Social Interaction and Brain Connections in Female Voles
Research on prairie voles has shown that social interaction can alter brain structure, particularly in areas linked to reward and bonding. Even brief contact with a male can increase neuron connections in female voles.
A study found that social experience and cohabitation with a mate promotes spinogenesis in the nucleus accumbens of adult female prairie voles. This suggests that social interaction plays a crucial role in the formation of pair bonds.
Social interaction boosts brain connections linked to bonding in female voles.
- Social experience and social cohabitation with mating promote spinogenesis in the nucleus accumbens of adult female prairie voles
- The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives
- A gender-specific mechanism for pair bonding: oxytocin and partner preference formation in monogamous voles (Journal: Behavioral neuroscience, Issue: Vol 109, Issue 4, Aug 1995)
Author summary: Social interaction alters brain structure in female voles.