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Comparative Neuroanatomy of the Mesolimbic Dopamine System in Monogamous and Promiscuous Vole Species

Year: 2021
Type: dissertation
Abstract: High quality bonds between married couples are salient correlates of health. Humans form monogamous pair bonds with their partner, however, most mammalian species do not. The neurobiological basis of this behavioral difference is unclear. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are lab-amenable, monogamous rodents that form pair bonds akin to human monogamous relationships. In contrast, meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) are a close but non-monogamous relative to prairie voles. We can study neurobiological differences between the two species to better understand the mechanisms of pair bonding. The mesolimbic reward system is involved in social behavior, and ex vivo dopamine physiology in the nucleus accumbens differs between bonded and non-bonded prairie voles, suggesting that changes in the mesolimbic reward system correspond with bond formation. To investigate a potential mechanism underlying the ability to form pair bonds, I asked whether there are differences in the density of mesolimbic dopamine projections between prairie and meadow voles. I hypothesized that prairie voles would have a greater density of mesolimbic dopamine projections than meadow voles, reflecting their differences in the ability to form pair bonds. Using the retrogradely-transported tracer fluorogold and immunohistochemistry, I labeled and counted mesolimbic dopamine neurons in the VTA of prairie and meadow voles. I found no significant species- nor sex-specific differences in the number of mesolimbic dopamine neurons in the VTA. Our data suggest that species- and sex-specific differences in pair bonding are not dependent on differences in density of mesolimbic dopamine neurons in the VTA.
Author: Forrey, Sophia J
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7008689822
Cites: 13
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Related to: 10