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García-Fernández L, Chavira DR, Hoffman K, González-Mariscal G. Effects of intrauterine position during gestation on specific endocrine and behavioral parameters that impact reproduction in domestic rabbits. Horm Behav 2024; 160:105503. [PMID: 38342021 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
Prior studies from others, performed in a different breed, reported that doe rabbits developing between two male siblings (2 M) during gestation display characteristics indicative of masculinization: larger anogenital distance (AGD), larger submandibular glands, and higher chinning frequency than females with zero (0 M) or one (1 M) contiguous brothers. Similar effects are provoked by injecting androgens to the pregnant doe suggesting that prenatal androgen exposure masculinizes female embryos. To further understand the scope of such masculinization we compared 0 M, 1 M, and 2 M females regarding behavioral, neuroendocrine, and somatic parameters, related or not to reproduction. IUP did not impact: body weight, sexual receptivity, mating-induced LH secretion, maternal nest-building, litter size, or milk output. At puberty: a) chinning frequency was: 0 M and males>1 M and 2 M; b) ambulation in open field was lowest in 1 M females and males. IUP effects on AGD were significant only on postnatal day 1: 0 M, 1 M, and males>2 M, in contrast to earlier study. Willingness to nurse at delivery was less frequent in 2 M than in 1 M and 0 M does and correlated with nursing occurrence across lactation. Does that did not nurse at parturition delivered fewer kits/min than those that nursed then, regardless of IUP. The duration of nursing bouts across lactation was significantly longer in the1 M and 2 M does that showed this behavior on postpartum days 1-20. Our findings indicate that IUP is associated with alterations in specific aspects of postpartum maternal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizet García-Fernández
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - David R Chavira
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán", Mexico
| | - Kurt Hoffman
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico
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Oliveira ACF, Bernardi LM, Monteiro ALB, Silva KG, Weber SH, Borges TD, Dalmau A, Costa LB. Induced Stress and Tactile Stimulation Applied to Primiparous does and their Consequences on Maternal Behavior, Human-Animal Relationships, and Future Offspring's Sexual Disorders. Vet Res Commun 2022; 46:925-938. [PMID: 35353323 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-022-09920-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate whether tactile stimulation in rabbits during the gestation phase improve the maternal behavior and human-animal relationships as well as the effects on reproductive behavior of male kits when reached maturity compared to induced stress. A total of 33 primiparous New Zealand does were selected after pregnancy confirmation and allocated in a randomized complete block design. The treatments applied were as follows: (C) animals not stimulated during the experimental period; (TS) animals that received tactile stimulation; and (SS) does which were immobilized. The nest building behavior as well as the weight, sexual behavior, mortality, and semen analysis of the offspring was recorded. In addition, the novel object, flight distance, social isolation, and human-approach tests were conducted. Under the conditions of the present trial, TS animals showed more trust in the unfamiliar observer when compared to the other two treatments. The treatments applied to the females (TS and SS) were sufficient to confirm that the control group presented better values for the number of stillbirths and the proportion of deaths in the first week. Finally, the handling of does reduce the males' ejaculation and sperm presence but not inhibited sexual behavior or impaired semen quality. It is possible to conclude that TS did not impair does welfare or maternal behavior and it improved the human-animal relationship, however there was a negative impact on the litter. More studies that directly assess impact on the future reproductive capacity of the offspring are necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela C F Oliveira
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Luiza M Bernardi
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Ana Larissa B Monteiro
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Kassy G Silva
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Saulo H Weber
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Tâmara D Borges
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Antoni Dalmau
- Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries - IRTA, Monells, Spain
| | - Leandro B Costa
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
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González-Mariscal G, Hoy S, Hoffman KL. Rabbit Maternal Behavior: A Perspective from Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Animal Production, and Psychobiology. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 27:131-176. [PMID: 36169815 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97762-7_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Rabbit maternal behavior (MB) impacts meat and fur production on the farm, survival of the species in the wild, and pet welfare. Specific characteristics of rabbit MB (i.e., three-step nest building process; single, brief, daily nursing bout) have been used as models for exploring particular themes in neuroscience, like obsessive-compulsive actions, circadian rhythms, and cognition. Particular hormonal combinations regulate nest building by acting on brain regions controlling MB in other mammals. Nonhormonal factors like type of lodging and the doe's social rank influence nursing and milk production. The concurrency of pregnancy and lactation, the display of nonselective nursing, and the rapid growth of altricial young - despite a minimal effort of maternal care - have prompted the study of mother-young affiliation, neurodevelopment, and weaning. Neurohormonal mechanisms, common to other mammals, plus additional strategies (perhaps unique to rabbits) allow the efficient, adaptive display of MB in multiple settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela González-Mariscal
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.
