Abstract
Studying dopamine signaling in nonmodel organisms is crucial for understanding the broad range of behaviors not represented in traditional model systems. However, exploring new species is often hindered by a scarcity of tools suitable for nongenetic models. In this work, we introduce near-infrared catecholamine nanosensors (nIRCats) to investigate dopamine dynamics in meadow voles, a rodent species that exhibits distinct changes in social behavior and neurobiology across photoperiods. We observe increased dopamine release and release site density in voles housed in short photoperiods (which induce a social phenotype), suggesting adaptations linked to environmental changes. Moreover, pharmacological and extracellular manipulations demonstrate that short photoperiod/social voles exhibit heightened responsiveness to dopamine-increasing interventions and resilience against suppressive conditions. These findings highlight a significant association between dopamine signaling and photoperiod-driven changes in social behavior and establish nIRCats as an effective tool for expanding our understanding of dopamine dynamics across nonmodel organisms.