Strongly bonded family members in common marmosets show synchronized fluctuations in oxytocin

Finkenwirth, Christa; Schaik, Carel van; Ziegler, Toni E.; Burkart, Judith M.

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.07.034

Cited by 57 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 79 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…It may be particularly difficult to engage in affiliation with a specific partner since the probability is even smaller that both partners of a specific dyad are available. This is relevant in the face of recent findings that in chimpanzees (Crockford et al, 2013) and marmosets (Finkenwirth et al, 2015), urinary OT responses to adult-adult affiliation are dyadspecific and predominantly occur in strong bond dyads. Furthermore, individuals with high levels of adult-adult affiliation are more likely to engage in infant-care (Finkenwirth and Burkart, in preparation).…”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The sampling was restricted to morning-void urine, in order to measure hormonal baseline values and to minimize confounding effects of circadian rhythms. Urine was collected non-invasively either in a urine cage or with a plastic cup in the home cage, as described elsewhere (Finkenwirth et al, 2015). Urine samples were labelled right after collection and stored immediately at -20°C in 1 ml portions until analysis.…”

Section: Urine Sampling and Ot Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ADI-900-153A-0001). The procedure was developed and validated by Seltzer and Ziegler (2007) and Snowdon et al (2010), and slightly adapted for our purpose, as previously described in Finkenwirth et al (2015). A detailed protocol is provided in supplementary file S2.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such a coordination may also be dependent on the involved stimulating brain regions (Martínez-Lorenzana et al, 2008). In primates, urinary OT levels have been found to be related to affiliative (Crockford et al, 2013;Finkenwirth et al, 2015; and socio-sexual interactions (Moscovice and Ziegler, 2012;Snowdon et al, 2010) among group-living individuals. Accordingly, Crockford et al (2014) suggested that peripheral OT measurements are indeed useful to capture central OT excretion or a coordinated release between central and…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Oxytocin is associated with infant-care behavior and motivation in cooperatively breeding marmoset monkeys

Finkenwirth

Martins

Deschner

et al. 2016

Hormones and Behavior

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The neurohormone oxytocin (OT) is positively involved in the regulation of parenting and social bonding in mammals, and may thus also be important for the mediation of alloparental care. In cooperatively breeding marmosets, infants are raised in teamwork by parents and adult and subadult non-reproductive helpers (usually older siblings). Despite high intrinsic motivation, which may be mediated by hormonal priming, not all individuals are always equally able to contribute to infant-care due to competition among care-takers. Among the various care-taking behaviors, proactive food sharing may reflect motivational levels best, since it can be performed ad libitum by several individuals even if competition among surplus care-takers constrains access to infants. Our aim was to study the link between urinary OT levels and care-taking behaviors in group-living marmosets, while taking affiliation with other adults and infant age into account. Over eight reproductive cycles, 26 individuals were monitored for urinary baseline OT, care-taking behaviors (baby-licking, -grooming, -carrying, and proactive food sharing), and adult-directed affiliation. Mean OT levels were generally highest in female breeders and OT increased significantly in all individuals after birth. During early infancy, high urinary OT levels were associated with increased infant-licking but low levels of adult-affiliation, and during late infancy, with increased proactive food sharing. Our results show that, in marmoset parents and alloparents, OT is positively involved in the regulation of care-taking, thereby reflecting the changing needs during infant development. This particularly included behaviors that are more likely to reflect intrinsic care motivation, suggesting a positive link between OT and motivational regulation of infant-care. This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Email: christa.finkenwirth@uzh.ch A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT AbstractThe neurohormone oxytocin (OT) is positively involved in the regulation of parenting and social bonding in mammals, and may thus also be important for the mediation of alloparental care. In cooperatively breeding marmosets, infants are raised in teamwork by parents and adult and subadult non-reproductive helpers (usually older siblings). Despite high intrinsic motivation, which may be mediated by hormonal priming, not all individuals are always equally able to contribute to infant-care due to competition among care-takers. Among the various care-taking behaviors, proactive food sharing may reflect motivational levels best, since it can be performed ad libi...

show abstract

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Urine Sampling and Ot Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Oxytocin is associated with infant-care behavior and motivation in cooperatively breeding marmoset monkeys

