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Cited by 17Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorHeart Rate Variability and Autonomic ControlAnimal Behavior and Reproduction

Cardioacceleration in alloparents in response to stimuli from prairie vole pups: the significance of thermoregulation

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Kenkel, William M., Yee, Jason R., Porges, Stephen W., Ferris, Craig F., Carter, C. Sue·2015·Behavioural Brain Research
DOI 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.02.033PMC PMC4390515
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Abstract

Autonomic responses, including changes in heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) can provide indications of emotional reactivity to social stimuli in mammals. We have previously reported that male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) spontaneously care for unfamiliar infants, showing a robust and sustained increase in heart rate in the presence of a pup, thus providing an opportunity to examine the physiology of care-giving in reproductively naïve animals. However, the purpose of such heart rate increases has not been explained by previous efforts. In the present study, we first compared male and female prairie vole cardiac responses in the presence of a pup and found no evidence of sex differences in heart rate or RSA. Using male prairie voles, we then examined the characteristics of pups that were capable of eliciting physiological responses, including age of the pup and pup odors. As prairie vole pups increased in age they vocalized less and there was an associated decline in alloparental cardioacceleration. Exposure to pup-related odors induced cardioacceleration in adult males, and this effect also diminished with increasing pup age. Finally, we were able to block the cardioacceleratory effect when the testing environment was warmed to a temperature of 36°C [vs ambient room temperature (approximately 22°C)]. These findings suggest that pup-induced cardioacceleration is a robust phenomenon across alloparental prairie voles of both sexes, and depends on multi-modal processing of different stimuli from the pups. Young pups require care-giving behavior, which appears to drive cardioacceleration in the alloparents. This study also supports the usefulness of autonomic measures in the evaluation of social experiences.

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  • Because alloparents increase wellbeing, they are understood to be a protective factor for both parent and child and may protect against the development of psychopathology.

    “Because alloparents increase wellbeing, they are understood to be a protective factor for both parent and child (Hrdy, 2009a) and may protect against the development of psychopathology (Kenkel et al., 2015).”

    From The evolved nest, oxytocin functioning, and prosocial development (2023) · cites this paper as Kenkel et al. (2015)

  • Compared to those raised by a single mother, prairie vole offspring in communal reared environments show increased social interactions, higher social competency, and form social hierarchies quicker.

    “Compared to those raised by a single mother, prairie vole offspring in the communal reared environments show increased social interactions, higher social competency and form social hierarchies quicker (Kenkel et al., 2015).”

    From The evolved nest, oxytocin functioning, and prosocial development (2023) · cites this paper as Kenkel et al., 2015

    The Introduction discusses alloparenting in communal species, while Methods §2.1 describes how the study's prairie voles were housed. Neither section compares communally reared offspring with offspring raised by a single mother. Searches for communal rearing, social competency, and hierarchy formation found no passage reporting the claimed outcomes. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Authors
Kenkel, W. M., Yee, J. R., Porges, S. W., Ferris, C. F., & Carter, C. S.
Affiliations
  • Northeastern University (US)
  • Indiana University (US)
Corresponding author
Kenkel, William M.
ORCID
Venue
Behavioural Brain Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-06
Volume
286
Pages
71-79
ISSN
0166-4328 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.bbr.2015.02.033
PMC
PMC4390515
OpenAlex
W2004704089
Cited by
17
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2
FWCI
2.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Behavioural Brain Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
  • UNC Libraries
Funders
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH72935, R01MH072935)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P01HD038490, HD075750, HD38490, P01HD075750)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
Keywords
alloparental care, Microtus ochrogaster, cardioacceleration, heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, pup vocalizations, thermoregulation, autonomic responses, social behavior, sex differences, emotional reactivity
MeSH terms
Age Factors, Animals, Body Temperature Regulation, Arvicolinae, Electrocardiography, Female, Heart Rate, Maternal Behavior, Odorants, Paternal Behavior, Sex Characteristics, Telemetry, Temperature, Vocalization, Animal, Olfactory Perception

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