Vasopressin and Oxytocin Reduce Food Sharing Behavior in Male, but Not Female Marmosets in Family Groups

Abstract

Oxytocin (OT) is critical for lactation and maternal care, but OT and the related nonapeptide vasopressin are important for caregiving behaviors in fathers and alloparents as well. This experiment tested the effects of vasopressin and OT on food sharing in marmoset families. We treated caregivers (parents, siblings) with intranasal vasopressin, OT, or saline, and then paired them with the youngest marmoset in the family. Caregivers were given preferred food, and then observed for food sharing and aggressive behavior with young marmosets. OT reduced food sharing from male alloparents to youngest siblings, and fathers that received vasopressin refused to share food with their youngest offspring more often than when treated with OT. Vasopressin increased aggressive vocalizations directed toward potential food recipients in all classes of caregivers. These results indicate that vasopressin and OT do not always enhance prosocial behavior: modulation of food sharing depends on both sex and parental status.

Oxytocin structure and function in New World monkeys: from pharmacology to behavior

“…Leu 8 -OT treatment lead to greater transfer of food from fathers to offspring, by decreasing the rates of food sharing refusals (Saito & Nakamura 2011). In contrast, our lab showed that Pro 8 -OT treated male marmosets were less likely to engage in alloparental care via sharing food with their younger siblings (Taylor et al 2017). Importantly, many contextual and procedural features between these studies differed, making a direct comparison between the opposing Leu 8 - and Pro 8 -OT effects difficult.…”

“…Second , when Pro 8 -OT treatments produce an effect on behavior it is almost always in the expected direction; Pro 8 -OT enhances mate-directed or mate-received behavior and reduces stranger-directed behavior. Two notable exceptions are the findings that young male marmosets treated with Pro 8 -OT reduce food sharing directed toward siblings (Taylor et al 2017), and adult marmosets treated with Pro 8 -OT increased time spent alone and reduced time spent with the mate (Cavanaugh et al 2014). Third , Leu 8 -OT treatments produced mixed effects on whether social behavior was enhanced or impaired, and Leu 8 -OT never enhanced a social behavior that Pro 8 -OT did not also enhance.…”

“…F indicates effect was present in females, M indicates effect was present in males. Parenthetical “(undisturbed)” indicates observations were conducted in home cage without any other behavioral tasks. Superscripts indicate references: a Smith, et al 2010; b Cavanaugh, et al 2014; c Cavanaugh, et al 2015; d Mustoe,et al 2015; e Taylor & French 2015; f Cavanaugh, et al 2016; g Mustoe, et al 2016; h Taylor, Intorre, & French 2017; i Cavanaugh, et al unpubl data ; j Saito & Nakamura 2011 …”

Binding Characteristics of Two Oxytocin Variants and Vasopressin at Oxytocin Receptors from Four Primate Species with Different Social Behavior Patterns

“…The ability of AVP to bind and activate primate OTRs was also tested, because AVP binds and activates OTRs, and AVP is known to affect social behavior in primates, including titi monkeys and marmosets (Caldwell et al, 2008;Jarcho et al, 2011;Taylor and French, 2015;Taylor et al, 2017). In all species except the titi monkey, AVP bound with much lower affinity to the OTR than Pro 8 -OT or Leu 8 -OT, and in all species AVP had lower potency for mobilizing Ca 21 than Pro 8 -OT or Leu8-OT.…”

Vasopressin, but not oxytocin, modulates responses to infant stimuli in marmosets providing care to dependent infants

“…In light of these rodent data, it is useful to interpret studies involving OT and AVP in marmosets within the framework of aggression and anxiety, as well as within the framework of prosociality. Marmoset fathers refuse to share food to weaned and food‐independent juveniles more often when treated with AVP compared to saline, and among all marmoset caregivers, AVP increased aggressive vocalizations toward juveniles in a food‐sharing task (Taylor, Intorre, & French, ). This suggests that the increase in food refusals in AVP‐treated marmoset fathers may be mediated via food‐related aggression.…”