The DOI matches its Crossref record; 149 of the 152 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
κ-Opioid Receptors within the Nucleus Accumbens Shell Mediate Pair Bond Maintenance
Open accessAbstract
The prairie vole is a socially monogamous species in which breeder pairs typically show strong and selective pair bonds. The establishment of a pair bond is associated with a behavioral transition from general affiliation to aggressive rejection of novel conspecifics. This “selective aggression” is indicative of mate guarding that is necessary to maintain the initial pair bond. In the laboratory, the neurobiology of this behavior is studied using resident-intruder testing. Although it is well established that social behaviors in other species are mediated by endogenous opioid systems, opiate regulation of pair bond maintenance has never been studied. Here, we used resident-intruder testing to determine whether endogenous opioids within brain motivational circuitry mediate selective aggression in prairie voles. We first show that peripheral blockade of κ-opioid receptors with the antagonist norbinaltorphimine (nor-BNI; 100 mg/kg), but not with the preferential μ-opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (1, 10, or 30 mg/kg), decreased selective aggression in males. We then provide the first comprehensive characterization of κ- and μ-opioid receptors in the prairie vole brain. Finally, we demonstrate that blockade of κ-opioid receptors (500 ng nor-BNI) within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell abolishes selective aggression in both sexes, but blockade of these receptors within the NAc core enhances this behavior specifically in females. Blockade of κ-opioid receptors within the ventral pallidum or μ-opioid receptors with the specific μ-opioid receptor antagonist H-D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Arg-Thr-PenThr-NH2 (1 ng CTAP) within the NAc shell had no effect in either sex. Thus, κ-opioid receptors within the NAc shell mediate aversive social motivation that is critical for pair bond maintenance.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Opioid signaling at KORs occurs downstream of NAc shell DA activation of D1Rs to generate selective aggression, whereas affiliative behavior remains unchanged following manipulations to NAc D1Rs and KORs [156,157].”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [156]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“In addition to changes in D1R density, the NAc sees an upregulation of k-opioid receptors (KORs) following pair bonding in male and female voles.”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [156]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“KORs in the shell of the NAc encode social aversion to novel conspecifics, and blockade of KORs in the NAc shell diminishes selective aggression from both males and females [156].”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [156]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“This suggests that the two receptor systems are acting in a coordinated fashion in the striatum to modulate different aspects of pair bonding (Resendez et al 2012).”
From The behavioral, anatomical and pharmacological parallels between social attachment, love and addiction (2012) · cites this paper as Resendez et al 2012
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Neural systems of reinforcement for drug addiction: from actions to habits to compulsion
Everitt, B. J., & Robbins, T. W. (2005) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1579 · Cited by 3,785 · cited 4×
“, 2006; Aragona and Wang, 2007) and unconditioned incentives, including those of an aversive nature (Kalivas and Duffy, 1995; Ikemoto and Panksepp, 1999; Kelley and Berridge, 2002; Everitt and Robbins, 2005; Becker, 2009).”
BackgroundInfluentialD 1 and D 2 Dopamine Receptor-regulated Gene Expression of Striatonigral and Striatopallidal Neurons
Gerfen, C. R., Engber, T. M., Mahan, L. C., Susel, Z., Chase, T. N., Monsma, F. J., & Sibley, D. R. (1990) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.2147780 · Cited by 2,967 · cited 2×
“Moreover, activation of D1-like receptors increases dynorphin levels (Gerfen et al., 1990), indicating a direct interaction between these systems.”
BackgroundDopamine in motivational control: rewarding, aversive, and alerting
Bromberg-Martin, E. S., Matsumoto, M., & Hikosaka, O. (2010) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2010.11.022 · Cited by 2,396 · cited 2×
“While recent data have demonstrated that different subsets of DA containing neurons within the VTA are activated by rewarding versus aversive stimuli (Brischoux et al., 2009; Matsumoto and Hikosaka, 2009; Bromberg-Martin et al., 2010; Lammel et al., 2011), it has yet to be determined how this may be associated with so…”
BackgroundThe neurobiology of pair bonding.
Young, L. J., & Wang, Z. (2004) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1327 · Cited by 1,523 · cited 1×
“The socially monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) is an excellent model system to study the neurobiology of social attachment (Young and Wang, 2004; Young et al., 2005; Aragona and Wang, 2009).”
BackgroundThe Neuroscience of Natural Rewards: Relevance to Addictive Drugs
Kelley, A. E., & Berridge, K. C. (2002) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.22-09-03306.2002 · Cited by 1,505 · cited 7×
“Thus, site-specific behavioral pharmacology identified -opioid receptors within the NAc shell—a key brain region in mediating unconditioned motivational responses (Ikemoto and Panksepp, 1999; Kelley and Berridge, 2002)—as important for aversive social motivation in pair-bonded prairie voles.”
