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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.09.24.678442

Neurotype matching in monogamous rodents is modulated by early-life sleep experience

Bueno-Junior, L. S.·Milman, N. E. P.·Jones-Tinsley, C. E.·Ghimire, A.·Wickham, P. T.·Hu, Y.·Ye, B.·Lim, M. M.·Watson, B. O.
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Abstract

Studies of human sociability 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 neurotype matching phenomenon also quantifiable in non-human animals? Using deep learning tools, we analyzed dyadic male-female interactions in prairie voles, a highly social 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 two features of human autism: developmental sleep disruption and later-life atypical sociability. 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, providing a framework for new studies in both animal models and humans.

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Bueno-Junior, L. S., Milman, N. E. P., Jones-Tinsley, C. E., Ghimire, A., Wickham, P. T., Hu, Y., Ye, B., Lim, M. M., Watson, B. O.. 2025-09-25. Neurotype matching in monogamous rodents is modulated by early-life sleep experience. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.24.678442

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