Loss of oxytocin receptor function disrupts neural signatures of pair bonding and fidelity in the nucleus accumbens

The formation of enduring relationships dramatically influences future behavior, promoting affiliation between familiar individuals. The neural mechanisms of how such attachments are encoded to elicit and reinforce specific social behaviors in distinct ethological contexts remain understudied. Signaling via the oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) facilitates social reward as...