In other words, researchers can make prairie voles fall in love—or whatever the vole equivalent of this is—with an injection.
Humans are not prairie voles. We are not guinea pigs or mice. We're humans.
They argue that prairie voles become addicted to each other through a process of sexual imprinting mediated by odour.
The prairie vole is one such animal.
What if you went to a business convention and then, like an artificially stimulated prairie vole, bonded with the nearest stranger?
Because the prairie vole has the needed receptors in its brain for these hormones in the regions responsible for reward and reinforcement, it forms a bond with its mate.
Conversely, if prairie voles are given an injection of the hormones, but prevented from having sex, they will still form a preference for their chosen partner.
By altering the small animal's brain hormone chemistry, scientists have made a promiscuous meadow vole faithful - just like its prairie vole cousin.
Sure enough, when a female prairie vole mates, there is a50% increase in the level of dopamine in the reward centre of her brain.
Scientists can increase the expression of the relevant receptors in prairie voles, and thus strengthen the animals' ability to attach to partners.
The prairie vole is a sociable creature, one of the only 3% of mammal species that appear to form monogamous relationships.
In an experiment, male prairie voles were given a drug that suppresses the effect of vasopressin.
It is an important controller of the kidney and its role in long-term relationships was discovered when scientists looked at the prairie vole.
Their study was conducted in the prairie vole, a small rodent that mates for life.
They couldn’t guess what was in the potion, but then, they didn’t have the benefit of Dr. Young’s research with prairie voles at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University.
But, in contrast to the prairie vole, at no time do rats learn to associate sex with a particular female.
“We are literally addicted to love, ” Dr Young observes. Like the prairie voles.
Humans are not prairie voles. We are not guinea pigs or mice.
國文精選館