| | - Steffen Hoy
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Kurt L Hoffman
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
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Mota-Rojas D, Orihuela A, Strappini A, Villanueva-García D, Napolitano F, Mora-Medina P, Barrios-García HB, Herrera Y, Lavalle E, Martínez-Burnes J. Consumption of Maternal Placenta in Humans and Nonhuman Mammals: Beneficial and Adverse Effects. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E2398. [PMID: 33333890 PMCID: PMC7765311 DOI: 10.3390/ani10122398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Placentophagia is a common mammalian behavior, and the first scientific study of the potential effects of human maternal placentophagia on lactation was in 1917. More recently, in the 1970s, human placentophagia was reported in North America with a trend toward increased consumption. There are different hypotheses about the women and nonhuman mammals' motivation towards placentophagia, but few have been subject to hypotheses testing. In women, the controversy continues; on the one hand, researchers attribute benefits like increased breast milk, weight gain in newborns, decreased postpartum depression and fatigue, and improved mothers' mood. In contrast, bacterial or viral infections, hormonal, or trace elements that could become toxic for both the mother and baby are reported as possible health risks. Other reports argue a lack of scientific rigor to support the self-reported benefits of placentophagia. Also, the way the placenta is prepared (raw, cooked, dehydrated, processed, or encapsulated) alters its components, and thus the desired effects. This review provides relevant information and the different hypotheses and points of view around placentophagia. However, there are still questions to be resolved, and more studies are needed to confirm or reject the data generated so far about placentophagia in humans and nonhuman mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Mota-Rojas
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), 04960 Mexico City, Mexico; (D.M.-R.); (Y.H.); (E.L.)
| | - Agustín Orihuela
- Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, 62209 Morelos, Mexico;
| | - Ana Strappini
- Animal Science Institute, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Universidad Austral de Chile, 5110566 Valdivia, Chile;
| | - Dina Villanueva-García
- Division of Neonatology, National Institute of Health Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, 06720 Mexico City, Mexico;
| | - Fabio Napolitano
- Scuola di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università degli Studi della Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy;
| | - Patricia Mora-Medina
- Livestock Science Department, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), 54714 Mexico City, Mexico;
| | - Hugo B. Barrios-García
- Graduate and Research Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Ciudad Victoria, 87000 Tamaulipas, Mexico;
| | - Yuridia Herrera
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), 04960 Mexico City, Mexico; (D.M.-R.); (Y.H.); (E.L.)
| | - Eunice Lavalle
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), 04960 Mexico City, Mexico; (D.M.-R.); (Y.H.); (E.L.)
| | - Julio Martínez-Burnes
- Graduate and Research Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Ciudad Victoria, 87000 Tamaulipas, Mexico;
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Perea-Rodriguez JP, de Jong TR, Kung E, Horrell ND, Saltzman W. Consequences of placentophagia by adult virgin male California mice (Peromyscus californicus). Behav Processes 2019; 166:103889. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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González-Mariscal G, Melo AI. Bidirectional Effects of Mother-Young Contact on the Maternal and Neonatal Brains. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 1015:97-116. [PMID: 29080023 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-62817-2_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive plasticity occurs intensely during the early postnatal period through processes like proliferation, migration, differentiation, synaptogenesis, myelination and apoptosis. Exposure to particular stimuli during this critical period has long-lasting effects on cognition, stress reactivity and behavior. Maternal care is the main source of social, sensory and chemical stimulation to the young and is, therefore, critical to "fine-tune" the offspring's neural development. Mothers providing a low quantity or quality of stimulation produce offspring that will exhibit reduced cognitive performance, impaired social affiliation and increased agonistic behaviors. Transgenerational transmission of such traits occurs epigenetically, i.e., through mechanisms like DNA methylation and post-translational modification of nucleosomal histones, processes that silence or increase gene expression without affecting the DNA sequence. Reciprocally, providing maternal care profoundly affects the behavior, learning, memory and fine neuroanatomy of the adult female. Such effects are in many cases permanent and sometimes they involve the hormones of pregnancy and lactation. The above evidence supports the idea that the mother-young dyad exerts profound and permanent effects on the brains of both adult and developing organisms, respectively. Effects on the latter can be explained by the neural developmental processes taking place during the early postnatal period. In contrast, little is known about the mechanisms mediating the plasticity of the adult maternal brain. The bidirectional effects that mother and young exert on each other's brains exemplify a remarkable plasticity of this organ for organizing itself and provide an immense source of variability for adaptation and evolution in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela González-Mariscal
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Apdo Postal 62, Tlaxcala, Tlax, 90000, Mexico.
