Animal studies may offer insight into aspects of couple relationships.

Hypothalamic oxytocin mediates social buffering of the stress response

Long-life partners or sex friends? Impact of parental pair bond on offspring personality

Sexual experience restores age-related decline in adult neurogenesis and hippocampal function

Social facilitation of wound healing

Mother lowers glucocorticoid levels of preweaning rats after acute threat

Oxytocin Acts in Nucleus Accumbens to Attenuate Methamphetamine Seeking and Demand

Oxytocin inhibits ethanol consumption and ethanol-induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens

Why social attachment and oxytocin protect against addiction and stress: Insights from the dynamics between ventral and dorsal corticostriatal systems

Oxytocin modulates dopamine-mediated reward in the rat subthalamic nucleus

Oxytocin blocks enhanced motivation for alcohol in alcohol dependence and blocks alcohol effects on GABAergic transmission in the central amygdala

Scientists continue to do animal studies that expand our understanding of pairs. Check back here occasionally to see what is new.