Oxytocin and vasopressin increase male-directed threats and vocalizations in female macaques.

ABSTRACT: In a previous study, we reported that intranasal delivery of both oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) to male macaques relaxes spontaneous social interactions, flattens the existing dominance hierarchy, and increases behavioral synchrony with other monkeys. Here we report that intranasal OT and AVP administration modulates the behaviors of female macaque monkeys, but in robustly different ways from males. Most notably, both neuropeptides increase threatening and vocalization behaviors of females when they encounter males, and these behaviors effectively increase the social status of females over males. While OT and AVP heighten the confrontational nature of intersexual encounters, both peptides relax interactions between females. Finally, as previously reported for males, treating

SUBMITTER: Jiang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6301990 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature