The neural circuits of monogamous behavior
- PMID: 36247729
- PMCID: PMC9559370
- DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.978344
The neural circuits of monogamous behavior
Abstract
The interest in studying the neural circuits related to mating behavior and mate choice in monogamous species lies in the parallels found between human social structure and sexual behavior and that of other mammals that exhibit social monogamy, potentially expanding our understanding of human neurobiology and its underlying mechanisms. Extensive research has suggested that social monogamy, as opposed to non-monogamy in mammals, is a consequence of the neural encoding of sociosensory information from the sexual partner with an increased reward value. Thus, the reinforced value of the mate outweighs the reward value of mating with any other potential sexual partners. This mechanism reinforces the social relationship of a breeding pair, commonly defined as a pair bond. In addition to accentuated prosocial behaviors toward the partner, other characteristic behaviors may appear, such as territorial and partner guarding, selective aggression toward unfamiliar conspecifics, and biparental care. Concomitantly, social buffering and distress upon partner separation are also observed. The following work intends to overview and compare known neural and functional circuits that are related to mating and sexual behavior in monogamous mammals. We will particularly discuss reports on Cricetid rodents of the Microtus and Peromyscus genus, and New World primates (NWP), such as the Callicebinae subfamily of the titi monkey and the marmoset (Callithrix spp.). In addition, we will mention the main factors that modulate the neural circuits related to social monogamy and how that modulation may reflect phenotypic differences, ultimately creating the widely observed diversity in social behavior.
Keywords: c-fos; functional connectivity; multimodal communication; neural plasticity; sexual signals; social monogamy.
Copyright © 2022 López-Gutiérrez, Mejía-Chávez, Alcauter and Portillo.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Figures
![FIGURE 1](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/9559370/bin/fncir-16-978344-g001.gif)
Similar articles
-
Monogamy in marine fishes.Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2004 May;79(2):351-75. doi: 10.1017/s1464793103006304. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2004. PMID: 15191228 Review.
-
Social Monogamy in Nonhuman Primates: Phylogeny, Phenotype, and Physiology.J Sex Res. 2018 May-Jun;55(4-5):410-434. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2017.1339774. Epub 2017 Jul 13. J Sex Res. 2018. PMID: 28704071 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Monogamy in mammals.Q Rev Biol. 1977 Mar;52(1):39-69. doi: 10.1086/409721. Q Rev Biol. 1977. PMID: 857268
-
"Monogamy" in Primates: Variability, Trends, and Synthesis: Introduction to special issue on Primate Monogamy.Am J Primatol. 2016 Mar;78(3):283-7. doi: 10.1002/ajp.22463. Epub 2015 Aug 28. Am J Primatol. 2016. PMID: 26317875 Free PMC article.
-
Neural mechanisms of mother-infant bonding and pair bonding: Similarities, differences, and broader implications.Horm Behav. 2016 Jan;77:98-112. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.015. Epub 2015 Jun 7. Horm Behav. 2016. PMID: 26062432 Free PMC article. Review.
References
-
- Ahern T. H., Young L. J. (2009). The impact of early life family structure on adult social attachment, alloparental behavior, and the neuropeptide systems regulating affiliative behaviors in the monogamous prairie vole (microtus ochrogaster). Front. Behav. Neurosci. 3:17. 10.3389/neuro.08.017.2009 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous