Sociality and oxytocin and vasopressin in the brain of male and female dominant and subordinate mandarin voles
Abstract
The dominant-subordinate hierarchy in animals often needs to be established via agonistic encounters and consequently affects reproduction and survival. Differences in brain neuropeptides and sociality among dominant and subordinate males and females remain poorly understood. Here we explore neuropeptide levels and sociality during agonistic encounter tests in mandarin voles. We found that dominant mandarin voles engaged in higher levels of approaching, investigating, self-grooming and exploring behavior than subordinates. Dominant males habituated better to a stimulus vole than dominant females. Dominant males displayed significantly less oxytocin-immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular nuclei and more vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular nuclei, supraoptic nuclei, and the lateral and anterior hypothalamus than subordinates. Dominant females displayed significantly more vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons in the lateral hypothalamus and anterior hypothalamus than subordinates. Sex differences were found in the level of oxytocin and vasopressin. These results indicate that distinct parameters related to central nervous oxytocin and vasopressin are associated with behaviors during agonistic encounters in a sex-specific manner in mandarin voles.
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Only a few rodent species show sex differences in OT-immunoreactivity.
“only a few rodent species show sex differences in OT-immunoreactivity”
From Vasopressin and oxytocin receptor systems in the brain: Sex differences and sex-specific regulation of social behavior (2016) · cites this paper as Qiao et al., 2014
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- Authors
- Qiao, X., Yan, Y., Wu, R., Tai, F., Hao, P., Cao, Y., & Wang, J.
- Affiliations
- Shaanxi Normal University (CN)
- North Minzu University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Tai, Fadao
- Venue
- Journal of Comparative Physiology A
- Published
- 2013-12-01
- Volume
- 200
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 149-159
- ISSN
- 0340-7594 (ISSN-L)
- 1432-1351
- OpenAlex
- W2018888816
- Cited by
- 40
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 3.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of Comparative Physiology A (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Keywords
- mandarin vole, social dominance, social hierarchy, oxytocin, vasopressin, neuropeptides, social behavior, sex differences, paraventricular nucleus, supraoptic nucleus, hypothalamus, agonistic encounters, immunoreactive neurons
- MeSH terms
- Aggression, Animals, Brain, Arvicolinae, Female, Male, Neurons, Oxytocin, Sex Characteristics, Social Dominance, Vasopressins
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