https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200511142200.htm

"In order to maintain relationships over time, there has to be some motivation to be with that person when you are away from them," said lead author Zoe Donaldson, an assistant professor of behavioral neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. "Ours is the first paper to pinpoint the potential neural basis for that motivation to reunite."

The paper marks the latest discovery in Donaldson's years-long study of prairie voles, one of only about 3% to 5% of mammalian species (including humans) that tend to mate for life. By observing the behavior and brain activity of the monogamous rodents, she seeks to better understand what brain regions -- down to the cellular level -- drive the instinct to form lasting bonds.