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/).

雄性和雌性之间的长期配对（选择性隶属关系）在哺乳动物中很少见，但在鸟类中是一种非常常见的生殖安排。选择性隶属关系始于发育早期的父母和家庭，并在个体成年后转向异性伴侣。该项目使用一种常见的实验室物种——斑胸草雀，形成终身密切的合作伴侣关系，研究这种选择性附属行为的发展及其神经和激素机制。本研究的目的是验证脑非肽精氨酸缩血管催产素（AVT，抗利尿激素的鸟类同源物）在斑胸草雀发育的两个关键时期(1)离开巢穴之前的生命早期和2)从幼鸟到成年鸟的过渡时期)在组织亲和行为中起重要作用的假设。本研究旨在通过使用一种先进的技术来测量大脑中同一神经元中激素受体基因的表达和神经活动，从而建立神经系统变化和附属行为变化之间的因果关系。这项研究将为鸟类的选择性隶属机制提供新的信息，然后可以将其与社会一夫一妻制哺乳动物的机制进行比较。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密切关系的理解。这项研究项目将有助于培训将在实验室工作的本科生，包括妇女和人数不足的少数民族。此外，这项工作的结果将迅速发表在广泛研究人员访问的期刊上，并在国家会议上提出。调查结果将通过网站和面向女中学生的推广项目向公众公布。所有数字形式的记录和数据将在康奈尔大学存档，使用科罗拉多大学图书馆的存档服务（包括eCommons）或研究数据管理服务小组（http://data.research.cornell.edu/）领导下正在开发的其他服务。