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Investigating the role of correlated neural activity in pair bonding using prairie voles

Award Number: F31MH130143
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/16/2022
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/15/2024

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Investigating the role of correlated neural activity in pair bonding using prairie voles - PROJECT SUMMARY Romantic bonds are a fundamental part of the human experience, positively contributing to our health and well-being by decreasing risk for physical and mental illness. A key feature of pair bonds - and social relationships more generally - is that they are highly reciprocal, evolving as a function of ongoing feedback from the other individual. Yet the interdependent nature of neural activity within pair bonding remains understudied, due in part to the dearth of laboratory-amenable mammals that form selective attachments with their mating partners. One promising metric for explaining aspects of interaction and its progression in dynamic social contexts is interbrain synchronization, or correlation, in which the neural dynamics of two individuals become more similar to each other as they interact. Interbrain correlation scales with relational variables; it is stronger in romantic partners than strangers during social interaction. I have found that interbrain correlation is also evident in prairie voles and that pair bonded voles show stronger correlations when interacting with their partner than with a stranger. In this proposal, I will leverage modern optical tools to detect and functionally manipulate interbrain correlation in prairie voles. In my first aim, I will perform within-animal comparisons to determine how interbrain correlation varies across discrete behaviors and as a function of pair bonding. I will use fiber-photometry to conduct simultaneous real-time calcium recordings in the medial prefrontal cortex of interacting animals, and use supervised and unsupervised machine learning to conduct thorough behavioral annotations of the interaction. Using a variety of analytical approaches, including generalized linear models, I will delineate the relationship between pair bonding, affiliative behavior and interbrain correlation. In my second aim, I will use synchronized real-time optogenetic stimulation in the mPFC to test whether induced interbrain correlation can facilitate pair bond formation. Together these results will characterize the occurrence of interbrain correlation during distinct behaviors and as a function of bond state and test the function of interbrain correlation in pair bond formation. Such work is instrumental for determining whether therapeutic approaches targeting interbrain correlation will be beneficial for treating disorders that impair social attachment like autism spectrum disorders.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$12,359 )
2025	2024	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO	3100 MARINE ST	BOULDER	CO	80303	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	9/26/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$12,359
														Subtotal = -$12,359

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $24,994 )
2024	2024	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO	3100 MARINE ST	BOULDER	CO	80309	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	3	7/5/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$640
2024	2024	THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO	3100 MARINE ST	BOULDER	CO	80309	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	3	4/16/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$24,354
														Subtotal = $24,994

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $40,201 )
2023	2023	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, THE	3100 MARINE ST STE 481 572 UCB	BOULDER	CO	80309	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	2	5/4/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$40,201
														Subtotal = $40,201

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $39,259 )
2022	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, THE	3100 MARINE ST STE 481 572 UCB	BOULDER	CO	80309	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	002	1	7/5/2022	NEW	$716
2022	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, THE	3100 MARINE ST STE 481 572 UCB	BOULDER	CO	80309	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	1	3/21/2022	NEW	$0
2022	2022	REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, THE	3100 MARINE ST STE 481 572 UCB	BOULDER	CO	80309	BOULDER	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	3/21/2022	NEW	$38,543
														Subtotal = $39,259

Grand Total All Awards = $92,095

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Investigating the role of correlated neural activity in pair bonding using prairie voles

Award Number: F31MH130143

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 05/16/2022

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 11/15/2024

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