Sex differences in pair bonding and parenting in monogamous titi monkeys

Coppery titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) are socially monogamous primates that form strong pair bonds in both the wild and in captivity, and in which males are the primary caregivers. While sexually monomorphic in appearance, they display ample differences in their behavioral, hormonal and neural responses during pair bonding and parenting. For instance, the neural correlates of mate-guarding or "jealousy" differ between males and females; while the substrates for parental care are remarkably similar. We will also present data from titi monkeys which received chronic intranasal oxytocin as peri-adolescents, in an attempt to model proposed human use. While male adolescents that received oxytocin were more socially interested in strangers, they also evidenced higher general anxiety-like behavior, delayed pubertal androgen rise, and better pair bonding as adults. In contrast, females that received oxytocin during adolescence had earlier, spurious ovulations; showed a greater preference for their parents as adolescents; but a blunted response to separation from the pair-mate as adults. Females had higher whole brain glucose uptake than males at both ages examined, and higher glucose uptake in the social salience network than males post-pairing. This work was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, grants HD071998, HD05355, HD092055, OD011107, and the Good Nature Institute. None