Scientific American:

Studies of prairie voles are providing surprising new insights into how social bonds form

By Steven Phelps, Zoe Donaldson, Dev Manoli

he prairie vole is a small Midwestern rodent known for shacking up and settling down, a tendency that is rare among mammals. Mated pairs form bonds, share a nest and raise young together. In the laboratory, a pair-bonded vole will work for access to its mate. Prairie voles even exhibit something like empathy for their partners, getting stressed when they are stressed, and consoling each other through touch. As the pandemic has brought into stark relief, such social connections are essential to human well-being as well. Researchers are turning to these unusual rodents to understand how relationships have a profound impact on health.

Leveraging biomedical advances of the past few decades, scientists have watched neurons in action. They have manipulated gene activity with exquisite precision, examining the functions of individual genes in specific brain regions. With the prairie vole as a subject, researchers are learning how bonds are forged, how early life shapes relationships and why we ache when they fall apart.

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