This animal is changing the way scientists think about autism research

A new study out of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, which observed the consoling behavior of prairie voles, has emphasized the importance of oxytocin in empathetic behavior and its potential role in autism research.

According to the university’s website, voles are currently the only small-brained animal known to exhibit any form of empathy. In voles, this empathy is expressed through consoling behaviors. When one vole is distressed, another vole will comfort them.

Voles are also known for their forming of lifelong, monogamous bonds and providing parental care of their young.

While examining the voles’ brains, it was found that observing another animal in distress caused the activation of the anterior cingulate cortex, which is a brain region activated when humans see another creature in pain. However, when researchers blocked oxytocin signaling in this region of the brain, the animals no longer exhibited empathetic consoling behavior.

The research suggests a link to oxytocin and social engagement, a link that might potentially provide new insight into understanding and treating individuals with ASD (autism spectrum disorder).

Additionally, oxytocin research might help scientists’ understanding and treating of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders in which detecting and responding to the emotions of others can be disrupted.

“Many complex human traits have their roots in fundamental brain processes that are shared among many other species,” says study co-author Larry Young.

“We have now the opportunity to explore in detail the neural mechanisms underlying empathetic responses in a laboratory rodent with clear implications for humans.”