Peripheral oxytocin administration buffers autonomic but not behavioral responses to environmental stressors in isolated prairie voles
Open accessAbstract
Negative social experiences such as social stressors and isolation influence mental and physical illnesses, including affective disorders and heart disease. Studies focused on socially monogamous prairie voles can provide insight into neurobiological systems that underlie the consequences of negative social interactions. Female prairie voles were exposed to 28 days of social isolation or pairing with a female sibling (control). Voles were administered daily oxytocin [20 μg/50 μl, subcutaneous (sc)] or saline vehicle (50 μl, sc) for 14 days and exposed to two behavioral stressors [elevated plus maze (EPM) and resident-intruder test]. Brain tissue was collected for analysis of central peptide levels in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Isolation produced autonomic changes [increased heart rate (HR) and decreased HR variability) during both acute stressors and increased anxiety behaviors in the EPM. Oxytocin injection prevented the autonomic consequences of the acute stressors in isolated prairie voles, but did not affect the behaviors tested under the present conditions. Oxytocin had no effect on the behavioral or autonomic responsiveness in paired prairie voles. Oxytocin injection may exert a beneficial effect on autonomic responses to stressors in isolated animals through increasing the number of oxytocin-containing neurons and decreasing the number of corticotropin-releasing hormone-containing neurons in the PVN. Oxytocinergic mechanisms may serve to compensate for autonomic responses associated with chronic isolation and exposure to both social and non-social acute stressors.
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In women, the findings are concurrent with animal data on OT application and reduced ANS activation in female prairie voles.
“In women, our findings are concurrent with animal data on OT application and reduced ANS activation in female prairie voles (Grippo et al., 2009(Grippo et al., , 2012)).”
From Sex-specific effects of intranasal oxytocin on autonomic nervous system and emotional responses to couple conflict (2013) · cites this paper as Grippo et al., 2012
In female prairie voles, peripheral OT administration reduced heart rate responses to social isolation and to social stress.
“In female prairie voles, peripheral OT administration reduced HR responses to social isolation (Grippo et al., 2009) and to social stress (resident intruder test) (Grippo et al., 2012).”
From Sex-specific effects of intranasal oxytocin on autonomic nervous system and emotional responses to couple conflict (2013) · cites this paper as Grippo et al., 2012
Social isolation through partner separation precipitates anxiety and depression-like behaviors in monogamous voles, which could be prevented by repeated subcutaneous injection of oxytocin.
“For example, social isolation through partner separation precipitates anxiety and depression-like behaviors in monogamous voles (25), which could be prevented by repeated subcutaneous injection of OXT (26).”
From Dissecting the Role of Oxytocin in the Formation and Loss of Social Relationships (2016) · cites this paper as [26]
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“In female prairie voles, peripheral OT administration reduced HR responses to social isolation (Grippo et al., 2009) and to social stress (resident intruder test) (Grippo et al., 2012).”
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- Authors
- Grippo, A. J., Pournajafi-Nazarloo, H., Sanzenbacher, L., Trahanas, D. M., McNeal, N., Clarke, D. A., Porges, S. W., & Sue Carter, C.
- Affiliations
- Northern Illinois University (US)
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- Corresponding author
- Grippo, Angela J.
- Venue
- Stress
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2011-08-19
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 149-161
- ISSN
- 1025-3890 (ISSN-L)
- 1607-8888
- PMC
- PMC3397123
- OpenAlex
- W1887417181
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 6.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Stress (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Northern Illinois University
- China Scholarship Council
- National Institutes of Health
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH77581, R21MH077581, MH 67446, MH 73233, F32MH073233, MH72935, R21MH067446, R01MH072935)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Keywords
- oxytocin, Microtus ochrogaster, social isolation, social stress, autonomic stress response, heart rate variability, anxiety, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, corticotropin-releasing factor, oxytocinergic neurons, elevated plus maze, resident-intruder test, social monogamy
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Anxiety, Autonomic Nervous System, Behavior, Animal, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, Arvicolinae, Environment, Female, Oxytocin, Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus, Social Isolation, Stress, Psychological, Down-Regulation
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