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Neural correlates of mating system diversity: oxytocin and vasopressin receptor distributions in monogamous and non-monogamous Eulemur.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Grebe, NM; Sharma, A; Freeman, SM; Palumbo, MC; Patisaul, HB; Bales, KL; Drea, CM
Published in: Scientific reports
February 2021

Contemporary theory that emphasizes the roles of oxytocin and vasopressin in mammalian sociality has been shaped by seminal vole research that revealed interspecific variation in neuroendocrine circuitry by mating system. However, substantial challenges exist in interpreting and translating these rodent findings to other mammalian groups, including humans, making research on nonhuman primates crucial. Both monogamous and non-monogamous species exist within Eulemur, a genus of strepsirrhine primate, offering a rare opportunity to broaden a comparative perspective on oxytocin and vasopressin neurocircuitry with increased evolutionary relevance to humans. We performed oxytocin and arginine vasopressin 1a receptor autoradiography on 12 Eulemur brains from seven closely related species to (1) characterize receptor distributions across the genus, and (2) examine differences between monogamous and non-monogamous species in regions part of putative "pair-bonding circuits". We find some binding patterns across Eulemur reminiscent of olfactory-guided rodents, but others congruent with more visually oriented anthropoids, consistent with lemurs occupying an 'intermediary' evolutionary niche between haplorhine primates and other mammalian groups. We find little evidence of a "pair-bonding circuit" in Eulemur akin to those proposed in previous rodent or primate research. Mapping neuropeptide receptors in these nontraditional species questions existing assumptions and informs proposed evolutionary explanations about the biological bases of monogamy.

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Published In

Scientific reports

DOI

EISSN

2045-2322

ISSN

2045-2322

Publication Date

February 2021

Volume

11

Issue

1

Start / End Page

3746

Related Subject Headings

  • Vasopressins
  • Species Specificity
  • Social Behavior
  • Sexual Behavior, Animal
  • Reproduction
  • Receptors, Vasopressin
  • Receptors, Oxytocin
  • Primates
  • Pair Bond
  • Oxytocin
 

Citation

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Grebe, N. M., Sharma, A., Freeman, S. M., Palumbo, M. C., Patisaul, H. B., Bales, K. L., & Drea, C. M. (2021). Neural correlates of mating system diversity: oxytocin and vasopressin receptor distributions in monogamous and non-monogamous Eulemur. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 3746. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83342-6
Grebe, Nicholas M., Annika Sharma, Sara M. Freeman, Michelle C. Palumbo, Heather B. Patisaul, Karen L. Bales, and Christine M. Drea. “Neural correlates of mating system diversity: oxytocin and vasopressin receptor distributions in monogamous and non-monogamous Eulemur.Scientific Reports 11, no. 1 (February 2021): 3746. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83342-6.
Grebe NM, Sharma A, Freeman SM, Palumbo MC, Patisaul HB, Bales KL, et al. Neural correlates of mating system diversity: oxytocin and vasopressin receptor distributions in monogamous and non-monogamous Eulemur. Scientific reports. 2021 Feb;11(1):3746.
Grebe, Nicholas M., et al. “Neural correlates of mating system diversity: oxytocin and vasopressin receptor distributions in monogamous and non-monogamous Eulemur.Scientific Reports, vol. 11, no. 1, Feb. 2021, p. 3746. Epmc, doi:10.1038/s41598-021-83342-6.
Grebe NM, Sharma A, Freeman SM, Palumbo MC, Patisaul HB, Bales KL, Drea CM. Neural correlates of mating system diversity: oxytocin and vasopressin receptor distributions in monogamous and non-monogamous Eulemur. Scientific reports. 2021 Feb;11(1):3746.

Published In

Scientific reports

DOI

EISSN

2045-2322

ISSN

2045-2322

Publication Date

February 2021

Volume

11

Issue

1

Start / End Page

3746

Related Subject Headings

  • Vasopressins
  • Species Specificity
  • Social Behavior
  • Sexual Behavior, Animal
  • Reproduction
  • Receptors, Vasopressin
  • Receptors, Oxytocin
  • Primates
  • Pair Bond
  • Oxytocin