Social experience and social cohabitation with mating promote spinogenesis in the nucleus accumbens of adult female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

ABSTRACT: Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are monogamous rodents that establish life-long pair-bonds and display characteristic social and biparental care behaviors. Since social and sexual experiences modulate brain plasticity, the present study aimed to elucidate in female voles if social exposure to a male or social cohabitation with mating, which leads to pair-bonding, modulates spinogenesis processes in the medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Females were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: 1) control (C), voles that cohabited with a familiar female in a clean cage; 2) social exposure (SE), voles housed in a cage divided into two equal compartments by an acrylic screen with small holes. The experimental female was placed in one of the compartments, and

SUBMITTER: Castro AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12582430 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature