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. In the past year we have collected data demonstrating that the glutamate agonist, d-cycloserine facilitates social bond formation in prairie voles. D-cycloserine is a drug that has been used in clinical trials. We have shown that peripherally administered D-cycloserine enhances partner preference formation in female prairie voles. This study was followed by site specific infusions the drug into the amygdala, nucleus accumbens and caudate putamen. Our results suggest that D-cycloserine infused into the nucleus accumbens and amygdala, but not into the caudate facilitates partner preference formation. These studies will have direct translational implications for designing drug treatments in autism. We are now performing studies to determine whether combining D-cycloserine with oxytocin will have a synergistic effect on partner preference formation. The goal of this project is to investigate the interaction of the neurotransmitters glutamate and oxytocin in social cognition and social bonding in prairie voles. Prairie voles are an ideal animal model for investigating the brain mechanisms that regulate affiliative behavior and social bonding. We hypothesize that enhance oxytocin and glutamate signaling in the brain may be an effective treatment for the disruption in social cognition in psychiatric disorders such as autism.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 912 publications
