Talk abstracts
Talk on Tuesday 11:35-11:55am submitted by Erica Glasper
Sex differences in the neuroimmune response to mate loss: potential role of oxytocin signaling
Erica Glasper (Department of Neuroscience)
Abstract:
The loss of a significant other can result in diverse impairments in health. Our lab uses the monogamous California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) to determine if disrupting a mate bond will increase the neuroimmune response to a peripheral inflammatory stimulus. Additionally, we explore to what extent alterations in oxytocin (OXT) signaling system may underlie these effects. We observe sex differences in the physiological and neuroimmunological response to the dissolution of a mate bond. Further, we observe significant relationships between pro-inflammatory cytokines and the receptor for OXT that are exaggerated by loss.
Keywords: mate bond loss, oxytocin signaling