| | - Angel I Melo
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Apdo Postal 62, Tlaxcala, Tlax, 90000, Mexico
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Murakami G. Distinct Effects of Estrogen on Mouse Maternal Behavior: The Contribution of Estrogen Synthesis in the Brain. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150728. [PMID: 27007402 PMCID: PMC4805179 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogen surge following progesterone withdrawal at parturition plays an important role in initiating maternal behavior in various rodent species. Systemic estrogen treatment shortens the latency to onset of maternal behavior in nulliparous female rats that have not experienced parturition. In contrast, nulliparous laboratory mice show rapid onset of maternal behavior without estrogen treatment, and the role of estrogen still remains unclear. Here the effect of systemic estrogen treatment (for 2 h, 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days) after progesterone withdrawal was examined on maternal behavior of C57BL/6 mice. This estrogen regimen led to different effects on nursing, pup retrieval, and nest building behaviors. Latency to nursing was shortened by estrogen treatment within 2 h. Moreover, pup retrieval and nest building were decreased. mRNA expression was also investigated for estrogen receptor α (ERα) and for genes involved in regulating maternal behavior, specifically, the oxytocin receptor (OTR) and vasopressin receptor in the medial amygdala (MeA) and medial preoptic area (MPOA). Estrogen treatment led to decreased ERα mRNA in both regions. Although OTR mRNA was increased in the MeA, OTR and vasopressin receptor mRNA were reduced in the MPOA, showing region-dependent transcription regulation. To determine the mechanisms for the actions of estrogen treatment, the contribution of estrogen synthesis in the brain was examined. Blockade of estrogen synthesis in the brain by systemic letrozole treatment in ovariectomized mice interfered with pup retrieval and nest building but not nursing behavior, indicating different contributions of estrogen synthesis to maternal behavior. Furthermore, letrozole treatment led to an increase in ERα mRNA in the MeA but not in the MPOA, suggesting that involvement of estrogen synthesis is brain region dependent. Altogether, these results suggest that region-dependent estrogen synthesis leads to differential transcriptional activation due to exogenous estrogen treatment, and thereby results in different effects on maternal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gen Murakami
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, Box 275, New York, New York, 10065, United States of America
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, 431–3192, Japan
- Department of Regenerative and Infectious Pathology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, 431–3192, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Feldman R. The neurobiology of mammalian parenting and the biosocial context of human caregiving. Horm Behav 2016; 77:3-17. [PMID: 26453928 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2015] [Revised: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Research on the neurobiology of attachment, pioneered by scholars in the generation that followed the discovery of social bonding, examined the biological basis of mammalian parenting through systematic experiments in animal models and their application to theories on human attachment. This paper argues for the need to construct a theory on the neurobiology of human attachment that integrates findings in animal models with human neuroscience research to formulate concepts based on experimental, not only extrapolative data. Rosenblatt's (2003) three characteristics of mammalian parenting - rapid formation of attachment, behavioral synchrony, and mother-offspring attachment as basis of social organization - are used to guide discussion on mammalian-general versus human-specific attributes of parental care. These highlight specific components of attachment in rodents, primates, and humans that chart the evolution from promiscuous, nest-bound, olfactory-based bonds to exclusive, multi-sensory, and representation-based attachments. Following, three continua are outlined in parental behavior, hormones, and brain, each detailing the evolution from rodents to humans. Parental behavior is defined as a process of trophallaxis - the reciprocal multisensory exchange that supports approach orientation and enables collaboration in social species - and includes human-specific features that enable behavioral synchrony independent of tactile contact. The oxytocin system incorporates conserved and human-specific components and is marked by pulsatile activity and dendritic release that reorganize neural networks on the basis of species-specific attachment experiences. Finally, the subcortical limbic circuit underpinning mammalian mothering extends in humans to include multiple cortical networks implicated in empathy, mentalizing, and emotion regulation that enable flexible, goal-directed caregiving. I conclude by presenting a philosophical continuum from Hobbes to Lorenz, which illustrates how research on the neurobiology of attachment can put in the forefront the social-collaborative elements in human nature and afford a new perspective on the mind-brain polarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Feldman
- Department of Psychology and the Gonda Brain Sciences Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel.
