1
|
Bueno-Junior LS, Jones-Tinsley CE, Milman NEP, Wickham PT, Watson BO, Lim MM. Early-life sleep disruption impairs subtle social behaviours in prairie voles: a pose-estimation study. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230700. [PMID: 37448475 PMCID: PMC10336370 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Early-life sleep disruption (ELSD) has been shown to have long-lasting effects on social behaviour in adult prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), including impaired expression of pair bonding during partner preference testing. However, due to the limitations of manual behaviour tracking, the effects of ELSD across the time course of pair bonding have not yet been described, hindering our ability to trace mechanisms. Here, we used pose estimation to track prairie voles during opposite-sex cohabitation, the process leading to pair bonding. Male-female pairs were allowed to interact through a mesh divider in the home cage for 72 h, providing variables of body direction, distance-to-divider and locomotion speed. We found that control males displayed periodic patterns of body orientation towards females during cohabitation. In contrast, ELSD males showed reduced duration and ultradian periodicity of these body orientation behaviours towards females. Furthermore, in both sexes, ELSD altered spatial and temporal patterns of locomotion across the light/dark cycles of the 72 h recordings. This study allows a comprehensive behavioural assessment of the effects of ELSD on later life sociality and highlights subtle prairie vole behaviours. Our findings may shed light on neurodevelopmental disorders featuring sleep disruption and social deficits, such as autism spectrum disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Carolyn E. Jones-Tinsley
- Veterans Affairs VISN20 Northwest MIRECC, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
- Oregon Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Noah E. P. Milman
- Veterans Affairs VISN20 Northwest MIRECC, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
- Oregon Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Peyton T. Wickham
- Veterans Affairs VISN20 Northwest MIRECC, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
- Oregon Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Brendon O. Watson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Miranda M. Lim
- Veterans Affairs VISN20 Northwest MIRECC, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
- Oregon Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Grant AD, Kriegsfeld LJ. Continuous body temperature as a window into adolescent development. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 60:101221. [PMID: 36821877 PMCID: PMC9981811 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Continuous body temperature is a rich source of information on hormonal status, biological rhythms, and metabolism, all of which undergo stereotyped change across adolescence. Due to the direct actions of these dynamic systems on body temperature regulation, continuous temperature may be uniquely suited to monitoring adolescent development and the impacts of exogenous reproductive hormones or peptides (e.g., hormonal contraception, puberty blockers, gender affirming hormone treatment). This mini-review outlines how traditional methods for monitoring the timing and tempo of puberty may be augmented by markers derived from continuous body temperature. These features may provide greater temporal precision, scalability, and reduce reliance on self-report, particularly in females. Continuous body temperature data can now be gathered with ease across a variety of wearable form factors, providing the opportunity to develop tools that aid in individual, parental, clinical, and researcher awareness and education.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Azure D Grant
- Levels Health, Inc., New York City, NY 10003, United States
| | - Lance J Kriegsfeld
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States; Graduate Group in Endocrinology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States; The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hiura LC, Lazaro VA, Ophir AG. Plasticity in parental behavior and vasopressin: responses to co-parenting, pup age, and an acute stressor are experience-dependent. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1172845. [PMID: 37168139 PMCID: PMC10164929 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1172845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The impact of variation in parental caregiving has lasting implications for the development of offspring. However, the ways in which parents impact each other in the context of caregiving is comparatively less understood, but can account for much of the variation observed in the postnatal environment. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) demonstrate a range of postnatal social groups, including pups raised by biparental pairs and by their mothers alone. In addition to the challenges of providing parental care, prairie vole parents often experience acute natural stressors (e.g., predation, foraging demands, and thermoregulation) that could alter the way co-parents interact. Methods We investigated how variation in the experience of raising offspring impacts parental behavior and neurobiology by administering an acute handling stressor on prairie vole families of single mothers and biparental parents over the course of offspring postnatal development. Results Mothers and fathers exhibited robust behavioral plasticity in response to the age of their pups, but in sex-dependent ways. Pup-directed care from mothers did not vary as a function of their partner's presence, but did covary with the number of hypothalamic vasopressin neurons in experience-dependent ways. The relationship between vasopressin neuron numbers and fathers' behaviors was also contingent upon the stress handling manipulation, suggesting that brain-behavior associations exhibit stress-induced plasticity. Conclusion These results demonstrate that the behavioral and neuroendocrine profiles of adults are sensitive to distinct and interacting experiences as a parent, and extend our knowledge of the neural mechanisms that may facilitate parental behavioral plasticity.
