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Bouguiyoud N, Xie WB, Bronchti G, Frasnelli J, Al Aïn S. Enhanced maternal behaviors in a mouse model of congenital blindness. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22406. [PMID: 37607896 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22406] [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: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
In mammals, mothering is one of the most important prosocial female behavior to promote survival, proper sensorimotor, and emotional development of the offspring. Different intrinsic and extrinsic factors can initiate and maintain these behaviors, such as hormonal, cerebral, and sensory changes. Infant cues also stimulate multisensory systems and orchestrate complex maternal responsiveness. To understand the maternal behavior driven by complex sensory interactions, it is necessary to comprehend the individual sensory systems by taking out other senses. An excellent model for investigating sensory regulation of maternal behavior is a murine model of congenital blindness, the ZRDBA mice, where both an anophthalmic and sighted mice are generated from the same litter. Therefore, this study aims to assess whether visual inputs are essential to driving maternal behaviors in mice. Maternal behaviors were assessed using three behavioral tests, including the pup retrieval test, the home cage maternal behavior test, and the maternal aggression test. Our results show that blind mothers (1) took less time to retrieve their offspring inside the nest, (2) spent more time nursing and licking their offspring in the second- and third-week postpartum, and (3) exhibited faster aggressive behaviors when exposed to an intruder male, compared to the sighted counterparts. This study provides evidence that congenitally blind mothers show more motivation to retrieve the pups, care, and protection towards their pups than sighted ones, likely due to a phenomenon of sensory compensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nouhaila Bouguiyoud
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
- CogNAC Research Group, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
| | - Wen Bin Xie
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
| | - Gilles Bronchti
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
| | - Johannes Frasnelli
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
- CogNAC Research Group, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
| | - Syrina Al Aïn
- Department of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
- CogNAC Research Group, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada
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2
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Khant Aung Z, Masih RR, Desroziers E, Campbell RE, Brown RSE. Enhanced pup retrieval behaviour in a mouse model of polycystic ovary syndrome. J Neuroendocrinol 2022; 34:e13206. [PMID: 36416198 PMCID: PMC10077988 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13206] [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: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy to affect women of reproductive-age world-wide. Hyperandrogenism is both a hallmark feature of PCOS, and is hypothesised to be an underlying mechanism driving the development of the condition in utero. With circulating hormones known to profoundly influence maternal responses in females, we aimed to determine whether maternal behaviour is altered in a well-described prenatally androgenised (PNA) mouse model of PCOS. Mouse dams were administered with dihydrotestosterone or vehicle on days 16, 17 and 18 of pregnancy. Maternal responses were assessed in both the dihydrotestosterone-injected dams following parturition and in their adult female PNA offspring. Exposure of dams to excess androgens during late pregnancy had no detrimental effects on pregnancy outcomes, including gestation length, pup survival and gestational weight gain, or on subsequent maternal behaviour following parturition. By contrast, PNA virgin females, modelling PCOS, exhibited enhanced maternal behaviour when tested in an anxiogenic novel cage environment, with females rapidly retrieving pups and nesting with them. In comparison, most control virgin females failed to complete this retrieval task in the anxiogenic environment. Assessment of progesterone receptor and oestrogen receptor α immunoreactivity in the brains of virgin PNA and control females revealed increased numbers of oestrogen receptor α positive cells in the brains of PNA females in regions well known to be important for maternal behaviour. This suggests that increased oestrogenic signalling in the neural circuit that underlies maternal behaviour may be a possible mechanism by which maternal behaviour is enhanced in PNA female mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zin Khant Aung
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Renee R Masih
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Elodie Desroziers
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Sorbonne Université - Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie, Neuroplasticité des Comportements de la Reproduction, Neurosciences Paris Seine, UM119 - CNRS UMR 8246 - INSERM UMRS 1130, Paris, France
| | - Rebecca E Campbell
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Rosemary S E Brown
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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3
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A calcitonin receptor-expressing subregion of the medial preoptic area is involved in alloparental tolerance in common marmosets. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1243. [PMID: 36411342 PMCID: PMC9678893 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04166-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Like humans, common marmoset monkeys utilize family cooperation for infant care, but the neural mechanisms underlying primate parental behaviors remain largely unknown. We investigated infant care behaviors of captive marmosets in family settings and caregiver-infant dyadic situations. Marmoset caregivers exhibited individual variations in parenting styles, comprised of sensitivity and tolerance toward infants, consistently across infants, social contexts and multiple births. Seeking the neural basis of these parenting styles, we demonstrated that the calcitonin receptor-expressing neurons in the marmoset medial preoptic area (MPOA) were transcriptionally activated during infant care, as in laboratory mice. Further, site-specific neurotoxic lesions of this MPOA subregion, termed the cMPOA, significantly reduced alloparental tolerance and total infant carrying, while sparing general health and other social or nonsocial behaviors. These results suggest that the molecularly-defined neural site cMPOA is responsible for mammalian parenting, thus provide an invaluable model to study the neural basis of parenting styles in primates.
