Ontogeny of oxytocin and vasopressin receptor binding in the lateral septum in prairie and montane voles.

Adult prairie (Microtus ochrogaster) and montane voles (M. montanus) differ in the distribution of oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) receptor binding in the brain. The present study examined the ontogenetic pattern of these receptor bindings in the lateral septum in both species to determine whether adult differences in the receptor binding are derived from a common pattern in development. In both species, OT and AVP receptor binding in the lateral septum were detected neonatally, increased during development, and reached the adult level at weaning (third week). The progression of OT and AVP receptor differed, as OT receptor binding increased continually until weaning while AVP receptor binding did not change in the first week, increased rapidly in the second week, and was sustained thereafter. For both receptors, the binding increased more rapidly in montane than in prairie voles, resulting in species differences in receptor binding at weaning and in adulthood. Together, these data indicate that OT and AVP could affect the brain during development in a peptide- and species-specific manner in voles.