**3.1. OXT and female animal affiliation**

OXT mediates the establishment and support of social bonds in several female mammalian species. Central injection of OXT specifically facilitates pair bonding in female prairie voles, similar to the role of AVP in males [3, 29, 30]. Studies of OXT receptor distributions in voles have identified expression patterns linked to species patterns of social organization, which support the manipulative studies [5, 11]. It has been postulated that the role of OXT in female rodent affiliation may be related to its effects on maternal behavior [31]. In primates, affiliation has been correlated with urinary OXT levels, including a relationship between the solicitation of sex and increased OXT levels [9].
