[Abstract Title]. - Society for Neuroscience

effect on spontaneous maternal care, while having activational effects on partner preference
formation.
Disclosures: H.E. Ross, None; L.L. Spiegel, None; L.J. Young, None.
Poster
297. Social Recognition and Partner Preference
Time: Sunday, November 16, 2008, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Program#/Poster#: 297.4/TT22
Topic: F.03.c. Social behavior
Support: MH064692
NIH RR00165
NSF IBN-9876754
Title: A role for the opiate system in partner preference formation in female prairie voles
Authors: J. P. BURKETT 1 , L. L. SPIEGEL 1 , *L. J. YOUNG 2,1 ;
1 Cntr Behav Neurosci, 2 Yerkes Res. Ctr., Emory Univ., Atlanta, GA
Abstract: Socially monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) form enduring pair bonds
between mates, and have become an informative animal model for exploring the neurobiology of
social attachment. The opioid system has long been implicated in the regulation of infant-mother
attachment, but its role in adult pair bonding has not been explored. Mu-opioid receptors in the
nucleus accumbens (NAcc) mediate the reinforcing properties of natural rewarding stimuli. The
NAcc plays a critical role in partner preference formation, the laboratory proxy for pair bonding.
We hypothesize that endogenous opioids play a role in partner preference formation in prairie
voles via activation of mu-opioid receptors in the NAcc. To test this hypothesis, we first
administered the opioid antagonist naltrexone (NTX; IP, 7.5 mg/kg) or saline to adult female
prairie voles during an 18-hour mating period with a male partner. Females received either three
NTX injections at 6-hour intervals, a single NTX injection followed by two saline injections, or
three saline injections. 8 out of 10 saline controls, 4 out of 8 single NTX injected and 0 of 8 triple
NTX injected females displayed a partner preference following co-habitation, suggesting that the
non-selective antagonist effectively blocks partner preference formation ( p < 0.01). Triple NTX
injected females displayed a significant preference for the stranger (p < 0.01), and both drugtreated
groups mated significantly less during the first 4 hours of cohabitation (p < 0.01). We
then explored the role of mu-opioid receptors in the NAcc more specifically by site-specific