Investigation of Oxtr-expressing Neurons Projecting to Nucleus Accumbens using Oxtr-ires-Cre Knock-in prairie Voles (Microtus ochrogaster).

ABSTRACT: Social bonds such as parent-infant attachment or pair bonds can be critical for mental and physical well-being. The monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) has proven useful for examining the neural substrates regulating social behaviors, including social bonding. Oxytocin (OXT) and oxytocin receptor (OXTR) play critical roles in alloparental care, pair bonding and consoling behavior in prairie voles. While OXTR in a few regions, such as the nucleus accumbnes (NAcc), prefrontal cortex (PFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), have been implicated in regulating these behaviors, the extent to which other OXT sensitive areas modulate social behaviors has not been investigated. The NAcc is a central hub for modulating OXTR dependent social behaviors. To identify neurons expressing Oxtr

SUBMITTER: Horie K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7643779 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature