Previous studies have related pair bonding in Microtus ochrogaster, the prairie vole, with plastic changes in several brain regions. However, the interactions between these socially-relevant regions have yet to be described. In this study, we used resting state magnetic resonance imaging to explore bonding behaviors and functional connectivity of brain regions previously associated with pair bonding. Thirty-two male and female prairie voles were scanned at baseline, 24h and 2 weeks after the onset of cohabitation By using network based statistics, we identified that the functional connectivity of a cortico-striatal network predicted the onset of affiliative behavior, while another predicted the amount of social interaction during a partner preference test. Furthermore, a network with significant changes in time was revealed, also showing associations with the level of partner preference. Overall, our findings revealed the association between network-level functional connectivity changes and social bonding.

中文翻译：

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与一夫一妻制田鼠的社会联系相关的大脑功能网络

先前的研究已经将褐田鼠（草原田鼠）的配对关系与几个大脑区域的可塑性变化联系起来。然而，这些社会相关区域之间的相互作用仍有待描述。在这项研究中，我们使用静息态磁共振成像来探索先前与成对结合相关的大脑区域的结合行为和功能连接。对 32 只雄性和雌性草原田鼠在基线、同居开始后 24 小时和 2 周进行了扫描。通过使用基于网络的统计数据，我们发现皮质纹状体网络的功能连接预测了亲和行为的发生，而另一个预测伴侣偏好测试期间的社交互动量。此外，还揭示了一个随时间发生显着变化的网络，也显示出与合作伙伴偏好水平的关联。总体而言，我们的研究结果揭示了网络级功能连接变化与社会联系之间的关联。