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Ulmer-Yaniv A, Waidergoren S, Shaked A, Salomon R, Feldman R. Neural Representation of the Parent-Child Attachment from Infancy to Adulthood. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:609-624. [PMID: 34893911 PMCID: PMC9250301 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Attachment theory is built on the assumption of consistency; the mother–infant bond is thought to underpin the life-long representations individuals construct of attachment relationships. Still, consistency in the individual’s neural response to attachment-related stimuli representing his or her entire relational history has not been investigated. Mothers and children were followed across two decades and videotaped in infancy (3–6 months), childhood (9–12 years) and young adulthood (18–24 years). In adulthood, participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while exposed to videos of own mother–child interactions (Self) vs unfamiliar interactions (Other). Self-stimuli elicited greater activations across preregistered nodes of the human attachment network, including thalamus-to-brainstem, amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), insula and temporal cortex. Critically, self-stimuli were age-invariant in most regions of interest despite large variability in social behavior, and Bayesian analysis showed strong evidence for lack of age-related differences. Psycho–physiological interaction analysis indicated that self-stimuli elicited tighter connectivity between ACC and anterior insula, consolidating an interface associating information from exteroceptive and interceptive sources to sustain attachment representations. Child social engagement behavior was individually stable from infancy to adulthood and linked with greater ACC and insula response to self-stimuli. Findings demonstrate overlap in circuits sustaining parental and child attachment and accord with perspectives on the continuity of attachment across human development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adi Ulmer-Yaniv
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Shani Waidergoren
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
| | - Ariel Shaked
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Roy Salomon
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Correspondence should be addressed to Ruth Feldman Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, 8 Ha'Universita st., Herzliya 4610101, Israel. E-mail:
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Yoshihara C, Tokita K, Maruyama T, Kaneko M, Tsuneoka Y, Fukumitsu K, Miyazawa E, Shinozuka K, Huang AJ, Nishimori K, McHugh TJ, Tanaka M, Itohara S, Touhara K, Miyamichi K, Kuroda KO. Calcitonin receptor signaling in the medial preoptic area enables risk-taking maternal care. Cell Rep 2021; 35:109204. [PMID: 34077719 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal mammals exhibit heightened motivation to care for offspring, but the underlying neuromolecular mechanisms have yet to be clarified. Here, we report that the calcitonin receptor (Calcr) and its ligand amylin are expressed in distinct neuronal populations in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and are upregulated in mothers. Calcr+ MPOA neurons activated by parental care project to somatomotor and monoaminergic brainstem nuclei. Retrograde monosynaptic tracing reveals that significant modification of afferents to Calcr+ neurons occurs in mothers. Knockdown of either Calcr or amylin gene expression hampers risk-taking maternal care, and specific silencing of Calcr+ MPOA neurons inhibits nurturing behaviors, while pharmacogenetic activation prevents infanticide in virgin males. These data indicate that Calcr+ MPOA neurons are required for both maternal and allomaternal nurturing behaviors and that upregulation of amylin-Calcr signaling in the MPOA at least partially mediates risk-taking maternal care, possibly via modified connectomics of Calcr+ neurons postpartum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Yoshihara
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kenichi Tokita
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; The Institute of Natural Sciences, Senshu University, Tokyo 101-8425, Japan
| | - Teppo Maruyama
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan
| | - Misato Kaneko
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan
| | - Yousuke Tsuneoka
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan
| | - Kansai Fukumitsu
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Eri Miyazawa
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Shinozuka
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Arthur J Huang
- Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Nishimori
- Department of Obesity and Internal Inflammation, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Thomas J McHugh
- Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Minoru Tanaka
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Itohara
- Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kazushige Touhara
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Kazunari Miyamichi
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Laboratory for Comparative Connectomics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Kumi O Kuroda
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
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Pose S, Zuluaga MJ, Ferreño M, Agrati D, Bedó G, Uriarte N. Raising overlapping litters: Differential activation of rat maternal neural circuitry after interacting with newborn or juvenile pups. J Neuroendocrinol 2019; 31:e12701. [PMID: 30784145 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The maternal behaviour of a rat dynamically changes during the postpartum period, adjusting to the characteristics and physiological needs of the pups. This adaptation has been attributed to functional modifications in the maternal circuitry. Maternal behaviour can also flexibly adapt according to different litter compositions. Thus, mothers with two overlapping litters can concurrently take care of neonate and juvenile pups, mostly directing their attention to the newborns. We hypothesised that the maternal circuitry of these mothers would show a differential activation pattern after interacting with pups depending on the developmental stage