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González-Mariscal G, Caba M, Martínez-Gómez M, Bautista A, Hudson R. Mothers and offspring: The rabbit as a model system in the study of mammalian maternal behavior and sibling interactions. Horm Behav 2016; 77:30-41. [PMID: 26062431 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Jay Rosenblatt effectively promoted research on rabbit maternal behavior through his interaction with colleagues in Mexico. Here we review the activities of pregnant and lactating rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), their neuro-hormonal regulation, and the synchronization of behavior between mother and kits. Changing concentrations of estradiol, progesterone, and prolactin throughout gestation regulate nest-building (digging, straw-carrying, fur-pulling) and prime the mother's brain to respond to the newborn. Nursing is the only mother-young contact throughout lactation. It happens once/day, inside the nest, with ca. 24h periodicity, and lasts around 3min. Periodicity and duration of nursing depend on a threshold of suckling as procedures reducing the amount of nipple stimulation interfere with the temporal aspects of nursing, though not with the doe's maternal motivation. Synchronization between mother and kits, critical for nursing, relies on: a) the production of pheromonal cues which guide the young to the mother's nipples for suckling; b) an endogenous circadian rhythm of anticipatory activity in the young, present since birth. Milk intake entrains the kits' locomotor behavior, corticosterone secretion, and the activity of several brain structures. Sibling interactions within the huddle, largely determined by body mass at birth, are important for: a) maintaining body temperature; b) ensuring normal neuromotor and social development. Suckling maintains nursing behavior past the period of abundant milk production but abrupt and efficient weaning occurs in concurrently pregnant-lactating does by unknown factors. CONCLUSION female rabbits have evolved a reproductive strategy largely dissociating maternal care from maternal presence, whose multifactorial regulation warrants future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- G González-Mariscal
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico.
| | - M Caba
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - M Martínez-Gómez
- Centro Tlaxcala Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico; Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - A Bautista
- Centro Tlaxcala Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - R Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
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Neuroanatomical distribution of oxytocin receptor binding in the female rabbit forebrain: Variations across the reproductive cycle. Brain Res 2015; 1629:329-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2015] [Revised: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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11
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Fedosov EV, Ambaryan AV, Mal’tsev AN, Karaman NK, Kotenkova EV. Influence of the mother on the behavior of young rabbits during the prepubertal period. BIOL BULL+ 2015. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359015060035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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12
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Marraccini ME, Gorman KS. Exploring Placentophagy in Humans: Problems and Recommendations. J Midwifery Womens Health 2015; 60:371-9. [DOI: 10.1111/jmwh.12309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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13
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Corona R, Lévy F. Chemical olfactory signals and parenthood in mammals. Horm Behav 2015; 68:77-90. [PMID: 25038290 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2014] [Revised: 06/25/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Chemosignals and Reproduction". In mammalian species, odor cues emitted by the newborn are essential to establish maternal behavior at parturition and coordinate early mother-infant interactions. Offspring odors become potent attractive stimuli at parturition promoting the contact with the young to ensure that normal maternal care develops. In some species odors provide a basis for individual recognition of the offspring and highly specialized neural mechanisms for learning the infant signals have evolved. Both the main and the accessory olfactory systems are involved in the onset of maternal care, but only the former contributes to individual odor discrimination of the young. Electrophysiological and neurochemical changes occur in the main olfactory bulb leading to a coding of the olfactory signature of the familiar young. Olfactory neurogenesis could also contribute to motherhood and associated learning. Parturition and interactions with the young influence neurogenesis and some evidence indicates a functional link between olfactory neurogenesis and maternal behavior. Although a simple compound has been found which regulates anogenital licking in the rat, studies identifying the chemical nature of these odors are lacking. Neonatal body odors seem to be particularly salient to human mothers who are able to identify their infant's odors. Recent studies have revealed some neural processing of these cues confirming the importance of mother-young chemical communication in our own species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebeca Corona
- INRA, UMR 85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, F-37380 Nouzilly, France; CNRS, UMR 7247, F-37380 Nouzilly, France; Université François Rabelais, F-37041 Tours, France; Haras Nationaux, F-37380 Nouzilly, France
| | - Frédéric Lévy
- INRA, UMR 85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, F-37380 Nouzilly, France; CNRS, UMR 7247, F-37380 Nouzilly, France; Université François Rabelais, F-37041 Tours, France; Haras Nationaux, F-37380 Nouzilly, France.
