Social compatibility in opposite-sex prairie vole pairs is modulated by early-life sleep experience
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Studies of human sociability indicate stronger social affinity in matched-neurotype dyads (e.g., two individuals with autism or two without) compared to mixed-neurotype dyads (e.g., one individual with autism paired with one without). Is this neurotype matching phenomenon also quantifiable in non-human animals? Using deep learning tools, we analyzed dyadic male-female interactions in prairie voles, a highly social rodent species. To simulate "neurotypes", voles were exposed to either control conditions or early-life sleep disruption (ELSD) during a critical neurodevelopmental period (postnatal days 14-21), recapitulating two features of human autism: developmental sleep disruption and later-life atypical sociability. Analogous to human studies, voles showed signs of reduced social affinity in mixed dyads compared to matched dyads, including sex-specific changes in aggression and body orientation toward the conspecific. These findings advance our understanding of social affinity, providing a framework for new studies in both animal models and humans.
Source: PLoS Biology
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,500
Awards: G1964156336, Effects of early life sleep disruption on prefrontal cortex electrophysiological state and affiliation/attachment, G40984595, G846883991, Molecular regulators of GABAergic systems that underlie comorbidities in Down syndrome, Neuroscience of Aging, Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's Disease
OpenAlex ID: W7141384763