Nucleus accumbens oxytocin and dopamine interact to regulate pair bond formation in female prairie voles

doi:10.1016/S0306-4522(03)00555-4

Neuroscience

Volume 121, Issue 3, 15 October 2003, Pages 537-544

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4522(03)00555-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

Although oxytocin (OT) and dopamine (DA) have been implicated in pair bond formation in monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), the nature of potential interactions between these two neurochemical systems and the brain circuits important for such interactions in the regulation of pair bonding have not been explored. Here, we demonstrated that access to both OT and DA D2-type receptors is necessary for pair bond formation, as blockade of either type of receptor prevented partner preferences induced by OT or a D2-type agonist. We also demonstrated that the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) is a brain area important for such OT–DA interactions. In NAcc, blockade of OT receptors prevented partner preferences induced by a D2-type agonist whereas blockade of D2-type, but not D1-type, DA receptors blocked OT-induced partner preferences. Together, our data suggest that concurrent activation of OT and DA D2-type receptors in NAcc is essential for pair bond formation in female prairie voles.

Section snippets

Subjects

Subjects were sexually naive female prairie voles (M. ochrogaster) that were the F4 generation of a laboratory breeding colony started from field-captured animals. Subjects were housed in same-sex sibling pairs in plastic cages (20×50×40 cm) that contained cedar chip bedding. Water and food were provided ad libitum. The cages were maintained on a 14/10-h light/dark cycle with lights on at 07:00 h. The temperature was about 20±1 °C. Females at 70–90 days of age were used as subjects, while males

Study 1: do DA and OT interact to regulate partner preference formation?

Previous studies have demonstrated that, in female prairie voles, administration of OTA or the D2-type DA receptor antagonist, eticlopride, blocks mating-induced partner preferences, whereas administration of OT or the D2-type DA receptor agonist, quinpirole, induces this behavior in the absence of mating Williams et al., 1994, Insel and Hulihan, 1995, Cho et al., 1999, Wang et al., 1999, Gingrich et al., 2000. Although these data demonstrate OT and DA involvement in partner preference

Discussion

Administration of OT or DA induces partner preference formation in female prairie voles in the absence of mating Williams et al., 1994, Insel and Hulihan, 1995, Cho et al., 1999, Wang et al., 1999, Gingrich et al., 2000. Results from the present study not only confirmed but also extended these findings demonstrating that access to both OT and DA D2-type receptors is necessary for partner preference formation. We also found that NAcc is a brain area important for OT-DA interaction. In

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Friedrich Stephan, Dr. Thomas Curtis, Brandon Aragona, Christie Fowler, and Jennifer Stowe for their helpful discussions and suggestions throughout this study and for their critical reading of the manuscript. We also thank Joy Yu and Teresa Iglesias for their assistance during this study. This research was supported by NIMH grants 54554, 58616 and 66734 to Z.W.

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Nucleus accumbens oxytocin and dopamine interact to regulate pair bond formation in female prairie voles

Abstract

Section snippets

Subjects

Study 1: do DA and OT interact to regulate partner preference formation?

Discussion

Acknowledgements

Eur J Pharmacol

Brain Res

Pharm Biochem Behav

Brain Res Rev

Eur J Pharmacol

Eur J Pharmacol

Pharmacol Biochem Behav

Brain Res Rev

Physiol Behav

Neurochem Int

Neuropharmacology

Eur J Pharmacol

Eur J Pharmacol

Brain Res

Curr Opin Neurobiol

Horm Behav

Curr Opin Neurobiol

Horm Behav

A critical role for nucleus accumbens dopamine in partner preference formation of male prairie voles

J Neurosci

Yawning and penile erectioncentral dopamine-oxytocin-adrenorticotropin connection

Ann NY Sci

Monogamy and the prairie vole

Sci Am

The effects of oxytocin and vasopressin on partner preferences in male and female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Behav Neurosci

Differential effects of intraspecific interactions on the striatal dopamine system in social and non-social voles

Neuroscience

Modulation of pair bonding in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) by corticosterone

Proc Natl Acad Sci USA