Pair bonding: is it all in the brain?

该项目旨在了解嗜睡蜥蜴的经典配对神经回路、寄生虫和免疫系统之间的相互作用。社会纽带是人类社会的基石，尤其是夫妻纽带，这个项目希望产生知识来帮助理解为什么健康的成人夫妻纽带是人类长寿的唯一最佳预测因素。该项目的预期结果是通过识别促进配对行为的大脑区域、细胞类型和神经化学物质来揭示配对结合的机制基础--这是首次在野生动物中进行的。这个项目应该会带来显著的好处，因为它增加了我们对结对关系如何促进健康的了解。

This project aims to understand the interaction between classic pair bonding neural circuits, parasites, and the immune system in sleepy lizards. Social bonds are a cornerstone of human societies, especially true of the pair bond and this project expects to generate knowledge to help understand why healthy adult pair bonds are the single best predictor of longevity in humans. The expected outcomes of this project are to reveal the mechanistic basis of pair bonding by identifying the brain regions, cell types and neurochemicals that promote pair bonding behaviour — for the first time in a wild animal. This project should provide significant benefits by increasing our knowledge of how pair bonds promote wellness.