Collapse
|
4
|
Grant AD, Wilbrecht L, Kriegsfeld LJ. Sex Differences in Pubertal Circadian and Ultradian Rhythmic Development Under Semi-naturalistic Conditions. J Biol Rhythms 2022; 37:442-454. [PMID: 35502708 PMCID: PMC9329191 DOI: 10.1177/07487304221092715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Biological rhythms in core body temperature (CBT) provide informative markers of adolescent development under controlled laboratory conditions. However, it is unknown whether these markers are preserved under more variable, semi-naturalistic conditions, and whether CBT may therefore prove useful in a real-world setting. To evaluate this possibility, we examined fecal steroid concentrations and CBT rhythms from pre-adolescence (p26) through early adulthood (p76) in intact male and female Wistar rats under natural light and climate at the Stephen Glickman Field Station for the Study of Behavior, Ecology and Reproduction. Despite greater environmental variability, CBT markers of pubertal onset and its rhythmic progression were comparable with those previously reported in laboratory conditions in female rats and extend actigraphy-based findings in males. Specifically, sex differences emerged in CBT circadian rhythm (CR) power and amplitude prior to pubertal onset and persisted into early adulthood, with females exhibiting elevated CBT and decreased CR power compared with males. Within-day (ultradian rhythm [UR]) patterns also exhibited a pronounced sex difference associated with estrous cyclicity. Pubertal onset, defined by vaginal opening, preputial separation, and sex steroid concentrations, occurred later than previously reported under lab conditions for both sexes. Vaginal opening and increased fecal estradiol concentrations were closely tied to the commencement of 4-day oscillations in CBT and UR power. By contrast, preputial separation and the first rise in testosterone concentration were not associated with adolescent changes to CBT rhythms in male rats. Together, males and females exhibited unique temporal patterning of CBT and sex steroids across pubertal development, with tractable associations between hormonal concentrations, external development, and temporal structure in females. The preservation of these features outside the laboratory supports CBT as a strong candidate for translational pubertal monitoring under semi-naturalistic conditions in females.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Azure D. Grant
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States
| | - Linda Wilbrecht
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States;,Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States
| | - Lance J. Kriegsfeld
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States;,Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States;,Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States;,Graduate Group in Endocrinology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wallace G, Elden M, Boucher R, Phelps S. An Automated Radio‐Telemetry System (ARTS) for Monitoring Small Mammals. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gerard Wallace
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Speedway, Austin 78712
| | - Marija Elden
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Speedway, Austin 78712
| | - Rachel Boucher
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Speedway, Austin 78712
| | - Steven Phelps
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Speedway, Austin 78712
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
Prairie voles have emerged as an important rodent model for understanding the neuroscience of social behavior. Prairie voles are well known for their capacity for pair bonding and alloparental care. These behavioral phenomena overlap with human social behavior but are not commonly observed in traditional rodent models. In this article, we highlight the many benefits of using prairie voles in neuroscience research. We begin by describing the advantages of using diverse and non-traditional study models. We then focus on social behaviors, including pair bonding, alloparental care, and peer interactions, that have brought voles to the forefront of social neuroscience. We describe many additional features of prairie vole biology and behavior that provide researchers with opportunities to address an array of research questions. We also survey neuroethological methods that have been used with prairie voles, from classic to modern techniques. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of other vole species, particularly meadow voles, and their own unique advantages for neuroscience studies. This article provides a foundation for researchers who are new to working with voles, as well as for experienced neuroscientists who want to expand their research scope. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William M. Kenkel
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716
| | - Morgan L. Gustison
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA
| | - Annaliese K. Beery
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Tripp JA, Berrio A, McGraw LA, Matz MV, Davis JK, Inoue K, Thomas JW, Young LJ, Phelps SM. Comparative neurotranscriptomics reveal widespread species differences associated with bonding. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:399. [PMID: 34058981 PMCID: PMC8165761 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07720-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pair bonding with a reproductive partner is rare among mammals but is an important feature of human social behavior. Decades of research on monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), along with comparative studies using the related non-bonding meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus), have revealed many of the neural and molecular mechanisms necessary for pair-bond formation in that species. However, these studies have largely focused on just a few neuromodulatory systems. To test the hypothesis that neural gene expression differences underlie differential capacities to bond, we performed RNA-sequencing on tissue from three brain regions important for bonding and other social behaviors across bond-forming prairie voles and non-bonding meadow voles. We examined gene expression in the amygdala, hypothalamus, and combined ventral pallidum/nucleus accumbens in virgins and at three time points after mating to understand species differences in gene expression at baseline, in response to mating, and during bond formation. Results We first identified species and brain region as the factors most strongly associated