Fig. 8
From: Comparative neurotranscriptomics reveal widespread species differences associated with bonding
Our results support the hypotheses that baseline species differences prior to mating allow for bond formation in prairie but not meadow voles, and that differential changes in gene expression in regions with roles in processing social context, social memory, and reward following mating support bond formation in prairie voles. We found many genes were differentially expressed across species prior to mating, and many differentially expressed genes across focal regions. Additional genes were differentially expressed across species over time following mating. Gene categories related to cell structure and extracellular space were enriched (red up arrows) in prairie voles relative to meadow voles prior to mating, and categories related to cell structure and neuronal development were enriched after mating. Gene categories related to ribosome & translation and mitochondria & metabolism were enriched in meadow voles (blue down arrows) relative to prairie voles both before and after mating