of their offspring. Thus, we evaluated the activation of several areas of the maternal circuitry in mothers of overlapping litters, using c-Fos immunoreactivity as a marker of neuronal activation, after interacting with newborns or juveniles. The results showed that mothers with overlapping litters display different behavioural responses towards their newborn and their juvenile pups. Interestingly, these behavioural displays co-occurred with specific patterns of activation of the maternal neural circuitry. Thus, a similar expression of c-Fos was observed in some key brain areas of mothers that interacted with newborns or juveniles, such as the medial preoptic area and the nucleus accumbens, whereas a differential activation was quantified in the ventral region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the infralimbic and prelimbic subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex and the basolateral and medial nuclei of the amygdala. We posit that the specific profile of activation of the neural circuitry controlling maternal behaviour in mothers with overlapping litters enables dams to respond adequately to the newborn and the juvenile pups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Pose
- Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Sección Biomatemática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - María José Zuluaga
- PDU Biofisicoquímica, Centro Universitario Regional Norte - Sede Salto, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Marcela Ferreño
- Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Sección Biomatemática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Daniella Agrati
- Sección Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Gabriela Bedó
- Sección Genética Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Natalia Uriarte
- Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Sección Biomatemática, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
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Abraham E, Hendler T, Zagoory-Sharon O, Feldman R. Interoception sensitivity in the parental brain during the first months of parenting modulates children's somatic symptoms six years later: The role of oxytocin. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 136:39-48. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Horrell ND, Hickmott PW, Saltzman W. Neural Regulation of Paternal Behavior in Mammals: Sensory, Neuroendocrine, and Experiential Influences on the Paternal Brain. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2018; 43:111-160. [PMID: 30206901 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, parents in many species devote extraordinary effort toward caring for offspring, often risking their lives and exhausting limited resources. Understanding how the brain orchestrates parental care, biasing effort over the many competing demands, is an important topic in social neuroscience. In mammals, maternal care is necessary for offspring survival and is largely mediated by changes in hormones and neuropeptides that fluctuate massively during pregnancy, parturition, and lactation (e.g., progesterone, estradiol, oxytocin, and prolactin). In the relatively small number of mammalian species in which parental care by fathers enhances offspring survival and development, males also undergo endocrine changes concurrent with birth of their offspring, but on a smaller scale than females. Thus, fathers additionally rely on sensory signals from their mates, environment, and/or offspring to orchestrate paternal behavior. Males can engage in a variety of infant-directed behaviors that range from infanticide to avoidance to care; in many species, males can display all three behaviors in their lifetime. The neural plasticity that underlies such stark changes in behavior is not well understood. In this chapter we summarize current data on the neural circuitry that has been proposed to underlie paternal care in mammals, as well as sensory, neuroendocrine, and experiential influences on paternal behavior and on the underlying circuitry. We highlight some of the gaps in our current knowledge of this system and propose future directions that will enable the development of a more comprehensive understanding of the proximate control of parenting by fathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan D Horrell
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Peter W Hickmott
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
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9
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Sinpru P, Porter TE, El Halawani ME, Chaiseha Y. Effects of nest-deprivation on hypothalamic mesotocin in incubating native Thai hens (Gallus domesticus). Acta Histochem 2017; 119:708-718. [PMID: 28919179 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Avian mesotocin (MT) is homologous to oxytocin in mammals. Native Thai chickens (Gallus domesticus) strongly express maternal behaviors including incubation and rearing. However, the role of MT during incubation behavior has never been studied. The objective of this study was to determine the physiological function(s) of the MTergic system in incubation behavior in native Thai chickens. The brains were collected from incubating (INC) and nest-deprived (ND) hens at different time points (days 3, 6, 8, 10, 14, 18, and 21; n=6). Immunohistochemistry technique was used to compare the numbers of MT-immunoreactive (-ir) neurons between the INC and ND hens within the Nucleus supraopticus, pars ventralis (SOv), Nucleus preopticus medialis (POM), and Nucleus paraventricularis magnocellularis (PVN). The results revealed that the numbers of MT-ir neurons within the SOv, POM, and PVN remained high during the incubating stage. The number of MT-ir neurons in the SOv was lower than that of the POM and PVN. Disruption of incubation behavior by nest deprivation caused the numbers of MT-ir neurons within the SOv, POM, and PVN to decrease throughout the observation periods. For the first time, this study demonstrates that the MTergic system within the SOv, POM, and PVN may be involved with incubation behavior. In addition, these results further suggest that the MTergic neurons in these nuclei are not only regulated by rearing behavior but also might have a role in the initiation and maintenance of incubation behavior in this tropical species.
