Unlike most mammalian species, the prairie vole is highly affiliative, forms enduring social
bonds between mates and displays biparental behavior. Over two decades of research on …

Social behavior is often described as a unified concept, but highly social (group-living)
species exhibit distinct social structures and may make different social decisions. Prairie …

Early social attachments lie at the heart of emotional and social development in many
mammals, including humans. In nature, monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) …

Relationships between adult peers are central to the structure of social groups. In some
species, selective preferences for specific peers provide a foundation for consistent group …

Highlights•Social monogamy has evolved independently in distant species.•Pair bonding
has been investigated most rigorously in prairie voles.•Pair bonding is regulated by …

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has garnered interest recently as a powerful
model for the future of neuroscience research. Much of this excitement has centered on the …

Social relationships are essential for many fundamental aspects of life while bond disruption
can be detrimental to mental and physical health. Male prairie voles form enduring social …

Pair bond formation has been investigated much less than many other social behaviors,
perhaps in part because traditional laboratory mice and rats do not exhibit this behavior …

Arginine vasopressin and its V1a receptor subtype (V1aR) are critical for pair bond formation
between adult prairie voles. However, it is unclear which brain circuits are involved in this …

The formation of enduring relationships between adult mates (ie, pair bonds) is an integral
aspect of human social behavior and has been implicated in both physical and …