Previous studies have related pair bonding in Microtus ochrogaster, the prairie vole, with plastic changes in several brain regions. However, their socially-relevant interactions have yet to be described. In this study, we used resting-state magnetic resonance imaging to explore longitudinal changes in the functional connectivity of brain regions associated with pair bonding. Male and female prairie voles were scanned at baseline, after 24 hours and two weeks of cohabitation with mating. Network-based statistics revealed a common network with significant longitudinal changes including prefrontal and cortical regions, the hippocampus, the anterior olfactory nucleus, the lateral septum, the paraventricular nucleus, and the ventral tegmental area. Furthermore, baseline functional connectivity of three sub-networks predicted the onset of affiliative behavior, and a relationship was found between partner preference with long-term changes in the functional connectivity between the medial amygdala and ventral pallidum. Overall, our findings revealed the association between network-level changes and social bonding.

中文翻译：

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一夫一妻制田鼠的大脑功能连接调节社会联系

以前的研究与Micro田鼠相关的成对键合，草原田鼠，在几个大脑区域都有塑性变化。但是，它们与社会相关的互动尚未描述。在这项研究中，我们使用静止状态磁共振成像来探索与配对结合相关的大脑区域功能连接的纵向变化。在同伴交配的24小时和两周后，在基线扫描雄性和雌性大田鼠。基于网络的统计数据显示，一个常见的网络具有明显的纵向变化，包括前额叶和皮层区域，海马，嗅嗅前核，外侧隔，室旁核和腹侧被盖区域。此外，三个子网的基准功能连通性可预测联盟行为的发生，并且发现伴侣的偏好与内侧杏仁核和腹侧苍白球之间的功能连通性的长期变化之间存在关系。总体而言，我们的发现揭示了网络级变化与社会联系之间的关联。