Robert Reed explains genetic controls on butterfly wing colors.
New Research In
Physical Sciences
Featured Portals
Articles by Topic
Biological Sciences
Featured Portals
Articles by Topic
↵†H.W. and L.W. contributed equally to this work.
-
Edited by Solomon H. Snyder, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, and approved July 14, 2008 (received for review March 28, 2008)
Abstract
Pair-bonding has been suggested to be a critical factor in the evolutionary development of the social brain. The brain neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) exerts an important influence on pair-bonding behavior in voles. There is a strong association between a polymorphic repeat sequence in the 5′ flanking region of the gene (avpr1a) encoding one of the AVP receptor subtypes (V1aR), and proneness for monogamous behavior in males of this species. It is not yet known whether similar mechanisms are important also for human pair-bonding. Here, we report an association between one of the human AVPR1A repeat polymorphisms (RS3) and traits reflecting pair-bonding behavior in men, including partner bonding, perceived marital problems, and marital status, and show that the RS3 genotype of the males also affects marital quality as perceived by their spouses. These results suggest an association between a single gene and pair-bonding behavior in humans, and indicate that the well characterized influence of AVP on pair-bonding in voles may be of relevance also for humans.
Footnotes
- ‡To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hasse.walum{at}ki.se
-
Author contributions: H.W., L.W., S.H., J.M.N., D.R., J.M.G., E.L.S., N.L.P., E.E., and P.L. designed research; W.I. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; H.W. analyzed data; and H.W. and L.W. wrote the paper.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.
- © 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA
Genetic variation in the vasopressin receptor 1a gene (AVPR1A) associates with pair-bonding behavior in humans
More Articles of This Classification
Related Content
Cited by...
- A neurochemical hypothesis for the origin of hominids
- Stabilizing selection on microsatellite allele length at arginine vasopressin 1a receptor and oxytocin receptor loci
- Variation in the {beta}-endorphin, oxytocin, and dopamine receptor genes is associated with different dimensions of human sociality
- Balancing selection maintains polymorphisms at neurogenetic loci in field experiments
- Evolving the neuroendocrine physiology of human and primate cooperation and collective action
- Stay or stray? Evidence for alternative mating strategy phenotypes in both men and women
- Adding 'epi-' to behaviour genetics: implications for animal domestication
- Introduction of the human AVPR1A gene substantially alters brain receptor expression patterns and enhances aspects of social behavior in transgenic mice
- Drinking alcohol has sex-dependent effects on pair bond formation in prairie voles
- Genetic predisposition of behavioral response
- Common polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) is associated with human social recognition skills
- Sexual dimorphism and human enhancement
- Human maternal behaviour is associated with arginine vasopressin receptor 1A gene
- Female extrapair mating behavior can evolve via indirect selection on males
- Oxytocin-Induced Analgesia and Scratching Are Mediated by the Vasopressin-1A Receptor in the Mouse
- Reexamining Human Origins in Light of Ardipithecus ramidus
- Pharmacogenomics of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Ligands in Cardiovascular Medicine
- Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and the Neurogenetics of Sociality
- Men Are Like Voles: Vasopressin and Bonding
Similar Articles
You May Also be Interested in
Better understanding how the truffles reproduce has major implications for farmers, chefs, and foodies enamored with the expensive, pungent fungus.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock/Vitalina Rybakova.
PNAS QnAs with NAS foreign associate and metabolic engineer Sang Yup Lee
Researchers report a species of early bird with a combination of bird-like and dinosaur-like bone morphologies, and the structure of the bird’s shoulder girdle highlights the role of developmental plasticity in the early evolution of birds, according to the authors.
A study suggests that the herbicide glyphosate disrupts bee gut microbiota, increasing bees’ susceptibility to pathogens, and that glyphosate’s effects may contribute to the largely unexplained increase in honey bee colony mortality.
Image courtesy of Vivian Abagiu (The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX).
