Loss of a loved one is a painful event that substantially elevates the risk for physical and mental illness and impaired daily function. Socially monogamous prairie voles are laboratory-amenable rodents that form life-long pair bonds and exhibit distress upon partner separation, mirroring phenotypes seen in humans. These attributes make voles an excellent model for studying the biology of loss. In this review, we highlight parallels between humans and prairie voles, focusing on reward system engagement during pair bonding and loss. As yearning is a unique feature that differentiates loss from other negative mental states, we posit a model in which the homeostatic reward mechanisms that help to maintain bonds are disrupted upon loss, resulting in yearning and other negative impacts. Finally, we synthesize studies in humans and voles that delineate the remodeling of reward systems during loss adaptation. The stalling of these processes likely contributes to prolonged grief disorder, a diagnosis recently added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Psychiatry.

中文翻译：

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草原田鼠作为失去亲密伙伴后适应性奖励重塑的模型


失去亲人是一件痛苦的事情，会大大增加身体和精神疾病以及日常功能受损的风险。实行一夫一妻制的草原田鼠是适合实验室的啮齿动物，它们形成终生的配对关系，并在伴侣分离时表现出痛苦，这与人类的表型相似。这些属性使田鼠成为研究损失生物学的绝佳模型。在这篇综述中，我们强调了人类和草原田鼠之间的相似之处，重点关注配对和失去过程中奖励系统的参与。由于渴望是区分损失和其他负面心理状态的独特特征，我们提出了一个模型，其中有助于维持联系的稳态奖励机制在损失时被破坏，导致渴望和其他负面影响。最后，我们综合了对人类和田鼠的研究，描述了损失适应过程中奖励系统的重塑。这些过程的停滞可能会导致长期悲伤障碍，这一诊断最近被添加到《精神病学诊断和统计手册》中。