BackgroundInfluentialIkemoto, S. (2007) · Brain Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.brainresrev.2007.05.004 · Cited by 1,477 · cited 2×
“For example, both unconditioned rewarding and aversive stimuli increase DA in the NAc shell (Kalivas and Duffy, 1995; Ikemoto, 2007), and this increase is associated with aspects of both approach and avoidance behaviors (Ikemoto and Panksepp, 1999; Di Chiara and Bassareo, 2007; Oleson et al.”
BackgroundIkemoto, S., & Panksepp, J. (1999) · Brain Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/s0165-0173(99)00023-5 · Cited by 1,450 · cited 6×
“While the NAc shell is well known to play a critical role in the processing of unconditioned rewarding and aversive stimuli (Ikemoto and Panksepp, 1999; Ito et al., 2000; Di Chiara et al., 2004; Everitt and Robbins, 2005; Aragona et al., 2008, 2009), the neural mechanisms within this brain region…”
BackgroundInfluentialTwo types of dopamine neuron distinctly convey positive and negative motivational signals
Matsumoto, M., & Hikosaka, O. (2009) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature08028 · Cited by 1,378 · cited 2×
“…that different subsets of DA containing neurons within the VTA are activated by rewarding versus aversive stimuli (Brischoux et al., 2009; Matsumoto and Hikosaka, 2009; Bromberg-Martin et al., 2010; Lammel et al., 2011), it has yet to be determined how this may be associated with social…”
BackgroundAnatomy of CNS opioid receptors
Mansour, A., Khachaturian, H., Lewis, M. E., Akil, H., & Watson, S. J. (1988) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/0166-2236(88)90093-8 · Cited by 1,197
Dynorphin Is a Specific Endogenous Ligand of the κ Opioid Receptor
Chavkin, C., James, I. F., & D, A. G. M. (1982) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.6120570 · Cited by 1,171 · cited 1×
“Conversely, D1-expressing neurons contain dynorphin, the endogenous ligand for -opioid receptors that mediates aversion and negative affect (Chavkin et al., 1982; Mucha and Herz, 1985; Pfeiffer et al., 1986).”
Background
Flagged first, then by citations
3 of the 152 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Firestone, 1991, Behavioral correlates of intra-female reproductive suppression in prairie voles, Microtus ochrogaster, Behav Neural Biol, 55, 363
- Getz, 1978, Speculation on social structure and population cycles of microtine rodents, Biologist, 60, 134
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 101–109 of 109
Adult Social Relationships in Primates
Manca, C., & Bales, K. L. (2024) · Masterclass in neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-51112-7_2
Zhang, L., Qu, Y., Young, L. J., Hou, W., Liu, L., Liu, J., Wang, Y., Li, L., Guo, X., Li, Y., et al. (2024) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.100292.1
Zhang, L., Qu, Y., Young, L. J., Hou, W., Liu, L., Liu, J., Wang, Y., Li, L., Guo, X., Li, Y., et al. (2025) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.100292.2
Dunbar, R. (2025) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x25100824
Manca, C., Paulus, J. P., Almeida, A. J. D., Caceres, A., Sosnowski, M. J., Hobson, B. A., Ferrer, E. E., Chaudhari, A. J., & Bales, K. L. (2026) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.64898/2026.02.17.706461
Mood disruption in heroin abstinence : mechanisms and gene discovery
Ayrancı, G. (2015) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/a956874cz8192z4eb4zb9dez3ceb46a28053
Manca, C., Paulus, J. P., Almeida, A. J. D., Caceres, A., Sosnowski, M. J., Hobson, B. A., Ferrer, E. E., Chaudhari, A. J., & Bales, K. L. (2026) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2026.06.028 · Cited by 1
Weiss, E. R., Bartlett, E. A., Naganawa, M., Asch, R., Hart-Derrick, V. R., Miller, R. C., Freeman, D., Duraney, E. J., Nabulsi, N., Radhakrishnan, R., et al. (2026) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2026.06.017
Hasunuma, K., Horie, K., Yoshida, M., Nishimori, K., Onaka, T., & Sato, N. (2026) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2026.105968
Metadata
- Authors
- Resendez, S. L., Kuhnmuench, M., Krzywosinski, T., & Aragona, B. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- Venue
- The Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Society for Neuroscience
- Published
- 2012-05-16
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 20
- Pages
- 6771-6784
- ISSN
- 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
- 1529-2401
- PMC
- PMC6622186
- OpenAlex
- W2005581416
- Cited by
- 110
- References
- 152
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 18.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (0953106)
- Florida State University
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- kappa opioid receptor, pair bond maintenance, Microtus ochrogaster, nucleus accumbens shell, mate guarding, endogenous opioids, nor-binaltorphimine, mu-opioid receptor, CTAP, social motivation, social monogamy, ventral pallidum
- MeSH terms
- Aggression, Animals, Autoradiography, Brain, Corticosterone, Arvicolinae, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Female, Male, Microinjections, Naloxone, Naltrexone, Nucleus Accumbens, Pair Bond, Peptide Fragments, Sex Characteristics, Somatostatin, Testosterone, Receptors, Opioid, mu, Receptors, Opioid, kappa
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
