Processed data and MATLAB code for social compatibility study in sleep-disrupted rodents

Social compatibility in opposite-sex prairie vole pairs is modulated by early-life sleep experience
Lezio S. Bueno-Junior 1*, Noah E. P. Milman 2,3, Carolyn E. Jones-Tinsley 2,3, Anjesh Ghimire 1, Peyton T. Wickham 2,3, Yujia Hu 4,5, Bing Ye 4, Miranda M. Lim 2,3, Brendon O. Watson 1*
1 Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
2 Portland VA Research Foundation, Portland, OR, USA
3 Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
4 Life Sciences Institute and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
5 Cleveland Clinic Research, Cleveland, OH, USA
*Correspondence: Lezio S. Bueno-Junior ([e-mail]), Brendon O. Watson ([e-mail])
Abstract
Studies of human social behavior indicate stronger social affinity in matched-neurotype dyads (e.g., two individuals with autism or two without) compared to mixed-neurotype dyads (e.g., one individual with autism paired with one without). Is this dyad matching phenomenon also quantifiable in non-human animals? Using deep learning tools, we analyzed dyadic male-female interactions in prairie voles, a socially monogamous rodent species. To simulate “neurotypes”, voles were exposed to either control conditions or early-life sleep disruption (ELSD) during a critical neurodevelopmental period (postnatal days 14-21), recapitulating the influence of developmental sleep quality on later-life social behavior. Analogous to human studies, voles showed signs of reduced social affinity in mixed dyads compared to matched dyads, including sex-specific changes in aggression and body orientation toward the conspecific. These findings advance our understanding of social affinity between potential partners, providing a framework for new studies in both animal models and humans.