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Kim P, Strathearn L, Swain JE. The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans. Horm Behav 2016; 77:113-23. [PMID: 26268151 PMCID: PMC4724473 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Early mother-infant relationships play important roles in infants' optimal development. New mothers undergo neurobiological changes that support developing mother-infant relationships regardless of great individual differences in those relationships. In this article, we review the neural plasticity in human mothers' brains based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. First, we review the neural circuits that are involved in establishing and maintaining mother-infant relationships. Second, we discuss early postpartum factors (e.g., birth and feeding methods, hormones, and parental sensitivity) that are associated with individual differences in maternal brain neuroplasticity. Third, we discuss abnormal changes in the maternal brain related to psychopathology (i.e., postpartum depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse) and potential brain remodeling associated with interventions. Last, we highlight potentially important future research directions to better understand normative changes in the maternal brain and risks for abnormal changes that may disrupt early mother-infant relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilyoung Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO 80208-3500, United States.
| | - Lane Strathearn
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Center for Disabilities and Development, 100 Hawkins Drive 213F CDD, Iowa City, IA 52246-1011, United States.
| | - James E Swain
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychology and Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2700, United States.
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11
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McHenry JA, Rubinow DR, Stuber GD. Maternally responsive neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial preoptic area: Putative circuits for regulating anxiety and reward. Front Neuroendocrinol 2015; 38:65-72. [PMID: 25910426 PMCID: PMC4853820 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2015.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2014] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Postpartum neuropsychiatric disorders are a major source of morbidity and mortality and affect at least 10% of childbearing women. Affective dysregulation within this context has been identified in association with changes in reproductive steroids. Steroids promote maternal actions and modulate affect, but can also destabilize mood in some but not all women. Potential brain regions that mediate these effects include the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vBNST). Herein, we review the regulation of neural activity in the mPOA/vBNST by environmental and hormonal concomitants in puerperal females. Such activity may influence maternal anxiety and motivation and have significant implications for postpartum affective disorders. Future directions for research are also explored, including physiological circuit-level approaches to gain insight into the functional connectivity of hormone-responsive maternal circuits that modulate affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna A McHenry
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States; Postdoctoral Training Program in Reproductive Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
| | - David R Rubinow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
| | - Garret D Stuber
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States; Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States.
