral septum (LS) may decrease affiliative behavior, including greater density of OT receptors in the LS of meadow voles that huddle less. We infused OT into the LS of female meadow voles immediately prior to cohabitation with a social partner to determine its effects on partner preference formation. OT prevented the formation of preferences for the partner female. Co-administration of OT with a specific OT receptor antagonist did not reverse the effect, but co-administration of OT with a specific vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR) antagonist did, indicating that OT in the LS likely acted through V1aRs to decrease partner preference. Receptor autoradiography revealed dense V1aR binding in the LS of female meadow voles. These results suggest that the LS is a brain region that may be responsible for inhibitory effects of OT administration on affiliation, which will be important to consider in therapeutic administrations of OT.

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The role of prolactin and testosterone in mediating seasonal differences in the self-grooming behavior of male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus

Cited by 19 publications

References 39 publications

Neurobiology of rodent self-grooming and its value for translational neuroscience

Neurobiology of rodent self-grooming and its value for translational neuroscience

Seasonal differences in self-grooming in meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus

Septal oxytocin administration impairs peer affiliation via V1a receptors in female meadow voles

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