DeVries A C, DeVries M B, Taymans S E, Carter C S
Department of Zoology, University of Maryland, College Park, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Oct 15;93(21):11980-4. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.21.11980.
Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are monogamous rodents that form pair bonds characterized by a preference for a familiar social partner. In male prairie voles, exposure to either the stress of swimming or exogenous injections of corticosterone facilitate the development of a social preference for a female with which the male was paired after injection or swimming. Conversely, adrenalectomy inhibits partner preference formation in males and the behavioral effects of adrenalectomy are reversed by corticosterone replacement. In female prairie voles, swim stress interferes with the development of social preferences and corticosterone treatments inhibit the formation of partner preferences, while adrenalectomized females form preferences more quickly than adrenally intact controls. Because sex differences in both behavior and physiology are typically reduced in monogamous species, we initially predicted that male and female prairie voles would exhibit similar behavioral responses to corticosterone. However, our findings suggest an unanticipated sexual dimorphism in the physiological processes modulating social preferences. This dimorphic involvement of stress hormones in pair bonding provides a proximate mechanism for regulating social organization, while permitting males and females to adapt their reproductive strategies in response to environmental challenges.
草原田鼠（Microtus ochrogaster）是实行一夫一妻制的啮齿动物，它们会形成配偶关系，其特点是偏爱熟悉的社交伙伴。对于雄性草原田鼠而言，无论是遭受游泳应激还是接受外源性皮质酮注射，都会促使其对注射或游泳后与之配对的雌性产生社交偏好。相反，肾上腺切除术会抑制雄性形成配偶偏好，而皮质酮替代可逆转肾上腺切除术的行为效应。对于雌性草原田鼠，游泳应激会干扰社交偏好的形成，皮质酮处理会抑制配偶偏好的形成，而切除肾上腺的雌性比肾上腺完整的对照组更快形成偏好。由于一夫一妻制物种的行为和生理性别差异通常会减小，我们最初预测雄性和雌性草原田鼠对皮质酮会表现出相似的行为反应。然而，我们的研究结果表明，在调节社交偏好的生理过程中存在意想不到的性别二态性。应激激素在配偶关系中的这种二态性参与为调节社会组织提供了一种近因机制，同时允许雄性和雌性根据环境挑战调整其生殖策略。
