This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The PI has a strong interest in the molecular and neural mechanisms underlying behavior and uses a wide range of experimental techniques, from behavioral and pharmacological to molecular and transgenic techniques, to address important behavioral neuroscience questions. Currently, research focuses on the role of neuropeptides in the modulation of social behaviors and attachment. Vasopressin (AVP) facilitates affiliation and pair bond formation in monogamous species. Compared to non-monogamous species, monogamous species have high levels of AVP receptors in the ventral pallidum, a brain region associated with reinforcement and reward. Enhancing AVP receptor gene expression in the ventral pallidum using viral vector gene transfer facilitates pair bonding in the male prairie vole. This has led to the hypothesis that vasopressin stimulates social attachment by activating reward circuits via activation of AVP receptors in the ventral pallidum.
The specific aims of this project will investigate the role of the ventral pallidum in social attachment and characterize the activity, phenotype, and connectivity of vasopressin receptor containing cells in this region. Further studies will investigate the molecular mechanisms controlling AVP receptor expression in the ventral pallidum. Understanding the link between social interactions, reward circuitry and social attachment may provide useful insights into potential mechanisms underlying psychiatric diseases characterized by social deficits, such as autism.
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