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Author Notes:

To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ryabinin@ohsu.edu.

Author contributions: A.M.J.A., T.H.A., L.J.Y., and A.E.R. designed research;

A.M.J.A., T.H.A., C.M.H., B.D.D., M.L.S., D.L.C., and J.L. performed research;

L.J.Y., J.M.L., and A.E.R. contributed new reagents/analytic tools;

A.M.J.A. analyzed data; and A.M.J.A. and A.E.R. wrote the paper.

We thank Heather Buxton and Alexandra MacColl Garfinkel for assistance in scoring animal behavior videos.

J.M.L. is a Research Scientist (Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center).

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Subjects:

Research Funding:

This material is the result of work supported with resources and use of facilities at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

StopWatch Plus was provided by the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, a Science and Technology Center Program of the National Science Foundation, under Agreement IBN-9876754.

This work was funded by Grant AA019793 (to A.E.R.), Grant AA020126 (to A.M.J.A.), and Grant MH64692 (to L.J.Y.), as well as by Office of Research Infrastructure Programs/Office of Director Grant P51OD11132 (to Stewart W. Caughman).

Keywords:

  • Science & Technology
  • Multidisciplinary Sciences
  • Science & Technology - Other Topics
  • MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES
  • anxiety
  • ethanol
  • substance use
  • oxytocin
  • vasopressin
  • CORTICOTROPIN-RELEASING-FACTOR
  • MICROTUS-OCHROGASTER
  • SOCIAL ATTACHMENT
  • PARTNER PREFERENCE
  • PHARMACOLOGICAL PARALLELS
  • MONOGAMOUS RODENT
  • NEUROPEPTIDE-Y
  • ADULT MALE
  • VASOPRESSIN
  • BEHAVIOR

Drinking alcohol has sex-dependent effects on pair bond formation in prairie voles

Tools:

Journal Title:

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Volume:

Volume 111, Number 16

Publisher:

, Pages 6052-6057

Type of Work:

Article | Final Publisher PDF

Abstract:

Alcohol use and abuse profoundly influences a variety of behaviors, including social interactions. In some cases, it erodes social relationships; in others, it facilitates sociality. Here, we show that voluntary alcohol consumption can inhibit male partner preference (PP) formation (a laboratory proxy for pair bonding) in socially monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Conversely, female PP is not inhibited, and may be facilitated by alcohol. Behavior and neurochemical analysis suggests that the effects of alcohol on social bonding are mediated by neural mechanisms regulating pair bond formation and not alcohol's effects on mating, locomotor, or aggressive behaviors. Several neuropeptide systems involved in the regulation of social behavior (especially neuropeptide Y and corticotropin-releasing factor) are modulated by alcohol drinking during cohabitation. These findings provide the first evidence to our knowledge that alcohol has a direct impact on the neural systems involved in social bonding in a sexspecific manner, providing an opportunity to explore the mechanisms by which alcohol affects social relationships.

Copyright information:

© Anacker et al.

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