Finkenwirth

Martins

Deschner

et al. 2016

Hormones and Behavior

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, recent evidence also suggests that grooming patterns in marmosets are more dyadspecific and that individuals have preferred grooming partners in their group [35]. Strong bonds thus not only occur in breeding dyads, but also in breeder-helper and helper-helper dyads.…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term-stability of relationship structure in family groups of common marmosets, and its link to proactive prosociality

Finkenwirth

Burkart

2017

Physiology & Behavior

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cooperatively breeding, group-living common marmosets show differentiated relationships, where more strongly bonded dyads within a group engage more in affiliative interactions than less strongly bonded ones. Intriguingly, recent results suggest that strong bonds do not only occur between breeding partners but between individuals from any sex or status, and that strong-bond partners exhibit correlated oxytocin fluctuations (dyadic oxytocin synchrony, OTS) over a period of six weeks. To date, it is unclear whether such relationships are stable over time and whether they are also reflected in higher partner-specific proactive prosociality. To assess the long-term stability of the relationship structure of common marmoset family groups, we investigated whether hormonal and behavioral markers of group structure (dyadic OTS, dyadic affiliation, and individual group integration) in common marmoset families remained stable over a period of six months. We collected baseline urinary OT and social behavior of 36 dyads from three family groups in a non-reproductive period (period A), and again six months later, around the birth of new infants (period B). Patterns of dyadic OTS, dyadic affiliation, and individual group integration were consistent between the two study periods. Oxytocin data from a fourth group (10 dyads), collected in two nonreproductive periods separated by a period of more than five years, could replicate this finding. Furthermore, OTS was also correlated with proactive prosociality that was assessed experimentally for 38 dyads during an earlier study. These results suggest that differentiated relationships are stable over time, even between group members other than the breeding pair, and that more strongly bonded partners also show higher levels of proactive prosociality.Future studies are necessary to identify whether these relationships have an adaptive function, perhaps with regard to positive consequences on cooperativeness.

show abstract

Oxytocin regulates reunion affiliation with a pairmate following social separation in marmosets

Cavanaugh

Mustoe

French

2018

American J Primatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While separation from significant social partners produces a host of neurobiological and behavioral perturbations, including behavioral distress and increased glucocorticoid production, positive social interactions upon reunion are critical for the reestablishment of normative relationship dynamics and the attenuation of the biobehavioral stress response. The hormone oxytocin has critical and pervasive roles in reproductive and behavioral processes across the lifespan, and plays a particularly prominent role in social bonding. In this study, we examined the extent that oxytocin modulates interactions with a pairmate following separation challenges that varied in both social context (isolation; separation) and duration (long; short), in marmosets. We demonstrated that the impact of pharmacological manipulations of the oxytocin system on the expression of affiliation upon reunion depended on both the context and duration of the separation challenge. Specifically, marmosets treated with an oxytocin antagonist spent less time in proximity with their pairmate upon reunion following a long-separation challenge. During the short-separation challenge, marmosets engaged in more social gaze when separated with an opposite-sex stranger, but not when separated with their mate. Furthermore, marmosets that received the most social gaze from opposite-sex strangers spent the most time in proximity with their long-term mate upon reunion. We also showed that marmosets treated with an OT agonist received increased levels of gaze from opposite-sex strangers, but not from their mate. Overall, these results suggest that marmosets are sensitive to the nature of the social interactions during separation, and subsequently alter their expression of affiliation upon reunion with their long-term mate. These findings further implicate oxytocin as a bond-enhancing molecule that regulates the reestablishment of normative levels of affiliation with a mate following separation, and add to the emerging literature that suggests the OT system underlies critical behavioral processes that contribute to the preservation of long-lasting social bonds.

show abstract

Strongly bonded family members in common marmosets show synchronized fluctuations in oxytocin

Cited by 57 publications

References 79 publications

Oxytocin is associated with infant-care behavior and motivation in cooperatively breeding marmoset monkeys

Oxytocin is associated with infant-care behavior and motivation in cooperatively breeding marmoset monkeys

Long-term-stability of relationship structure in family groups of common marmosets, and its link to proactive prosociality

Oxytocin regulates reunion affiliation with a pairmate following social separation in marmosets

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About