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Sociality and oxytocin and vasopressin in the brain of male and female dominant and subordinate mandarin voles

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Abstract

The dominant–subordinate hierarchy in animals often needs to be established via agonistic encounters and consequently affects reproduction and survival. Differences in brain neuropeptides and sociality among dominant and subordinate males and females remain poorly understood. Here we explore neuropeptide levels and sociality during agonistic encounter tests in mandarin voles. We found that dominant mandarin voles engaged in higher levels of approaching, investigating, self-grooming and exploring behavior than subordinates. Dominant males habituated better to a stimulus vole than dominant females. Dominant males displayed significantly less oxytocin-immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular nuclei and more vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular nuclei, supraoptic nuclei, and the lateral and anterior hypothalamus than subordinates. Dominant females displayed significantly more vasopressin-immunoreactive neurons in the lateral hypothalamus and anterior hypothalamus than subordinates. Sex differences were found in the level of oxytocin and vasopressin. These results indicate that distinct parameters related to central nervous oxytocin and vasopressin are associated with behaviors during agonistic encounters in a sex-specific manner in mandarin voles.

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Abbreviations

AH:

Anterior hypothalamus

AVP:

Vasopressin

BST:

Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

LH:

Lateral hypothalamus

MeA:

Medial amygdala

OT:

Oxytocin

PVN:

Paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus

SON:

Supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31170377 and 30970370) and the Fundamental Research Funds for Central University (GK201305009). We thank Ruiyong Wu, Jianli Wang, Peng Yu and Yan Cao for assistance with the experiments and vole care. The experiments reported here were conducted in accordance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of China and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Shaanxi Normal University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710062, Shaanxi, China

    Xufeng Qiao, Yating Yan, Ruiyong Wu, Fadao Tai, Ping Hao & Yan Cao

  2. College of Biology Sciences and Engineering, Beifang University of Nationalities, Yinchuan, 750021, Ningxia, China

    Jianli Wang

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  1. Xufeng Qiao
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  2. Yating Yan
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  3. Ruiyong Wu
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  6. Yan Cao
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  7. Jianli Wang
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Correspondence to Fadao Tai.

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Qiao, X., Yan, Y., Wu, R. et al. Sociality and oxytocin and vasopressin in the brain of male and female dominant and subordinate mandarin voles. J Comp Physiol A 200, 149–159 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-013-0870-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-013-0870-2

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