with gene expression in our samples. Next, we found gene categories related to cell structure, translation, and metabolism that differed in expression across species in virgins, as well as categories associated with cell structure, synaptic and neuroendocrine signaling, and transcription and translation that varied among the focal regions in our study. Additionally, we identified genes that were differentially expressed across species after mating in each of our regions of interest. These include genes involved in regulating transcription, neuron structure, and synaptic plasticity. Finally, we identified modules of co-regulated genes that were strongly correlated with brain region in both species, and modules that were correlated with post-mating time points in prairie voles but not meadow voles. Conclusions These results reinforce the importance of pre-mating differences that confer the ability to form pair bonds in prairie voles but not promiscuous species such as meadow voles. Gene ontology analysis supports the hypothesis that pair-bond formation involves transcriptional regulation, and changes in neuronal structure. Together, our results expand knowledge of the genes involved in the pair bonding process and open new avenues of research in the molecular mechanisms of bond formation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-07720-0.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joel A Tripp
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Alejandro Berrio
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.,Present Address: Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Lisa A McGraw
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Mikhail V Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Jamie K Davis
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA
| | - Kiyoshi Inoue
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - James W Thomas
- National Institutes of Health Intramural Sequencing Center, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Steven M Phelps
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
van Rosmalen L, Hut RA. Negative Energy Balance Enhances Ultradian Rhythmicity in Spring-Programmed Voles. J Biol Rhythms 2021; 36:359-368. [PMID: 33878968 PMCID: PMC8276337 DOI: 10.1177/07487304211005640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Voles are small herbivorous rodents that can display both circadian activity rhythms (~24-h periodicity) and ultradian activity rhythms (~1- to 6-h periodicity). Ultradian rhythms are observed on an individual level, but also in synchronized populations. Ultradian rhythm period has been suggested to be influenced by energy balance, but the underlying mechanisms of ultradian rhythmicity are poorly understood. We manipulated energy balance by implementing the “work-for-food” paradigm, in which small rodents are exposed to increasing levels of food scarcity at different ambient temperatures in the laboratory. Photoperiodical spring-programmed voles on high workload changed their nocturnal circadian activity and body temperature rhythm to ultradian patterns, indicating that a negative energy balance induces ultradian rhythmicity. This interpretation was confirmed by the observation that ultradian patterns arose earlier at low temperatures. Interestingly, a positive relationship between ultradian period length and workload was observed in tundra voles. Spectral analysis revealed that the power of ultradian rhythmicity increased at high workload, whereas the circadian component of running wheel activity decreased. This study shows that the balance between circadian and ultradian rhythmicity is determined by energy balance, confirming flexible circadian and ultradian rhythms in females and males of 2 different vole species: the common vole (Microtus arvalis) and the tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura van Rosmalen
- Chronobiology Unit, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Roelof A Hut
- Chronobiology Unit, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Soto M, Lewis R, Curtis JT. Chronic exposure to inorganic mercury alters stress responses in male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Horm Behav 2019; 109:53-55. [PMID: 30769014 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Male, but not female, prairie voles that experience chronic exposure to inorganic mercury display aberrant social behavior - avoiding unfamiliar conspecifics rather than approaching them. The mechanisms that underlie such behavioral changes are unknown, but likely involve the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. We tested this hypothesis by providing voles of both sexes with mercury chloride in their drinking water for ten weeks and then staging same-sex dyadic encounters after which plasma was assayed for corticosterone as an index of HPA activity. Consistent with sex-specific behavioral responses previously reported, mercury-treated males had lower plasma corticosterone after social encounters than did similarly-treated females or males that consumed normal drinking water. The results suggest that mercury-treated males may be less inclined toward social engagement with conspecifics due to reduced HPA activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marissa Soto
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK 74107, United States of America
| | - Robert Lewis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK 74107, United States of America
| | - J Thomas Curtis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK 74107, United States of America.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Grippo AJ, McNeal N, Watanasriyakul WT, Cacioppo S, Scotti MAL, Dagner A. Behavioral and cardiovascular consequences of disrupted oxytocin communication in cohabitating pairs of male and female prairie voles. Soc Neurosci 2019; 14:649-662. [PMID: 30658044 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2019.1572031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Negative social experiences may influence psychological and physiological health via altered central oxytocin communication. The prairie vole is valuable for investigating the potential influence of oxytocin on responses to social experiences. Prairie voles are socially monogamous, live in pairs or family groups, and respond negatively to changes in the social environment. This study investigated the hypothesis that disruptions of oxytocin in one prairie vole of a cohabitating male-female pair would alter social behavior in that specific animal; and these behavioral changes in turn would influence the untreated partner's behavior and physiology. Pharmacological antagonism of oxytocin with the receptor antagonist L-368,899 in the male prairie vole disrupted social behaviors between the male and his untreated female partner. This manipulation also negatively influenced the behavior and cardiovascular function in the untreated female partner, including increased: (a) depression-relevant behaviors in two behavioral stressors, (b) basal mean arterial pressure and heart rate, and (c) cardiovascular reactivity to the behavioral stressors. These results suggest that disruptions of oxytocin and social behavior in one animal may produce indicators of social stress in an untreated social partner. This preliminary research provides a foundation for future studies to investigate mechanisms underlying responses to social experiences in humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Angela J Grippo
