Individual Variation in Social Behaviours of Male Lab-reared Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) is Non-heritable and Weakly Associated with V1aR Density.

ABSTRACT: The genetic and environmental factors that contribute to pair bonding behaviour remain poorly understood. Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) often, but not always, form stable pair bonds and present an ideal model species for investigating the genetic and environmental factors that influence monogamy. Here, we assessed variation in partner preference, a measure of pair bonding, and related social behaviours in a population of laboratory-reared prairie voles under controlled environmental conditions. We evaluated to what extent variation in these behaviours correlate with vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR) expression in the ventral pallidum (VP) and retrosplenial cortex (RSC), and estimated the heritability of these behaviours and V1aR expression. We found substantial variation in partner pre

SUBMITTER: Vogel AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5780391 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature