Oxytocin and Dopamine Receptor Expression: Cellular Level Implications for Pair Bonding.

ABSTRACT: Oxytocin (Oxtr) and dopamine (Drd1, Drd2) receptors provide a canonical example for how differences in neuromodulatory receptors drive individual and species-level behavioral variation. These systems exhibit striking and functionally-relevant differences in nucleus accumbens (NAc) expression across monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and promiscuous meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). However, their cellular organization remains largely unknown. Using multiplex in situ hybridization, we mapped Oxtr, Drd1, and Drd2 expression in sexually naïve and mate-paired prairie and meadow voles. Prairie voles have more Oxtr+ cells than meadow voles, but Oxtr distribution across dopamine-receptor cell class was

SUBMITTER: Loth MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11908164 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature