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Chapter 8Neuropeptides and the Developmentof Social BehaviorsImplications for AdolescentPsychopathologyKaren L. Bales and C. Sue CarterAdolescence is by definition a period of rapid hormonal change, and also a timein life when many individuals form new social relationships. However, the linkbetween hormones and social bonding is difficult to study in humans, and particularlyin the complex hormonal milieu associated with puberty. For this reason,much of what is known about the hormonal regulation of social behavior andsocial bonding has come from animal research. Specifically helpful in understandingthe causes and consequences of social behaviors have been comparisons amonghighly social versus less social species. In particular, highly social species, capableof selective and long-lasting social relationships, have been identified asmodels for the analysis of the physiological basis of social bonds.The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the role of two mammalianneuropeptide hormones, oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP),in the development and expression of social behaviors, including selective behaviorsthat are indicative of social bonds. Both genetic (especially species and individualdifferences) and epigenetic (postgenomic or experiential) processes,mediated by physiological changes and acting throughout the life span, can haveimmediate and long-lasting consequences for both selective and nonselective socialbehaviors. We begin by giving general background on social behavior in monogamousspecies, as well as the previously studied physiological and behavioral effectsof oxytocin and vasopressin, followed by a description of animal studies173