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15
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Perea-Rodriguez JP, Saltzman W. Differences in placentophagia in relation to reproductive status in the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus). Dev Psychobiol 2013; 56:812-20. [PMID: 24114333 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2012] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Parturient females ingest placenta in most mammalian species, whereas fathers may do so in species in which both parents provide care for their offspring. To determine if the propensity to eat placenta varies with reproductive status in the biparental California mouse, we presented placenta to virgin (housed with a same-sex pairmate), expectant (pregnant with their first litter), and multiparous adult males and females. Liver was presented identically, 3-7 days later, as a control. Multiparous females were more likely to eat placenta than expectant and virgin females (p-values <0.016), whereas both multiparous and expectant males had higher incidences of placentophagia than virgins (p-values <0.016). Liver consumption did not differ among groups within either sex. These results suggest that propensity to eat placenta increases with maternal/birthing experience in females, and with paternal experience and/or cohabitation with a pregnant female in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan P Perea-Rodriguez
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, 3386 Spieth Hall, Riverside, CA, 92521
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González-Mariscal G, Lemus AC, Vega-Gonzalez A, Aguilar-Roblero R. Litter Size Determines Circadian Periodicity of Nursing in Rabbits. Chronobiol Int 2013; 30:711-8. [DOI: 10.3109/07420528.2013.784769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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17
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Rommers JM, Kemp B, Houwers H, Gunnink H, De Jong IC. Description of nestbox visits and suckling events in a group housing system for rabbit does as compared to individual cages. WORLD RABBIT SCIENCE 2012. [DOI: 10.4995/wrs.2012.1231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Young SM, Benyshek DC, Lienard P. The Conspicuous Absence of Placenta Consumption in Human Postpartum Females: The Fire Hypothesis. Ecol Food Nutr 2012; 51:198-217. [DOI: 10.1080/03670244.2012.661349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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D'Cunha TM, King SJ, Fleming AS, Lévy F. Oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell are involved in the consolidation of maternal memory in postpartum rats. Horm Behav 2011; 59:14-21. [PMID: 20932839 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2010] [Revised: 09/24/2010] [Accepted: 09/26/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Female rats with maternal experience display a shorter onset of maternal responsiveness compared to those with no prior experience. This phenomenon called 'maternal memory' is critically dependent on the nucleus accumbens (NA) shell. We hypothesized that activation of OT receptors in the NA shell facilitates maternal memory. In Experiment 1, postpartum female rats given 1 hour of maternal experience were infused following the experience with either a high or low dose of an OT antagonist into the NA shell and tested for maternal behavior after a 10-day pup isolation period. Females receiving a high dose of the antagonist showed a significantly longer latency to exhibit full maternal behavior after the pup isolation period compared to females that received vehicle or a high dose of antagonist in a control region. In Experiment 2, postpartum female rats were infused with either a high or low dose of OT into the NA shell after a 15-minute maternal experience and tested for maternal behavior after a 10-day pup isolation period. There were no significant differences between the females infused with OT and females treated with a vehicle infused into the NA shell or with OT infused into the control region. One possible reason for a lack of facilitation is a floor effect, since females in the control groups displayed a rapid maternal response after the pup isolation period. These findings suggest that OT receptors, likely in combination with other neurotransmitters, in the NA shell play a role in the consolidation of maternal memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M D'Cunha
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6
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González-Redondo P. . Maternal behaviour in peripartum influences preweaning kit mortality in cage-bred wild rabbits. WORLD RABBIT SCIENCE 2010. [DOI: 10.4995/wrs.2010.18.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
This study describes and models maternal nest-building and parturition behaviour in cage-bred wild rabbits (oryctolagus cuniculus), and its influence on the kits pre-weaning mortality. In a total of 91 litters, perinatal mortality was 33%; mortality during the nursing period was 16.05%, and therefore the accumulated mortality up to weaning was 43.94%. These mortality rates, higher than those described in the literature among domestic breeds, were linked to failures in maternal behaviour. Such failures included the non-introduction of straw into the nest box (41.8% of births), a lack of hair lining in the nest (28.6%), births in which one or all of the kits were born outside the nest box (18.7%), and births in which one or all of the kits were cannibalised by the doe (13.2%). Maternal behaviour in relation to the kits viability was modelled by performing multiple correspondence and cluster analyses with two dimensions and a 67.2% total inertia. The fi rst dimension (inertia: 0.400) was represented by the presence of hair in the nest box; the place where the kits were born (inside or outside the nest box), and the does previous experience (primiparous or multiparous), while the total number of kits born represents the second dimension (inertia: 0.272). Three maternal behaviour types were identified: types 1 and 3 representing births in which the failure of maternal behaviour at kindling led to high kit mortality. Maternal behaviour type 1 corresponds to primiparous does of parity orders 1 and 2 with a high number of total kits born and of stillborn kits. Type 3 births were characterised by all of the kits died during peripartum, with a high incidence of cannibalism. Type 2 included births of experienced does showing successful development of maternal behaviour, as well as high kits survival rates during the peripartum and nursing periods. Although wild rabbits are subject to the same modulating factors in the development of the maternal repertoire as domestic does, showed a lower preweaning viability due to the failure to display maternal behaviour during peripartum.<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
