TY - JOUR
T1 - Individual differences in social behavior and cortical vasopressin receptor
T2 - Genetics, epigenetics, and evolution
AU - Phelps, Steven M.
AU - Okhovat, Mariam
AU - Berrio, Alejandro
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Phelps, Okhovat and Berrio.
PY - 2017/10/4
Y1 - 2017/10/4
N2 - Social behavior is among the most complex and variable of traits. Despite its diversity, we know little about how genetic and developmental factors interact to shape natural variation in social behavior. This review surveys recent work on individual differences in the expression of the vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR), a major regulator of social behavior, in the neocortex of the socially monogamous prairie vole. V1aR exhibits profound variation in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), a region critical to spatial and contextual memory. RSC-V1aR abundance is associated with patterns of male space-use and sexual fidelity in the field: males with high RSC-V1aR show high spatial and sexual fidelity to partners, while low RSC-V1aR males are significantly more likely to mate outside the pair-bond. Individual differences in RSC-V1aR are predicted by a set of linked single nucleotide polymorphisms within the avpr1a locus. These alternative alleles have been actively maintained by selection, suggesting that the brain differences represent a balanced polymorphism. Lastly, the alleles occur within regulatory sequences, and result in differential sensitivity to environmental perturbation. Together the data provide insight into how genetic, epigenetic and evolutionary forces interact to shape the social brain.
AB - Social behavior is among the most complex and variable of traits. Despite its diversity, we know little about how genetic and developmental factors interact to shape natural variation in social behavior. This review surveys recent work on individual differences in the expression of the vasopressin 1a receptor (V1aR), a major regulator of social behavior, in the neocortex of the socially monogamous prairie vole. V1aR exhibits profound variation in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), a region critical to spatial and contextual memory. RSC-V1aR abundance is associated with patterns of male space-use and sexual fidelity in the field: males with high RSC-V1aR show high spatial and sexual fidelity to partners, while low RSC-V1aR males are significantly more likely to mate outside the pair-bond. Individual differences in RSC-V1aR are predicted by a set of linked single nucleotide polymorphisms within the avpr1a locus. These alternative alleles have been actively maintained by selection, suggesting that the brain differences represent a balanced polymorphism. Lastly, the alleles occur within regulatory sequences, and result in differential sensitivity to environmental perturbation. Together the data provide insight into how genetic, epigenetic and evolutionary forces interact to shape the social brain.
KW - Balancing selection
KW - Cognitive ecology
KW - Enhancer elements
KW - Microtus ochrogaster
KW - Monogamy
KW - Neuroendocrinology
KW - Single nucleotide polymorphism
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U2 - 10.3389/fnins.2017.00537
DO - 10.3389/fnins.2017.00537
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85030710058
SN - 1662-4548
VL - 11
JO - Frontiers in Neuroscience
JF - Frontiers in Neuroscience
IS - OCT
M1 - 537
ER -