DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Developmental mechanisms organizing affiliative behavior and pair bonding

论文研究：组织亲和行为和配对关系的发展机制

• 批准号: 1310908
• 负责人: Elizabeth Adkins-Regan
• 金额: $ 2.03万
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-07-01 至 2015-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1310908&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Developmental; mechanisms; organizing

Long-term pairing (selective affiliation) between males and females is rare in mammals, but is a very common reproductive arrangement in birds. Selective affiliation begins with parents and family early in development and switches to the opposite-sex pair partner as the individual reaches adulthood. Using a common laboratory species that forms lifelong close cooperative pair relationships, the zebra finch, this project investigates the development of such selective affiliative behavior and its neural and hormonal mechanisms. The goal of the research is to test the hypothesis that the brain nonapeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT, avian homolog of vasopressin) plays an important role in the organization of affiliative behavior at two critical periods in development in the zebra finch: 1) early in life prior to leaving the nest and 2) during the transition from juvenile to adult life. This research aims to establish a causal link between changes in the nervous system and changes in affiliative behavior by using an advanced technique that measures the expression of a hormone receptor gene and neural activity in the same neurons in the brain. The research will provide new information on the mechanisms of selective affiliation in birds, which can then be compared to the mechanisms operating in socially monogamous mammals. Thus, this study has the potential to increase understanding of how brains and hormones produce close relationships in all animals, including humans. This research project will contribute to the training of undergraduates, including women and underrepresented minorities, who will be working in the laboratory. Additionally, the results from this work will be promptly published in journals accessed by a broad audience of researchers and presented at national meetings. The results will be disseminated to the public through a website and outreach programs for middle school girls.All recordings and data in digital form will be archived at Cornell University using the archiving services of the CU Library (including eCommons) or other services that are currently under development under the leadership of the Research Data Management Service Group (http://data.research.cornell.edu/).

在哺乳动物中，男性和女性之间的长期配对（选择性隶属关系）很少见，但在鸟类中是非常普遍的生殖排列。选择性隶属关系始于父母和家人的发展，并在个人成年后转向异性伴侣。该项目使用Zebra Finch的终生密切合作对关系的常见实验室物种，研究了这种选择性的亲属行为及其神经和激素机制的发展。该研究的目的是检验以下假设：脑非肽精氨酸血管蛋白（AVT，加压素的鸟类同源物）在Zebra Finch的两个关键时期在Zebra Finch的两个关键时期的组织中起着重要作用：1）在离开巢前和2）中从巢前和2次过渡到成年成年寿命。这项研究旨在通过使用高级技术来建立神经系统变化与联盟行为变化之间的因果关系，该技术测量了大脑中同一神经元中激素受体基因的表达和神经活动的表达。该研究将提供有关鸟类选择性隶属关系机制的新信息，然后将其与社会一夫一妻制哺乳动物中的机制进行比较。因此，这项研究有可能增加对大脑和激素如何在包括人类在内的所有动物中产生紧密关系的理解。该研究项目将有助于对将在实验室工作的妇女和代表性不足的少数群体的培训。此外，这项工作的结果将迅速发表在众多研究人员访问的期刊上，并在国家会议上介绍。结果将通过中学女孩的网站和外展计划将结果传播给公众。康奈尔大学将使用CU库（包括Ecommons）或目前正在开发在研究数据管理服务集团（HTTP://data.research.cornell.edu/）领导下开发的其他服务的档案中的所有录音和数据。