Behavioral neuroendocrinology has a rich history of using diverse model organisms to elucidate general principles and evolution of hormone-brain-behavior relationships. The oxytocin and vasopressin systems have been studied in many species, revealing their role in regulating social behaviors. Oxytocin and vasopressin receptors show remarkable species and individual differences in distribution in the brain that have been linked to diversity in social behaviors. New technologies allow for unprecedented interrogation of the genes and neural circuitry regulating behaviors, but these approaches often require transgenic models and are most often used in mice. Here we discuss seminal findings relating the oxytocin and vasopressin systems to social behavior with a focus on non-traditional animal models. We then evaluate the potential of using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to examine the roles of genes and enable circuit dissection, manipulation and activity monitoring of the oxytocin and vasopressin systems. We believe that it is essential to incorporate these genetic and circuit level techniques in comparative behavioral neuroendocrinology research to ensure that our field remains innovative and attractive for the next generation of investigators and funding agencies.

行为神经内分泌学在使用不同的模式生物来阐明激素-大脑-行为关系的一般原理和进化方面有着丰富的历史。催产素和加压素系统已在许多物种中得到研究，揭示了它们在调节社会行为中的作用。催产素和加压素受体在大脑中的分布显示出显着的物种和个体差异，这与社会行为的多样性有关。新技术允许对基因和神经回路调节行为进行前所未有的询问，但这些方法通常需要转基因模型，并且最常用于小鼠。在这里，我们讨论了催产素和加压素系统与社会行为相关的开创性发现，重点是非传统动物模型。然后，我们评估了使用 CRISPR/Cas9 基因组编辑来检查基因的作用并实现催产素和加压素系统的电路解剖、操作和活动监测的潜力。我们认为，将这些遗传和电路水平技术纳入比较行为神经内分泌学研究中至关重要，以确保我们的领域对下一代研究人员和资助机构保持创新和吸引力。