Expression of bond‐related behaviors affects titi monkey responsiveness to oxytocin and vasopressin treatments

Abstract

Social bonds influence physiology and behavior, which can shape how individuals respond to physical and affective challenges. Coppery titi monkey ( Plecturocebus cupreus) offspring form selective bonds with their fathers, making them ideal for investigating how father–daughter bonds influence juveniles’ responses to oxytocin (OT) and arginine‐vasopressin (AVP) manipulations. We quantified the expression of father–daughter bond‐related behaviors in females ( n = 10) and gave acute intranasal treatments of saline, low/medium/high OT, low/high AVP, or an OT receptor antagonist (OTA) to subjects prior to a parent preference test. While females spent more time in proximity to their parents than strangers, we found a large degree of individual variation. Females with greater expression of bonding behaviors responded to OT treatments in a dose‐dependent manner. Subjects also spent less time in proximity to strangers when treated with High OT ( p = 0.003) and Low OT ( p = 0.007), but more time when treated with High AVP ( p = 0.007), Low AVP ( p = 0.009), and OTA ( p = 0.001). Findings from the present study suggest that variation in the expression of bond‐related behaviors may alter responsiveness to OT and AVP, increasing engagement with unfamiliar social others. This enhanced sociality with strangers may promote the formation of pair bonds with partners.