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Manal A, Tony M, Ezzo O. Feed restriction of pregnant nulliparous rabbit does: consequences on reproductive performance and maternal behaviour. Anim Reprod Sci 2010; 120:179-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2010.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2010] [Revised: 03/18/2010] [Accepted: 03/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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González-Mariscal G, McNitt JI, Lukefahr SD. Maternal care of rabbits in the lab and on the farm: endocrine regulation of behavior and productivity. Horm Behav 2007; 52:86-91. [PMID: 17490665 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2007] [Revised: 03/29/2007] [Accepted: 03/30/2007] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Maternal behavior in rabbits has been well described in the wild, the laboratory, and the farm. Salient characteristics include: (a) the construction of a nest (inside an underground burrow or a box), composed of straw/grass and body hair and (b) the display of a single, brief (ca. 3 min) nursing bout per day. The onset and decline of nest-building in mid and late pregnancy are controlled by specific combinations of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and prolactin. Following parturition (kindling) does can mate and become pregnant again. Management strategies have been used on the farm to enhance productivity, impinging on specific reproductive processes (e.g., use of hormones to synchronize estrus, artificial insemination at kindling, doe-litter separation on specific days of lactation to increase sexual receptivity and fertility). Knowledge about the rabbit's reproductive physiology and behavior will be enriched by integrating research coming from the laboratory (where estrus, pregnant-only, or lactating-only animals are the main categories investigated) with studies performed on the farm or research station (where pregnant-lactating rabbits are prevalent). Similarly, the high productivity demands of modern rabbit farms will benefit from the information obtained in the laboratory where specific issues in reproductive neuroendocrinology are explored with methodologies that are not amenable for farm use.
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Affiliation(s)
- G González-Mariscal
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Mexico.
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24
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Abstract
This essay provides an account of the development of Jay S. Rosenblatt's approach and contributions to the study of maternal behavior and the mother-young relationship, focusing on the role in that development of his life as painter, analyst, and scientist. It is personal perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison S Fleming
- Department of Pyschology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
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25
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Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW)on a request from the Commission related to “The Impact of the current housing and husbandry systems on the health and welfare of farmed domestic rabbits.”. EFSA J 2005. [DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2005.267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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26
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Meurisse M, Gonzalez A, Delsol G, Caba M, Lévy F, Poindron P. Estradiol receptor-alpha expression in hypothalamic and limbic regions of ewes is influenced by physiological state and maternal experience. Horm Behav 2005; 48:34-43. [PMID: 15919383 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2004] [Revised: 02/09/2005] [Accepted: 02/10/2005] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The influence of estrus, pregnancy, parturition, and maternal experience on the expression of estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) was investigated in hypothalamic and limbic regions of the sheep brain, using immunocytochemistry. Four days before parturition, previous maternal experience was associated with a higher density of ERalpha-labeled neurons in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei, the medial preoptic area, and the medial amygdala, but not in the mediobasal hypothalamus. Furthermore, an interaction was found between physiological state and experience in the peripartum period as the effect of experience existing 4 days prepartum was not found at parturition, when densities were lowest both in primiparous and in multiparous ewes. An additional effect of physiological state was also observed between parturition and estrus, densities being significantly lower at parturition than at estrus in the SON, PVN, and MPOA, but not in the medial amygdala. These results indicate that in sheep ERalpha expression is influenced by previous physiological and/or maternal experience at specific times of the reproductive cycle. They are also congruent with the higher ability of multiparous than nulliparous ewes to show maternal behavior several days prepartum.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Meurisse
- UMR 6175 INRA-CNRS-Université de Tours-Haras Nationaux, PRC, INRA 37380 Nouzilly, France
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27
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Lévy F, Keller M, Poindron P. Olfactory regulation of maternal behavior in mammals. Horm Behav 2004; 46:284-302. [PMID: 15325229 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2004.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2003] [Revised: 02/06/2004] [Accepted: 02/10/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, olfactory cues are extensively used in many aspects of maternal care to ensure the coordination of mother-infant interactions and consequently the normal development of the offspring. Outside the period of parturition and lactation, when the young are not a behavioral priority, olfactory cues play an inhibitory role on maternal responsiveness since in most mammalian species studied so far, nonpregnant females find the odor of young aversive. On the contrary at the time of parturition, a shift in the hedonic value of infantile odors occurs so that the young now become a very potent stimulus and this sensorial processing constitutes an important part of the maternal motivational system. Moreover, infants' odors provide a basis for individual recognition by their mothers and some species (ungulates) have developed highly specialized mechanisms for processing of the infant signals. Perception of the smell of the young also regulates various aspects of maternal behavior. Dodecyl propionate, a compound released by of pup's preputial glands, has been shown to influence anogenital licking behavior, a fundamental pattern of maternal behavior in rodents. While there is no functional specificity of either the main or the accessory olfactory systems in the development of maternal behavior amongst species, it appears that only the main olfactory system is implicated when individual odor discrimination of the young is required. Neural structures, such as the main olfactory bulb, undergo profound changes when exposed to offspring odors at parturition. These changes in synaptic circuitry contribute both to maternal responsiveness to these odors, to their memorization, and to effects of long-term maternal experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Lévy
- Equipe Comportement, Station PRC, UMR 6175 INRA/CNRS/Université de Tours/Haras Nationaux, 37380, Nouzilly, France.
