Oxytocin & Vasopressin

Question 1

What are the 2 major catagories for social behaviours?

Answer 1

(1) behaviors that bring animals together, such as affiliative, parental, or copulatory behaviors (promote group cohesion)
(2) behaviors that keep animals apart, such as agonistic/ aggressive behaviors (complete for resources).

Question 2

What are the 2 hormones/ neurochemicals that are critical for modulating social interactions?

Answer 2

Oxytocin
Vasopressin

Question 3

What are mammalian oxytocin and vasopressin made up of?

Answer 3

9 amino acid neuropeptides

Question 4

are mammalian oxy and vaso evolutionarily ancient?

Answer 4

yes

Question 5

Where are central oxy and vaso projections found?

Answer 5

• widely through brain
• fibres from olfactory bulbs and spinal cord

Question 6

In rodents, where are oxytocin receptors (Oxtr) and vasopressin receptors (AVPR1 and AVPR2) found?

Answer 6

within each nuclei present in the SBN
and within other areas that interact with the SBN

Question 7

What are the 2 subtypes of vasopressin receptor?

Answer 7

avpr1a
avpr1b

Question 8

what behaviours are associated with avpr1a?

Answer 8

numerous social behaviours

Question 9

what behaviours are associated with avpr1b?

Answer 9

aggression
social memory
adaptation

Question 10

What is social recognition memory?

Answer 10

The ability to identify individuals and remember them

Question 11

Why is social recognition useful?

Answer 11

helps animals determine whether to avoid or engage in interactions with others

Question 12

What (2) parts of the brain does oxytocin facilitate social memory

Answer 12

Lateral Ventricles (LV)
Medial preoptic area (MPOA)

Question 13

What (2) parts of the brain does vasopressin facilitate social memory

Answer 13

Medial amygdala
bed nucleus of the stria terminalis
Lateral septum
a little bit of lateral septum

Question 14

What is the role of Avpr1b in the hippocampus?

Answer 14

increase the salience of social signals

Question 15

What does salient mean?

Answer 15

Important/ noticeable

Question 16

What is a pair bond

Answer 16

• the preference for contact with a familiar sexual partner
• selective aggression toward unfamiliar conspecifics
• displays of biparental care
• socially regulated reproduction
  -incest avoidance.

Question 17

Out of meadow and prairie voles, which is monogamous?

Answer 17

Meadow = non-monogamous
prairie = monogamous

Think meadow = likes to play the field

Question 18

Where do prairie voles have more Oxtrs?

Answer 18

nucleus accumbens (NAcc)
Pre-frontal cortex
bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

Question 19

Where do meadow voles have more Oxtrs?

Answer 19

• lateral septum
• ventromedial hypothalamus
  cortical nucleus of the amygdala

Question 20

Which area of the vole brain is most vital for Ox signalling to facilitate social monogamy?

Answer 20

nucleus accumbens (NAcc)