Oxytocin receptor absence reduces selectivity in peer relationships and alters neurochemical release dynamics in prairie voles

Abstract/SummaryFriendships, or selective peer relationships, are a vital component of healthy social functioning in humans, while deficits in these relationships are associated with negative physical and mental health consequences. Like humans, prairie voles are among the few mammalian species that form selective social bonds with both peers and mates, making them an excellent model for the mechanistic investigation of selective social attachment. Here, we explored the role of oxytocin receptors in selective peer attachment using prairie voles lacking a functional oxytocin receptor gene (Oxtr1-/-). We found that Oxtr1-/- animals exhibited significant delays in peer relationship formation compared to wildtype animals. Oxytocin receptor function also contributed to the maintenance of peer bonds, as Oxtr1-/- voles displayed reduced relationship stability and lost selective attachments rapidly in a multi-chamber, group-living habitat. Oxtr1-/- voles also showed deficits in both general social reward as well as selective social reward for a peer partner over an unfamiliar conspecific. Evoked oxytocin release in the nucleus accumbens was reduced in Oxtr1-/- animals compared to their wildtype counterparts, indicating that these voles do not have a compensatory increase in oxytocinergic signaling. Together, these data indicate that oxytocin receptors influence the formation, persistence, and reward value of peer relationships.