Stanford Psychiatry’s Nirao Shah Awarded Grant to Research Neural Mechanisms of Social Attachment

We are pleased to announce that Stanford Psychiatry’s Nirao Shah, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, of Neurobiology and, by courtesy, of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has received a research grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. The project, titled “A genetic strategy to identify neural circuits that regulate social attachment in prairie voles,” focuses in on the exploring the neurobiological mechanisms that control the formation and maintenance of social attachment.

We form attachments at many levels of social interactions, including with spouses, family members, friends, and other members of the community – however, the neurobiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. This is, in part, because traditional genetic model systems such as mice, fish, flies, and worms do not exhibit social attachment as adults, preventing the use of powerful molecular genetic approaches to exploring mechanisms underlying this behavior.

Prairie voles are small rodents that form an enduring social bond (referred to as pair bonds) between adults, and they also display other related affiliative behaviors. To understand how the brain encodes pair bonding, the study team will use a genetic approach to gain an entry-point into the neural circuits underlying this behavior.

“Social attachments are important for our success and well-being, and disrupted attachments are often observed in mental illnesses,” says Dr. Shah. “Because prairie voles form social attachments, they are considered the premier mammalian model for these complex interactions. In this project, we aim to develop new technologies to understand how the vole brain regulates these behaviors. Findings from our project will propel the field in new directions, enable new studies, and they may eventually inform therapeutic or diagnostic strategies to heal ruptured social attachments in mental health disorders.”

Dr. Shah leads the Shah Laboratory, where his research has identified ways nature and nurture affect social behaviors. His research has implications for the understanding of behavioral manifestations of autism, dementia, mood disorders, and PTSD. Recent publications from the Shah Lab include “Hypothalamic neurons that mirror aggression” in Cell and “Oxytocin receptor is not required for social attachment in prairie voles” in Neuron.
 

More Details

This grant was awarded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Read more details about the study at NIH RePORTER.