Prairie vole pups show potentiated isolation‐induced vocalizations following isolation from their mother, but not their father

Robison, W. Theodore; Myers, Michael; Hofer, Myron A.; Shair, Harry N.; Welch, Martha G.

doi:10.1002/dev.21408

Cited by 13 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 93 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These current results are in contrast with previous studies that demonstrate in rats pups passive maternal potentiation, where the dam is anesthetized, results in an enhanced vocal response to isolation in the second to third week of life (PND 10-15) (Myers et al, 2004; Shair et al, 2003). Both passive and active maternal potentiation but not paternal potentiation is evident in prairie voles (Robison et al, 2016). It is not clear why we did not observe a potentiated response after California mice pups at various ages were placed back in the home cage with both parents and then reisolated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of vocalizations emitted in isolation by California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) pups throughout the postnatal period.

Johnson

Painter

Javurek

et al. 2017

Journal of Comparative Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rodent species, such as monogamous and biparental California mice, produce vocalizations as a means of communication. A temporal examination of vocalizations produced by California mice pups in isolation was performed. Pup recordings were performed for 3 minutes at ~10.00 and 14.00 hrs on early postnatal days (PND) 2-4, 7, 21, and 28. Once initial recordings were finished, pups were returned to the home cage with parents and any siblings for five minutes to determine if active biparental responses resulted in an enhanced vocalization response when pups were isolated and retested. We also sought to determine whether potential reduction in vocalizations by older pups might be due to procedure-habituation procedure associated with less anxiety and/or possibly decreased need for parental care. Vocalizations were measured in weanling (30 days of age) "naïve" pups not previously isolated. Results show older pups took significantly longer to vocalize, indicated by increased latency before producing their initial syllable compared to earlier ages. With increasing age, pups demonstrated decreased syllable duration, reduced number and duration of phrases, and decreased number of syllables per phrase. No differences in pup vocalizations were observed before and after being placed back with parents, suggestive biparernal potentiation may not exist in California mice pups. Comparison of the naïve to habituated

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of vocalizations emitted in isolation by California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) pups throughout the postnatal period.

Johnson

Painter

Javurek

et al. 2017

Journal of Comparative Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We chose PND 2 over PND 0 to allow time for a parent-pup attachment to form, and because PND 2 was the youngest age at which pup brains could be successfully and reliably processed via immunocytochemistry. Prairie vole pups exhibit open eyes and are capable of independent locomotion by PND 9 (Solomon 1991;Robison et al 2016). By PND 21 prairie vole pups are weaned in the lab and can function independently (Carter and Getz 1985).…”

Section: Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxytocin Neurons Exhibit Extensive Functional Plasticity Due To Offspring Age in Mothers and Fathers

Kelly

Hiura

Saunders

et al. 2017

Integrative and Comparative Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The needs of offspring change as they develop. Thus, parents should concomitantly change their investment based on the age-related needs of the offspring as they mature. Due to the high costs of parental care, it is optimal for parents to exhibit a shift from intense caregiving of young offspring to promoting independence in older offspring. Yet, the neural mechanisms that underlie shifts in parental behavior are poorly understood, and little is known about how the parental brain responds to offspring of different ages. To elucidate mechanisms that relate to shifts in parental behavior as offspring develop, we examined behavioral and neural responses of male and female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), a biparental rodent, to interactions with offspring at different stages of development (ranging from neonatal to weaning age). Importantly, in biparental species, males and females may adjust their behavior differentially as offspring develop. Because the nonapeptides, vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT), are well known for modulating aspects of parental care, we focused on functional activity of distinct VP and OT cell groups within the maternal and paternal brain in response to separation from, reunion (after a brief period of separation) with, or no separation from offspring of different ages. We found several differences in the neural responses of individual VP and OT cell groups that varied based on the age of pups and sex of the parent. Hypothalamic VP neurons exhibit similar functional responses in both mothers and fathers. However, hypothalamic and amygdalar OT neurons exhibit differential functional responses to being separated from pups based on the sex of the parent. Our results also reveal that the developmental stage of offspring significantly impacts neural function within OT, but not VP, cell groups of both mothers and fathers. These findings provide insight into the functional plastic capabilities of the nonapeptide system, specifically in relation to parental behavior. Identifying neural mechanisms that exhibit functional plasticity can elucidate one way in which animals are able to shift behavior on relatively short timescales in order to exhibit the most context-appropriate and adaptive behaviors.

show abstract

“…PND2 prairie vole pups do not exhibit independent locomotion and eye opening has not yet occurred. By PND9, pups are capable of independent locomotion and exhibit open eyes (Robison et al 2016; Solomon 1991). By PND21, prairie vole pups are weaned in the lab and can function independently (Carter and Getz 1985).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid nonapeptide synthesis during a critical period of development in the prairie vole: plasticity of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT) are involved in modulating basic physiology and numerous social behaviors. Although the anatomical distributions of nonapeptide neurons throughout development have been described, the functional roles of VP and OT neurons during development are surprisingly understudied, and it is unknown whether they exhibit functional changes throughout early development. We utilized an acute social isolation paradigm to determine if VP and OT neural responses in eight nonapeptide cell groups differ at three different stages of early development in prairie voles. We tested pups at ages that are representative of the three rapid growth stages of the developing brain: postnatal day (PND)2 (closed eyes; poor locomotion), PND9 (eye opening; locomotion; peak brain growth spurt), and PND21 (weaning). Neural responses were examined in pups that (1) were under normal family conditions with their parents and siblings, (2) were isolated from their parents and siblings and then reunited, and (3) were isolated from their parents and siblings. We found that VP and OT neural activity (as assessed via Fos co-localization) did not differ in response to social condition across development. However, remarkably rapid VP and OT synthesis in response to social isolation was observed only in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and only in PND9 pups. These results suggest that PVN nonapeptide neurons exhibit distinct cellular properties during a critical period of development, allowing nonapeptide neurons to rapidly upregulate peptide production in response to stressors on a much shorter timescale than has been observed in adult animals.

show abstract

Prairie vole pups show potentiated isolation‐induced vocalizations following isolation from their mother, but not their father

Cited by 13 publications

References 93 publications

Characterization of vocalizations emitted in isolation by California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) pups throughout the postnatal period.

Characterization of vocalizations emitted in isolation by California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) pups throughout the postnatal period.

Oxytocin Neurons Exhibit Extensive Functional Plasticity Due To Offspring Age in Mothers and Fathers

Rapid nonapeptide synthesis during a critical period of development in the prairie vole: plasticity of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About