Neuroendocrinology of Social Behavior

Neuroendocrinology of social behavior.

Discovering the hormonal and neural mechanisms that promote affiliative social behavior is a high priority in behavioral neuroscience. Although studies with standard laboratory rodents have afforded many important insights, exciting advances are also occurring through comparative research with nonstandard species that vary in sociality or form socially monogamous pair bonds, work that is often ...

Editorial: Reproductive Neuroendocrinology and Social Behavior

Reproduction consists of various physiological events including fertilization, development of sexual characteristics, social behavior, maturation, and aging. Reproductive functions are ultimately regulated by the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a pivotal hypothalamic neuropeptide that regulates vertebrate reproduction (Schally et al., 1972). I...

Social Neuroendocrinology Pre - Conference

The neuroendocrinology of social isolation.

Social isolation has been recognized as a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality in humans for more than a quarter of a century. Although the focus of research has been on objective social roles and health behavior, the brain is the key organ for forming, monitoring, maintaining, repairing, and replacing salutary connections with others. Accordingly, population-based longitudinal researc...

The neuroendocrinology of primate maternal behavior.

In nonhuman primates and humans, similar to other mammals, hormones are not strictly necessary for the expression of maternal behavior, but nevertheless influence variation in maternal responsiveness and parental behavior both within and between individuals. A growing number of correlational and experimental studies have indicated that high circulating estrogen concentrations during pregnancy i...