Annaliese Beery

Our lab studies the brain basis of social behavior, integrating ecological, evolutionary and neuroscience perspectives in this work. We are especially focused on the neurobiological mechanisms that support friendships — i.e., selective and platonic social relationships between peers — as well as the tendency to live in groups (sociality). For social species, the presence and quality of social relationships impacts physical and mental well-being, health, and even longevity.

Our primary laboratory research models are two species of voles that form selective peer relationships. Prairie voles form social bonds with their mate (social monogamy) and peers (friendship), allowing us to probe the shared and unique mechanisms of these relationship types. The tendency to form relationships is also impacted by life experience, from early exposures to adult experiences including stress, sickness, and social history. This facilitates examination of environmental factors impacting social behavior. Meadow voles provide a unique opportunity to study mechanisms supporting social behavior because they exhibit predictable transitions in grouping behavior within a single species in response to environmental cues. In the wild, meadow voles are seasonally social, transitioning from solitary/territorial in summer to social/group-living in winter. This behavioral transition can be induced in the laboratory by exposure to different day lengths, allowing us to explore the mechanisms that promote this transition to affiliation and group living.

Additional research topics in the lab include field studies of diverse rodents that differ in social behavior within or across species, sex bias in the use of female and male research subjects, and other avenues.