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12
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Kingsbury MA, Jan N, Klatt JD, Goodson JL. Nesting behavior is associated with VIP expression and VIP-Fos colocalization in a network-wide manner. Horm Behav 2015; 69:68-81. [PMID: 25573700 PMCID: PMC4359656 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2014] [Revised: 12/23/2014] [Accepted: 12/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Many species, including humans, engage in a series of behaviors that are preparatory to the arrival of offspring. Such "nesting behaviors" are of obvious importance, but relevant neuroendocrine mechanisms remain little studied. We here focus on the potential roles of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in the performance of appetitive and consummatory nesting behaviors in male and female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Using combined immunocytochemistry for Fos and in situ hybridization for VIP, we now show that many VIP cell groups show increased transcriptional activity in response to nest building in male and female zebra finches. Particularly strong data come from the preoptic area (medial preoptic area and medial preoptic nucleus), where VIP-Fos co-expression correlates positively with three different measures of nesting behavior, as does the number of VIP-expressing cells. Remarkably, we find that VIP mRNA and/or VIP-Fos co-expression is correlated with nesting behavior in virtually every brain area that we examined, including the medial amygdala (anterior and posterior), medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial preoptic area, medial preoptic nucleus, anterior hypothalamus, ventromedial hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray complex (central gray and nucleus intercollicularis), and ventral tegmental area. Near-significant effects are also obtained in the tuberoinfundibular hypothalamus. Although most correlations are positive, negative correlations are observed for the VIP cell group of the anterior hypothalamus, a population that selectively promotes aggression, and also the periaqueductal gray complex. These data demonstrate a network-wide relationship between peptide production and social behavior that is, to our knowledge, unparalleled by other peptidergic modulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcy A Kingsbury
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Namratha Jan
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - James D Klatt
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - James L Goodson
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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Afferent projections to the different medial amygdala subdivisions: a retrograde tracing study in the mouse. Brain Struct Funct 2014; 221:1033-65. [PMID: 25503449 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0954-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/30/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The medial amygdaloid nucleus (Me) is a key node in the socio-sexual brain, composed of anterior (MeA), posteroventral (MePV) and posterodorsal (MePD) subdivisions. These subdivisions have been suggested to play a different role in reproductive and defensive behaviours. In the present work we analyse the afferents of the three Me subdivisions using restricted injections of fluorogold in female outbred CD1 mice. The results reveal that the MeA, MePV and MePD share a common pattern of afferents, with some differences in the density of retrograde labelling in several nuclei. Common afferents to Me subdivisions include: the accessory olfactory bulbs, piriform cortex and endopiriform nucleus, chemosensory amygdala (receiving direct inputs from the olfactory bulbs), posterior part of the medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTM), CA1 in the ventral hippocampus and posterior intralaminar thalamus. Minor projections originate from the basolateral amygdala and amygdalo-hippocampal area, septum, ventral striatum, several allocortical and periallocortical areas, claustrum, several hypothalamic structures, raphe and parabrachial complex. MeA and MePV share minor inputs from the frontal cortex (medial orbital, prelimbic, infralimbic and dorsal peduncular cortices), but differ in the lack of main olfactory projections to the MePV. By contrast, the MePD receives preferential projections from the rostral accessory olfactory bulb, the posteromedial BSTM and the ventral premammillary nucleus. In summary, the common pattern of afferents to the Me subdivisions and their interconnections suggest that they play cooperative instead of differential roles in the various behaviours (e.g., sociosexual, defensive) in which the Me has been shown to be involved.
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Angoa-Pérez M, Kane MJ, Sykes CE, Perrine SA, Church MW, Kuhn DM. Brain serotonin determines maternal behavior and offspring survival. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2014; 13:579-91. [PMID: 25077934 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Revised: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Maternal care is an indispensable component of offspring survival and development in all mammals and necessary for reproductive success. Although brain areas regulating maternal behaviors are innervated by serotonergic afferents, very little is known about the role of this neurotransmitter in these behaviors. To evaluate the contribution of serotonin to maternal care, we used mice with a null mutation in the gene for tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2), which results in a genetic depletion of brain serotonin, and tested them in a wide range of maternal behavior paradigms. We found that litters born to and reared by TPH2(-/-) mothers showed decreased survival, lower weaning weights and increased cannibalization. In addition, TPH2(-/-) mothers performed poorly in pup retrieval, huddling, nest construction and high-arched back nursing. Aggression in TPH2(-/-) dams was not triggered by lactation and was steadily high. Survival and weaning weight deficits of TPH2(-/-) pups were rescued by cross-fostering and in litters of mixed genotype (TPH2(-/-) and TPH2(-/+) ). However, the maternal behaviors of TPH2(-/-) dams did not improve when rearing either TPH2(+/+) pups or mixed-genotype litters. In addition, TPH2(-/-) pups significantly worsened the behavior of TPH2(+/+) dams with respect to cannibalism, weaning weight and latency to attack. Olfactory and auditory functions of TPH2(-/-) females or anxiety-like behaviors did not account for these maternal alterations as they were equal to their TPH2(+/+) counterparts. These findings illustrate a profound influence of brain serotonin on virtually all elements of maternal behavior and establish that TPH2(-/-) pups can engender maladaptive mothering in dams of both genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Angoa-Pérez
