A vasopressin antagonist can reverse dominant/subordinate behavior in hamsters

Golden hamsters communicate dominance status by flank marking, a behavior that is dependent upon vasopressin-sensitive neurons in the anterior hypothalamus-medial preoptic area (AH-MPOA). The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether arginine vasopressin (AVP) and an antagonist of AVP could alter or reverse dominant/subordinate relationships in pairs of hamsters. Microinjection of AVP into the AH-MPOA of subordinate hamsters dramatically increased their flank marking despite the presence of their dominant partners. Conversely, microinjection of the AVP antagonist into the AH-MPOA of dominant hamsters blocked flank marking in the presence of their subordinate partners. Surprisingly, the untreated subordinate hamsters significantly increased their own flank marking when tested with their dominant partners treated with the AVP antagonist, thereby reversing the pattern of flank marking normally seen in dominant/subordinate relationships. However, the effect of AVP and the AVP antagonist were limited to the day of treatment. When flank marking behavior was reversed in a pair of hamsters by treatments for three consecutive days, the pair immediately displayed the original dominant/subordinate behavior when treatment was stopped.