Selected Publications
Aging leads to sex-dependent effects on pair bonding and increased number of oxytocin-producing neurons in monogamous prairie voles.
Kelberman, Michael A., Winther, Kelly E., Medvedeva, Yana M., Donaldson, Z.R. (2024) Hormones and Behavior 166: 105647. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105647
Nucleus accumbens dopamine release reflects the selective nature of pair bonds.
Pierce, Anne F., Protter, David S.W., Watanabe, Yurika L., Chapel, Gabriel D., Cameron, Ryan T., Donaldson, Z.R. (2024) Current Biology 34:1-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.041
Prolonged partner separation erodes nucleus accumbens transcriptional signatures of pair bonding in male prairie voles.
Sadino, Julie M.; Bradeen, Xander G.; Kelly, Conor J .; Brusman, Liza E.; Walker, Deena M.; Donaldson, Z.R. (2023) eLife 12:e80517. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.80517.
PhAT: A Flexible Open-Source GUI-Driven Toolkit for Photometry Analysis.
Murphy, K. Z., Haile, E. D., McTigue, A. D., Pierce, A. F., & Donaldson, Z.R. (2023). PhAT: A flexible open-source GUI-driven toolkit for photometry analysis. Current Protocols, 3, e763. DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.763
Emergent intra-pair sex differences and organized behavior in pair bonded prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).
Brusman LE, Protter DSW, Fultz AC, Paulson MU, Chapel GD, Elges IO, Cameron RT, Beery AK, Donaldson ZR. Genes Brain Behav. 2022 Mar;21(3):e12786. DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12786.
Sex differences in the reward value of familiar mates in prairie voles.
Vahaba DM, Halstead ER, Donaldson ZR, Ahern TH, Beery AK. Genes Brain Behav. 2022 Mar;21(3):e12790. DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12790.
Wireless multilateral devices for optogenetic studies of individual and social behaviors.
Yang Y., M. Wu, A. Vázquez-Guardado, A.J. Wegener, J.G. Grajales-Reyes, Y. Deng, T. Wang, R. Avila, J.A. Moreno, S. Minkowicz, V. Dumronprechachan, J. Lee, S. Zhang, A.A. Legaria, Y. Ma, S. Mehta, D. Franklin, L. Hartman, W. Bai, M. Han, H. Zhao, W. Lu, Y. Yu, X. Sheng, A. Banks, X. Yu, Z.R. Donaldson, R.W. Gereau IV, C.H. Good, Z. Xie, Y. Huang, Y. Kozorovitskiy, J.A. Rogers. Nat Neurosci 24, 1035–1045 (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00849-x
A neuronal signature for monogamous reunion. Scribner JL, Vance EA. Protter DSW, Sheeran WM, Saslow E, Cameron RT, Klein EM, Jimenez JC, Kheirbek MA, Donaldson ZR. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2020 May 7: 201917287. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1917287117.
Blueprints for bonding? New genetic tools to parse the neural basis of pair bonding in prairie voles. Donaldson, Z.R., D. Manoli (2020) Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.08.038 (COMMENTARY)
Optogenetic reactivation of prefrontal social neural ensembles mimics social buffering of fear. Gutzeit VA, Ahuna K, Santos TL, Cunningham AM, Sadsad Rooney M, Muñoz Zamora A, Denny CA, Donaldson ZR. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2020 May; 45(6): 1068-1077. DOI: 10.1038/s41386-020-0631-1.
Oxytocin, Dopamine, and Opioid Interactions Underlying Pair Bonding: Highlighting a Potential Role for Microglia. Loth, M.K., Z.R. Donaldson. (2020) Endocrinology. 2020 Dec 23:bqaa223. DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa223. (REVIEW)
How prior pair-bonding experience affects future bonding behavior in monogamous prairie voles. Hormones and Behavior. Harbert, K.J. Δ, M. Pellegrini†, K.M. Gordon, Z.R. Donaldson. (2020). Sep 7:104847. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104847
Functional Interrogation of a Depression-Related Serotonergic Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, rs6295, Using a Humanized Mouse Model. Cunningham AM, Santos TL, Gutzeit VA, Hamilton H, Hen R, Donaldson ZR. ACS Chemical Neuroscience. 2019 Jul 17; 10(7): 3197-3206. DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00638.