- Research & Development Service, John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, Detroit, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Detroit, MI, USA
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15
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Weisman O, Zagoory-Sharon O, Schneiderman I, Gordon I, Feldman R. Plasma oxytocin distributions in a large cohort of women and men and their gender-specific associations with anxiety. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2013; 38:694-701. [PMID: 22999263 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2012] [Revised: 08/28/2012] [Accepted: 08/28/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Research has consistently addressed the relations between plasma oxytocin (OT) - a nonapeptide implicated in mammalian social bonding - and psychological distress, but the direction of the association remains unclear. Utilizing the largest sample of plasma OT to date (N=473), the current study had two goals. First, we described the distributions of plasma OT in women and men, and second, we examined whether the relations between OT and two types of anxiety - trait and attachment anxiety - are moderated by gender. Results indicated that OT values (M=375.78 pg/ml, SD=264.03, range=51.40-2752.30) clustered around the mean with a long right tail, indicating trend toward high values. In most participants (N=323), OT was measured again six months after initial assessment and OT levels were highly stable within individuals. After removing outliers 2.5 SD above the mean (≥1098 pg/ml for men and ≥988 pg/ml for women), men showed significantly higher mean OT than women (women: 327.13 pg/ml, SD=164.43; men: 399.91, SD=183.65; t=2.57, p=.01). Gender was found to moderate the relations between OT and anxiety. Trait anxiety was lower among men with higher OT but no such links emerged for women, supporting the hypothesized anxiolytic effects of OT in males only. Furthermore, women with extreme values (≥988 pg/ml) had three times the probability of being classified as highly anxious (STAI-T≥45). Higher OT in women correlated with greater attachment anxiety, but no such relationships were found for men. Results are consistent with models on the differential associations between the neurobiology of attachment and the experience of anxiety in women and men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omri Weisman
- Department of Psychology and the Gonda Brain Sciences Center Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
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Olazábal DE, Pereira M, Agrati D, Ferreira A, Fleming AS, González-Mariscal G, Lévy F, Lucion AB, Morrell JI, Numan M, Uriarte N. Flexibility and adaptation of the neural substrate that supports maternal behavior in mammals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 37:1875-92. [PMID: 23608126 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2013] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Maternal behavior is species-specific and expressed under different physiological conditions, and contexts. It is the result of neural processes that support different forms (e.g. postpartum, cycling sensitized and spontaneous maternal behavior) and modalities of mother-offspring interaction (e.g. maternal interaction with altricial/precocious young; selective/non-selective bond). To understand how the brain adapts to and regulates maternal behavior in different species, and physiological and social conditions we propose new neural models to explain different forms of maternal expression (e.g. sensitized and spontaneous maternal behavior) and the behavioral changes that occur across the postpartum period. We emphasize the changing role of the medial preoptic area in the neural circuitry that supports maternal behavior and the cortical regulation and adjustment of ongoing behavioral performance. Finally, we discuss how our accumulated knowledge about the psychobiology of mothering in animal models supports the validity of animal studies to guide our understanding of human mothering and to improve human welfare and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Olazábal
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Avda. Gral. Flores 2125, CP 11800, Montevideo, Uruguay.
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Tsuneoka Y, Maruyama T, Yoshida S, Nishimori K, Kato T, Numan M, Kuroda KO. Functional, anatomical, and neurochemical differentiation of medial preoptic area subregions in relation to maternal behavior in the mouse. J Comp Neurol 2013; 521:1633-63. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2012] [Revised: 09/05/2012] [Accepted: 10/25/2012] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Feldman R. Oxytocin and social affiliation in humans. Horm Behav 2012; 61:380-91. [PMID: 22285934 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 385] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2011] [Revised: 01/06/2012] [Accepted: 01/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
A conceptual model detailing the process of bio-behavioral synchrony between the online physiological and behavioral responses of attachment partners during social contact is presented as a theoretical and empirical framework for the study of affiliative bonds. Guided by an ethological behavior-based approach, we suggest that micro-level social behaviors in the gaze, vocal, affective, and touch modalities are dynamically integrated with online physiological processes and hormonal response to create dyad-specific affiliations. Studies across multiple attachments throughout life are presented and demonstrate that the extended oxytocin (OT) system provides the neurohormonal substrate for parental, romantic, and filial attachment in humans; that the three prototypes of affiliation are expressed in similar constellations of social behavior; and that OT is stable over time within individuals, is mutually-influencing among partners, and that mechanisms of cross-generation and inter-couple transmission relate to coordinated social behavior. Research showing links between peripheral and genetic markers of OT with concurrent parenting and memories of parental care; between administration of OT to parent and infant's physiological readiness for social engagement; and between neuropeptides and the online synchrony of maternal and paternal brain response in social-cognitive and empathy networks support the hypothesis that human attachment develops within the matrix of biological attunement and close behavioral synchrony. The findings have conceptual implications for the study of inter-subjectivity as well as translational implications for the treatment of social disorders originating in early childhood, such as autism spectrum disorders, or those associated with disruptions to early bonding, such as postpartum depression or child abuse and neglect. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Oxytocin, Vasopressin, and Social Behavior.