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA
| | - Neal McNeal
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA
| | | | - Stephanie Cacioppo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, University of Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA
| | - Melissa-Ann L Scotti
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Brain-Body Center, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA
| | - Ashley Dagner
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University , DeKalb , IL , USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Curtis JT, Assefa S, Francis A, Köhler GA. Fecal microbiota in the female prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190648. [PMID: 29579049 PMCID: PMC5868765 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined the fecal microbiota of female prairie voles. This species is socially and, likely, sexually monogamous, and thus serves as a valuable model in which to examine the interaction between the microbiota-gut-brain axis and social behavior. At present, little is known about the gastrointestinal microbiota of prairie voles; therefore, we performed a first characterization of the fecal microbiota using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Semiconductor sequencing technology on an Ion Torrent PGM platform was used to assess the composition of fecal microbiotas from twelve female prairie voles. Following quality filtering, 1,017,756 sequencing reads were classified from phylum to genus level. At the phylum level, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Saccharibacteria were the predominant taxa, while the Bacteriodales, Erysipelotrichaceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Lachnospiraceae contributed the most dominant microbial groups and genera. Microbial community membership was most similar between vole sibling pairs, but consideration of taxon abundances weakened these associations. The interdependence of host factors such as genetics and behavior with the gastrointestinal microbiota is likely to be particularly pronounced in prairie voles. Our pilot characterization of the prairie vole intestinal microbiota revealed a microbial community composition remarkably consistent with the monogastric alimentary system of these rodents and their diet rich in complex plant carbohydrates. The highly social nature of these animals poses specific challenges to microbiome analyses that nonetheless are valuable for advancing research on the microbiota-gut-brain-behavior axis. Our study provides an important basis for future microbiome research in this emerging model organism for studying social behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J. Thomas Curtis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Senait Assefa
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Amie Francis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Gerwald A. Köhler
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lewis R, Wilkins B, Benjamin B, Curtis JT. Cardiovascular control is associated with pair-bond success in male prairie voles. Auton Neurosci 2017; 208:93-102. [PMID: 29108934 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2017.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Revised: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Social support structures reduce mortality and morbidity in humans, but the mechanisms underlying these reductions are not fully understood. The prevailing hypothesis is that social support buffers stress and reduces allostatic load, thereby increasing longevity. However, the possibility that affiliative social interactions confer health benefits independent of stress buffering is understudied. We examined autonomic function in prairie voles - arguably the premier species for modeling human social affiliation - to assess the possibility that the formation of strong social bonds alters autonomic function and contributes to health benefits. We examined cardiovascular measures in male prairie voles before and after two weeks of cohabitation with a female, during a partner preference test, and during social isolation. There were strong correlations between social contact and heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), the latter being an index of autonomic nervous system function. Males that successfully pair-bonded with their partners displayed higher HRV prior to pairing than did unsuccessful males, suggesting higher basal parasympathetic tone in the successful males. HRV increased further still when pair-bonded males huddled quietly with their mates during the partner preference test. Non-pair-bonded males not only had lower baseline parasympathetic activity, but showed a further decrease after pairing. HR increased and HRV decreased during social isolation only in pair-bonded males. Since differences in HRV are thought to reflect the relative influences of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems on cardiac function, these results suggest that autonomic balance may contribute to social bonding and thus to its health benefits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Lewis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK, USA.
| | - Brek Wilkins
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK, USA.
| | - Bruce Benjamin
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK, USA.
| | - J Thomas Curtis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Grippo AJ. Opinion: "Heart Rate Variability, Health and Well-Being: A Systems Perspective" Research Topic. Front Public Health 2017; 5:246. [PMID: 28993803 PMCID: PMC5622597 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Angela J Grippo
- Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, United States
| |
Collapse
|