Sexual or paternal experiences alter alloparental behavior and the central expression of ERα and OT in male mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus)

Paternal Care in Biparental Rodents: Intra- and Inter-individual Variation

“…In a recent study of California mice, Horrell et al (2017) found that adult virgin males with no previous exposure to pups engaged in less paternal behavior than new fathers, as observed in other studies, but that virgins' paternal responsiveness was Paternal care in biparental rodents increased by repeated, brief (20-min) exposure to pups: after 2-3 exposures, virgin males' behavioral responses to pups did not differ from those of new fathers. In adult, virgin male mandarin voles, even a single, 10-min exposure to an unrelated pup increased paternal responsiveness to an unrelated pup 1 week later (Song et al 2010). In contrast, repeated 10-min exposure to a pup did not reliably alter paternal behavior in adult virgin Campbell's dwarf hamsters, even after four exposures (Vella et al 2005).…”

“…Mandarin vole fathers that were treated with cocaine for 4 days, followed by 24 h of withdrawal, spent less time in contact with and licking/grooming their own pups, and had fewer oxytocin-(and AVP)-immunoreactive neurons in the PVN, compared to control males treated with saline (Wang et al 2014). In another study of mandarin voles, adult males that either had been previously exposed to an unrelated pup, had been mated with a female, or were new fathers showed more nurturant behavior toward an unrelated pup and had more oxytocin-immunoreactive neurons in the SON and/ or PVN, compared to virgin males (Song et al 2010). Among virgin male mandarin voles, individuals that exhibited high levels of paternal behavior toward unrelated pups also had high expression of oxytocin in the PVN and SON, compared to males that engaged in low levels of paternal behavior .…”

“…California mouse fathers whose mates have recently given birth to their first litter show more paternal behavior toward an unrelated pup than do age-matched virgin adult males housed with another male, whereas responses to pups do not differ markedly between new fathers and males whose mates are pregnant with their first litter (De Jong et al 2009). Finally, in adult male mandarin voles, both mating/ cohabitation with a female and fatherhood Increase expression of some components of paternal behavior (Song et al 2010).…”

Behavioral Roles of Oxytocin and Vasopressin

“…Mandarin voles (Lasiopodomys mandarinus), which are biparental and express parental behavior towards foster pups, increase central OXT expression following the development of male alloparental behavior. This increased expression may be mediated by elevated estrogen receptor alpha [16]. In support of this association between OXT and mammalian paternal expression, a recent primate study reported that icv OXT increased the transfer of food from fathers to their offspring [17].…”

Effects of cocaine on aggression and associated central ERα and oxytocin expression in ovariectomized and intact mandarin voles

“…This rodent has an extended family group occupying a single burrow system, and shows a number of traits associated with a cooperative breeding system such as the delayed dispersal of juveniles and the presence of multiple successive litters within a nest (Smorkatcheva 1999;). In the lab, mandarin vole families have higher levels of social interaction via biparental, alloparental and affiliative behavior and stable pair-bonds (Wang et al 2005;Song et al 2010;Wu et al 2011Wu et al , 2013. The behavioral patterns of adult-adolescent interactions may be determined by adolescent development and prior familiarity (Wang & Tai 2012).…”