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Caba M, Rovirosa MJ, Silver R. Suckling and genital stroking induces Fos expression in hypothalamic oxytocinergic neurons of rabbit pups. BRAIN RESEARCH. DEVELOPMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH 2003; 143:119-28. [PMID: 12855183 DOI: 10.1016/s0165-3806(03)00064-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Maternal behaviour in the rabbit is unusual among mammals because the doe visits her litter to nurse once every 24 h. In the present study we examined the consequences of milk intake on oxytocinergic (OT) and vasopressinergic (AVP) neurons of the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei of 7-day-old pups before suckling, after suckling and following anogenital stroking in un-nursed pups. To determine neuronal activation we assessed the expression of the Fos protein combined with antibodies against OT and AVP at two levels in the SON (supraoptic rostral, SOr, and supraoptic retrochiasmatic, SOrch), and three levels in the PVN (anterior, PVab; medial PVm and caudal, PVc). Daily nursing bouts lasted only 228+/-6 s throughout the observed 7 days, and pups ingested up to 34.95+/-9.0% of their body weight in milk on day 7, the day of perfusion. Suckling induced a significant increase in the number of double-labeled Fos/OT cells in both subdivisions of the SON (P<0.01) and in PVab and PVm (P<0.01). The effect in the SON was related to suckling, as it was not seen in stroked, un-nursed pups, which showed Fos increases only in PVab and PVm. All regions in the SON and PVN showed significant increases in the number of Fos/AVP neurons after suckling or stroking but, contrary to OT, the number of double-labeled Fos/AVP cells was very low. In conclusion, our results show that the oxytocinergic system of the SON and PVN is differentially activated by suckling of milk and anogenital stroking, and that the vagal-hypothalamic axis is mature in 7-day-old rabbits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Caba
- Lab. Biologi;a de la Reproducción, IIB, Universidad Veracruzana, A.P. 114, Xalapa, Ver. 91,000, Mexico.