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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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Specifying the neurobiological basis of human attachment: brain, hormones, and behavior in synchronous and intrusive mothers. Neuropsychopharmacology 2011; 36:2603-15. [PMID: 21881566 PMCID: PMC3230500 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2011.172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 229] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The mother-infant bond provides the foundation for the infant's future mental health and adaptation and depends on the provision of species-typical maternal behaviors that are supported by neuroendocrine and motivation-affective neural systems. Animal research has demonstrated that natural variations in patterns of maternal care chart discrete profiles of maternal brain-behavior relationships that uniquely shape the infant's lifetime capacities for stress regulation and social affiliation. Such patterns of maternal care are mediated by the neuropeptide Oxytocin and by stress- and reward-related neural systems. Human studies have similarly shown that maternal synchrony--the coordination of maternal behavior with infant signals--and intrusiveness--the excessive expression of maternal behavior--describe distinct and stable maternal styles that bear long-term consequences for infant well-being. To integrate brain, hormones, and behavior in the study of maternal-infant bonding, we examined the fMRI responses of synchronous vs intrusive mothers to dynamic, ecologically valid infant videos and their correlations with plasma Oxytocin. In all, 23 mothers were videotaped at home interacting with their infants and plasma OT assayed. Sessions were micro-coded for synchrony and intrusiveness. Mothers were scanned while observing several own and standard infant-related vignettes. Synchronous mothers showed greater activations in the left nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and intrusive mothers exhibited higher activations in the right amygdala. Functional connectivity analysis revealed that among synchronous mothers, left NAcc and right amygdala were functionally correlated with emotion modulation, theory-of-mind, and empathy networks. Among intrusive mothers, left NAcc and right amygdala were functionally correlated with pro-action areas. Sorting points into neighborhood (SPIN) analysis demonstrated that in the synchronous group, left NAcc and right amygdala activations showed clearer organization across time, whereas among intrusive mothers, activations of these nuclei exhibited greater cross-time disorganization. Correlations between Oxytocin with left NAcc and right amygdala activations were found only in the synchronous group. Well-adapted parenting appears to be underlay by reward-related motivational mechanisms, temporal organization, and affiliation hormones, whereas anxious parenting is likely mediated by stress-related mechanisms and greater neural disorganization. Assessing the integration of motivation and social networks into unified neural activity that reflects variations in patterns of parental care may prove useful for the study of optimal vs high-risk parenting.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE It has been proposed that early attachment relationships shape the structure and reactivity of social brain structures that underlie later social capacities. We provide a review of the literature surrounding the development of neurological regulatory systems during infancy and outline recent research suggesting these systems go on to underlie adaptive parental responses. METHOD We review evidence in the peer-reviewed psychiatric literature including (i) observational human literature on the neurobiological and social sequelae of early parenting experiences, (ii) experimental animal literature on the effects of early maternal care on neurological development, (iii) experimental animal literature on the neurobiological underpinnings of parenting behaviours, (iv) observational and fMRI evidence on the neurobiological correlates of parenting behaviours, (v) functional and volumetric imaging studies on adults affected by borderline personality disorder. RESULTS The development of infant regulatory systems is influenced by early parenting experiences. These frontolimbic regulatory systems are also heavily implicated in normal parental responses to infant cues. These frontolimbic disturbances are also observed in studies of borderline personality disorder; a disorder associated with poor emotional regulation, early trauma and disturbed parenting. CONCLUSIONS While the current literature is limited to animal models of abnormal care giving, existing disorders associated with deficits in regulatory capacity and abnormal frontolimbic functioning may yet provide a human model of the neurobiology of parenting disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise K Newman
- Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
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21