Prairie voles as a model for understanding the genetic and epigenetic regulation of attachment behaviors. Sadino JS and Donaldson ZR. ACS Chemical Biology. 2018 March 7. DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00475.
Loss of MeCP2 in adult 5-HT neurons induces 5-HT1A autoreceptors, with opposite sex-dependent anxiety and depression phenotypes. Phillipe, T.J., F. Vahid-Ansari, Z.R. Donaldson, B. Le Francois, A. Zahria, V. Trucotte-Cardin, M. Daigle, J. James, R. Hen, Z. Merali, P.R. Albert. (2018) Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24167-8
Genomic tools for behavioural ecologists: when and how molecular tools can advance understanding of consistent individual behavioural differences. Bengston, S., R. Dahan, Z.R. Donaldson, K. van Oers, S. Phelps, A. Sih, and A. Bell. (2018) Nature Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0411-4 (REVIEW)
Animal models to improve our understanding and treatment of suicidal behavior. Gould TD, Georgiou P, Brenner LA, Brundin L, Can A, Courtet P, Donaldson ZR, Dwivedi Y, Guillaume S, Gottesman II, Kanekar S. Translational psychiatry. 2017 Apr;7(4):e1092. DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.50
The Neurobiology and Genetics of Affiliation and Social Bonding in Animal Models. Donaldson ZR, Young LJ. Animal Models of Behavior Genetics. 2016:102. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3777-6_4
The functional serotonin 1a receptor promoter polymorphism, rs6295, is associated with psychiatric illness and differences in transcription. Donaldson ZR, le Francois B, Santos TL, Almli LM, Boldrini M, Champagne FA, Arango V, Mann JJ, Stockmeier CA, Galfalvy H, Albert PR, Ressler KJ, Hen R. Transl Psychiatry. 2016 Mar 1;6e746. DOI: 10.1038/tp.2015.226.
From psychiatric disorders to animal models: a bidirectional and dimensional approach. Donaldson ZR, Hen R. Biological Psychiatry. 2015; 77(1):15-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.02.004
Developmental effects of serotonin 1A autoreceptors on anxiety and social behavior. Donaldson ZR, Piel DA, Santos TL, Richardson-Jones J, Leonardo ED, Beck SG, Champagne FA, Hen R. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2014; 39(2):291-302. DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.185
The relative contribution of proximal 5' flanking sequence and microsatellite variation on brain vasopressin 1a receptor (Avpr1a) gene expression and behavior. Donaldson ZR, Young LJ. PLoS genetics. 2013; 9(8):e1003729. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003729
Genetic approaches for understanding the role of serotonin receptors in mood and behavior. Donaldson ZR, Nautiyal KM, Ahmari SE, Hen R. Current opinion in neurobiology. 2013; 23(3):399-406. DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2013.01.011
A polymorphic indel containing the RS3 microsatellite in the 5' flanking region of the vasopressin V1a receptor gene is associated with chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) personality. Hopkins WD, Donaldson ZR, Young LJ. Genes, brain, and behavior. 2012; 11(5):552-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183X.2012.00799.x
Central vasopressin V1a receptor activation is independently necessary for both partner preference formation and expression in socially monogamous male prairie voles. Donaldson ZR, Spiegel L, Young LJ. Behavioral neuroscience. 2010; 124(1):159-63. DOI: 10.1037/a0018094
Production of germline transgenic prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) using lentiviral vectors. Donaldson ZR, Yang SH, Chan AW, Young LJ. Biology of reproduction. 2009; 81(6):1189-95. DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.109.077529
Oxytocin, vasopressin, and the neurogenetics of sociality. Donaldson ZR, Young LJ. Science (New York, N.Y.). 2008; 322(5903):900-4. DOI: 10.1126/science.1158668
* Commentary: Phelps, S.M. Gustison, S.M. (2020) The transient joys of others—neural ensembles encode social approach in bonded voles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences doi: 10.1073/pnas.2006307117