Fig. 1
From: Comparative neurotranscriptomics reveal widespread species differences associated with bonding
Experiment overview. a Pair of prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) huddling (Photo credit: Aubrey M. Kelly) b A single adult meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) (Photo credit: Beery Lab) c Drawing of vole brain. Regions of interest for this study are highlighted, including the amygdala (AMY, blue), hypothalamus (HT, green), and ventral pallidum and nucleus accumbens (VP/NAc, purple). d Above: Experiment Timeline. Virgin animals (time 0) were collected prior to mating. Mated animals were collected at either 0.5, 2, or 12 h after first intromission. Below: Timeline of prairie vole bond formation. Unfamiliar opposite sex conspecifics will mate shortly after introduction. Bonds become detectable at 6 h after onset of mating and strengthen up to 24 h after mating onset [3, 4]