University of California, Davis (UCD)
Prairie voles are a monogamous species native to the American Midwest. They are becoming a premier biomedical model for conditions that involve social dysfunction (such as autism and other developmental disorders).
In our lab, we study the effects of early experience on the adult social behavior and neuroendocrine systems of prairie voles, especially focusing on the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin. We have used a number of early manipulations including developmental exposure to oxytocin; early handling manipulations; and early naturalistic experiences such as alloparenting siblings. We have shown that these manipulations have long-term effects on social behavior including alloparenting and pair-bonding, as well as oxytocin and vasopressin systems.
We are also examining long-term effects of exposure to intranasal oxytocin, which is already being used in humans as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institutes of Health, grant NICHD HD071998 to Karen Bales, Marjorie Solomon, and Suma Jacob and grant NIMH MH108319 to Karen Bales and Nirao Shah.
Recent Publications
Relationships between cortisol and urinary androgens in female titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus). Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2021
Parenting costs time: Changes in pair bond maintenance across pregnancy and infant rearing in a monogamous primate (Plecturocebus cupreus). New Dir Child Adolesc Dev. 2021
What is a pair bond? Horm Behav. 2021
Compositional variation in early-life parenting structures alters oxytocin and vasopressin 1a receptor development in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). J Neuroendocrinol. 2021
Biobehavioral organization shapes the immune epigenome in infant rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta). Brain Behav Immun. 2021
Cannabinoid receptor Type 1 densities reflect social organization in Microtus. J Comp Neurol. 2021
Pharmacological Prevention of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal in a Pregnant Guinea Pig Model. Front Pharmacol. 2021