(1) Neurobiology of social attachment in a model system of monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). (2) Social and drug reward interactions and underlying mechanisms in prairie voles. (3) Environmental and hormonal regulation of adult neurogenesis in voles.
Publications
Selected Publications
Liu Y, Young KA, Curtis TC, Aragona B, and Wang ZX (2011) Social bonding decreases the rewarding properties of amphetamine through a dopamine D1 receptor mediated mechanism. J. Neurosci., 31:7960-7966.
Young KA, Liu Y, Gobrogge KL, Dietz DM, Wang H, Kabbaj M, Wang ZX (2011) Amphetamine alters behavior and mesocorticolimbic dopamine receptor expression in the monogamous female prairie vole. Brain Res. 1367: 213-222.
Young KA, Gobrogge KL, Liu Y, Wang ZX (2011) The neurobiology of pair bonding: insights from a socially monogamous rodent. Front Neuroendocrinol. 32: 53-69.
Liu Y, Aragona BJ, Young KA, Dietz DM, Kabbaj M, Mazei-Robison M, Nestler EJ, and Wang ZX (2010) Nucleus accumbens dopamine mediates amphetamine-induced impairment of social bonding in a monogamous rodent species. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 107: 1217-1222. [pdf]
Gobrogge KL, Liu Y, Young LJ and Wang ZX (2009) Anterior hypothalamic vasopressin regulates pair-bonding and drug-induced aggression in a monogamous rodent. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 106(45):19144-9. [pdf]
Pan YL, Liu Y, Young KA, Zhang ZB, and Wang ZX (2009) Post-weaning social isolation alters anxiety-related behavior and neurochemical gene expression in the brain of male prairie voles. Neurosci. Lett., 454(1): 67-71, 2009. [pdf]
Gobrogge KL, Liu Y, and Wang ZX (2008) Dopamine regulation of pair bonding in the monogamous prairie voles. In: Neurobiology of the Parental Brain. Robert Bridges (Ed). Elsevier Inc. 347-360.
Fowler CF, Liu Y, and Wang ZX (2008) Estrogen and adult neurogenesis in the amygdala and hypothalamus. Brain Res. Rev., 57:342-351. [pdf]
Young KL, Liu Y, and Wang ZX (2008) Neurobiology of social attachment: a comparative approach to behavioral, neuroanatomical, and neurochemical studies. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., Part C 148:401-410.
Gobrogge KL, Liu Y, Jia X and Wang ZX (2007) Anterior hypothalamic neural activation and neurochemical association with aggression in pair bonded male prairie voles. J. Comp. Neurol., 502:1109-1122. [pdf]
Lim MM, Liu Y, Ryabinin AE, Wang ZX, and Young LJ (2007) CRF receptors in the nucleus accumbens modulate partner preference in prairie voles. Horm. Behav., 51:508-515. [pdf]
Curtis JT, Liu Y, BJ Aragona and ZX Wang (2007) Neural regulation of social behavior in rodents. In Rodent Societies: An Ecological and Evolutionary Perspective. Wolff J and Sherman P (Eds.). The University of Chicago Press. 185-194.
Liu Y, Jia X, and Wang ZX (2007) Neurochemical basis of pair bonding. In: Advances in Animal Ecology. Wang DH (Ed.). Higher Education Press, Beijing, China. 95-103.
Aragona BJ, Liu Y, Yu J, Curtis TJ, Detwiler J, Insel TR and Wang ZX (2006) Nucleus accumbens dopamine differentially mediates formation and maintenance of monogamous pair bonds. Nature Neurosci., 9:133-139. [pdf]
Curtis JT, Liu Y, Aragona, BJ, and Wang ZX (2006) Dopamine and monogamy. Brain Res., 1126:76-90. [pdf]
Stowe, JR, Liu Y, JT Curtis, ME Freeman, and ZX Wang (2005) Species differences in anxiety-related responses in male prairie and meadow voles: the effects of social isolation. Physiology and Behavior 86: 369-378. [pdf]
Aragona, BJ, JT Curtis, Liu Y, and ZX Wang (2004) Neural regulation of pair bond formation in a monogamous rodent species. Acta Theriolica Sinica 24: 160-172.
Liu Y and ZX Wang (2003) Nucleus accumbens dopamine and oxytocin interact to regulate pair bond formation in female prairie voles. Neuroscience 121: 537-544. [pdf]
Aragona, BJ, Liu Y, JT Curtis, FK Stephan, and ZX Wang (2003) A critical role for nucleus accumbens dopamine in partner preference formation of male prairie voles. J. Neurosci., 23:3483-3490. [pdf]
Fowler, CD, Liu Y, C Ouimet and ZX Wang (2002) Social environment affects adult neurogenesis in the female prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). J. Neurobiol. 51: 115-128. [pdf]
Liu Y, JT Curtis and ZX Wang (2001) Vasopressin in the lateral septum regulates pair bond formation of male prairie voles. Behav. Neurosci. 115: 910-919. [pdf]
Liu Y, CD Fowler, LJ Young, Q Yan, TR Insel and ZX Wang (2001) Expression and estrogen regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene and protein in the forebrain of female prairie voles. J. Comp. Neurol. 433: 499-514. [pdf]
Liu Y, CD Fowler, ZX Wang (2001) Ontogeny of brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene expression in the forebrain of prairie and montane voles. Dev. Brain Res. 127: 51-61. [pdf]
Liu Y, JT Curtis, CD Fowler, C Spencer, T Houpt and ZX Wang (2001) Differential regulation of vasopressin, oxytocin, and corticotrophin-releasing factor gene expression in the paraventricular nucleus following stress in male and female prairie voles. J. Neuroendocrinol. 13: 1059-1065. [pdf]
Curtis, JT, Liu Y and ZX Wang. (2001) Lesions of the vomeronasal organ disrupt mating-induced pair bonding in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Brain Res. 901:167-174. [pdf]
Gingrich, B, Liu Y, C Cascio, ZX Wang and TR Insel (2000) Dopamine D2 receptors in the nucleus accumbens are important for social attachment in female prairie voles. Behav. Neurosci. 114: 173-183. [pdf]
Wang, ZX, Liu Y, LJ Young and TR Insel (2000) Hypothalamic vasopressin gene increases in both males and females postpartum in a biparental rodent. J. Neuroendocrinol. 12: 111-121. [pdf]
Wang, ZX, G Yu, C Cascio, Liu Y, B Gingrich and TR Insel (1999) Dopamine D2 receptor-mediated regulation of partner preferences in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster): a mechanism for pair bonding. Behav. Neurosci. 113(3): 602-611. [pdf]