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Melo AI, González-Mariscal G. Placentophagia in rabbits: incidence across the reproductive cycle. Dev Psychobiol 2003; 43:37-43. [PMID: 12794777 DOI: 10.1002/dev.10118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Rabbits show placentophagia at parturition, but the regulation of this behavior and its incidence across the reproductive cycle are unknown. By testing estrous, midpregnant, prepartum (day 1), and postpartum (days 1 and 5) food-deprived rabbits with liver and placenta, we found an absence or infrequency (<%) of placentophagia in the former three groups, an invariable occurrence at parturition, and a persistence into postpartum days 1 and 5 (50 and 48%, respectively). Most placentophagic females also ate liver on postpartum day 1, but not on postpartum day 5. In different food-deprived rabbits, tested every 2 hr with placenta and food pellets, placentophagia incidence was 20% at 8 hr prepartum, 100% at parturition, and 67 and 21% at 8 and 24 hr postpartum, respectively. Most placentophagic rabbits also ate food pellets in postpartum (but not in prepartum) tests. Results suggest that somatosensory, hormonal, or both factors of the peripartum period regulate placentophagia expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel I Melo
- Centro de Investigación en, Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-UAT, Apdo. Postal 62, Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala 90000, México
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Abstract
Rabbit maternal behavior consists of building an underground nest of straw and body hair during late pregnancy and displaying, with circadian periodicity, a single 3-min nursing bout/day across lactation. Estrogen, androgen, progesterone, and prolactin regulate specific aspects of nest-building and promote the onset of maternal responsiveness. However, the maintenance of this behavior relies on stimuli from the litter: by preventing mother/young contact at parturition or during early lactation maternal responsiveness is altered or abolished. The brain areas controlling the expression of nest-building and nursing were investigated by implanting estradiol, locating the distribution of estrogen and prolactin receptors, quantifying the expression of immediate-early genes, and lesioning structures of the olfactory system. These studies revealed that: (a) estrogen receptor-alpha, alpha, present in the preoptic region, may mediate the stimulation of nest-building by estradiol; (b) prolactin binding sites, located mainly in periventricular structures, are more abundant in late pregnancy and early lactation; (c) the number of FOS-immunoreactive neurons increases in the lateral septum, but not in the mediobasal hypothalamus, following nursing; (d) the accessory olfactory bulb tonically inhibits the expression of maternal behavior because its removal promotes maternal responsiveness in virgins, which are otherwise unresponsive to daily pup exposure. In summary, rabbits rely on the same hormonal and extrahormonal factors that stimulate maternal behavior in other mammals, yet the way in which such factors promote elaborate nest-building and the unfailing display of circadian nursing is unique to rabbits and warrants future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- G González-Mariscal
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Tlax, 90 000, México
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Nunes S, Muecke EM, Ross HE, Bartholomew PA, Holekamp KE. Food availability affects behavior but not circulating gonadal hormones in maternal Belding's ground squirrels. Physiol Behav 2000; 71:447-55. [PMID: 11239662 DOI: 10.1016/s0031-9384(00)00366-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
We tested predictions of hypotheses suggesting that the steroid hormones, testosterone (T), progesterone (P), and estradiol (E2), contribute to the energetic regulation of behaviors associated with rearing young in free-living female Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi). We provisioned some female S. beldingi with food rich in fat and calories, and used unprovisioned females as controls. We observed the behavior of females throughout the reproductive cycle, and regularly collected blood samples to measure plasma hormone concentrations. Circulating concentrations of T, P, and E2 were similar in provisioned and unprovisioned females, as were temporal patterns of variation in these hormones. Peaks in rates of nest maintenance and aggressive behavior occurred during gestation and were associated with elevated concentrations of circulating T, P, and E2, raising the possibility that one or more of these hormones mediates behaviors that help females establish maternal nest sites and territories after mating. Temporal patterns of variation in behavior were similar among provisioned and unprovisioned females; however, rates of resting, vigilance, and aggression were higher among provisioned females, whereas unprovisioned females devoted significantly more time to feeding and locomotion. Thus, our data suggest that in maternal S. beldingi, gonadal steroids play a role in mediating behavior associated with raising offspring, but do not facilitate changes in rates of behavior associated with increased energy availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Nunes
- Department of Biology, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94117-1080, USA.
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González-Mariscal G, Melo AI, Parlow AF, Beyer C, Rosenblatt JS. Pharmacological evidence that prolactin acts from late gestation to promote maternal behaviour in rabbits. J Neuroendocrinol 2000; 12:983-92. [PMID: 11012839 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2000.00544.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the role of prolactin and suckling stimulation in the expression of maternal behaviour of primiparous rabbits. Bromocriptine (1 mg/kg/day), given to intact mothers across postpartum days 1-5, decreased serum concentrations of prolactin to undetectable levels, reduced crouching, and increased time inside the nest. Failure of maternal nest-building, provoked by bromocriptine injections from pregnancy day 26 to parturition or to postpartum day 5, correlated with a stronger reduction in crouching and an increased time inside the nest, measures of disturbed maternal behaviour, on postpartum days 3 and 5. Preventing suckling by thelectomy did not prevent prolactin release but reduced crouching incidence and increased the time spent inside the nest on postpartum days 3 and 5. Bromocriptine, injected in thelectomized mothers across postpartum days 1-5, further reduced the incidence of crouching and increased the time spent inside the nest on postpartum days 3 and 5. We conclude that prolactin acting prepartum facilitates maternal behaviour initiation in rabbits and, together with pup stimulation, maintains this behaviour across lactation.
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Affiliation(s)
- G González-Mariscal
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.
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Coureaud G, Schaal B, Coudert P, Hudson R, Rideaud P, Orgeur P. Mimicking Natural Nursing Conditions Promotes Early Pup Survival in Domestic Rabbits. Ethology 2000. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0310.2000.00521.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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