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Rees SL, Akbari E, Steiner M, Fleming AS. Effects of early deprivation and maternal separation on pup-directed behavior and HPA axis measures in the juvenile female rat. Dev Psychobiol 2008; 50:315-21. [PMID: 18393284 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Juvenile female rats show maternal-like behavior toward pups. The purpose of the following experiment was to investigate whether the HPA axis, through the use of early separation manipulations that alter HPA functioning in rats, plays a role in the juvenile response to foster pups. Female rats were early deprived or maternally separated for 5 hours daily from PND 2 to 14 and compared to animal facility-reared rats. Deprivation or separation increased CRH-R1 IR in the juvenile PVN, but had no other effects on other HPA measures or on maternal behavior. Pup-exposure during the juvenile period blunted corticosterone levels after acute and repeated pup-exposures when compared to exposure to novelty and conspecifics respectively. Repeated exposures to pups also increased CRH-R1 IR relative to isolation during the juvenile period. Overall, the data suggest that although pup-exposure affects corticosterone levels, the HPA axis does not relate to juvenile maternal behavior in the present experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L Rees
- School of Psychology University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
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Prakash P, Merali Z, Kolajova M, Tannenbaum BM, Anisman H. Maternal factors and monoamine changes in stress-resilient and susceptible mice: cross-fostering effects. Brain Res 2006; 1111:122-33. [PMID: 16876768 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.06.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2006] [Revised: 06/22/2006] [Accepted: 06/28/2006] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Genetic factors influence stressor-provoked monoamine changes associated with anxiety and depression, but such effects might be moderated by early life experiences. To assess the contribution of maternal influences in determining adult brain monoamine responses to a stressor, strains of mice that were either stressor-reactive or -resilient (BALB/cByJ and C57BL/6ByJ, respectively) were assessed as a function of whether they were raising their biological offspring or those of the other strain. As adults, offspring were assessed with respect to stressor-provoked plasma corticosterone elevations and monoamine variations within discrete stressor-sensitive brain regions. BALB/cByJ mice demonstrated poorer maternal behaviors than C57BL/6ByJ dams, irrespective of the pups being raised. In response to a noise stressor, BALB/cByJ mice exhibited higher plasma corticosterone levels and elevated monoamine turnover in several limbic and hypothalamic sites. The stressor-provoked corticosterone increase in BALB/cByJ mice was diminished among males (but not females) raised by a C57BL/6ByJ dam. Moreover, increased prefrontal cortical dopamine utilization was attenuated among BALB/cByJ mice raised by a C57BL/6ByJ dam. These effects were asymmetrical as a C57BL/6ByJ mice raised by a BALB/cByJ dam did not exhibit increased stressor reactivity. It appears that stressors influence multiple neurochemical systems that have been implicated in anxiety and affective disorders. Although monoamine variations were largely determined by genetic factors, maternal influences contributed to stressor-elicited neurochemical changes in some regions, particularly dopamine activation within the prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Prakash
- Institute of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Life Science Research Bldg, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Olazábal DE, Morrell JI. Juvenile rats show reduced c-fos activity in neural sites associated with aversion to pups and inhibition of maternal behavior. Behav Neurosci 2005; 119:1097-110. [PMID: 16187837 PMCID: PMC2430413 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.119.4.1097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Juvenile rats (18-23 days old) interact avidly with pups as novel stimuli and show maternal behavior after only 1-3 days of pup exposure; adults initially avoid pups and require 3-9 days of pup exposure. Upon exposure to pups as novel stimuli, adults had more c-Fos-immunoreactive neurons in the hypothalamus and amygdala--regions associated with aversion to pups--than adults exposed to familiar pup stimuli (maternal) or not exposed to pups (p < .05). In juvenile rats exposed to pups as novel stimuli, only the medial amygdala had a small significant increase of c-Fos neurons. In juveniles, this blunted engagement of c-Fos neurons may reflect the diminished activation of inhibitory neurons, facilitating the interaction of juveniles with pups as novel stimuli and onset of maternal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Olazábal
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Camden, NJ, US.
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Olazábal DE, Abercrombie E, Rosenblatt JS, Morrell JI. The content of dopamine, serotonin, and their metabolites in the neural circuit that mediates maternal behavior in juvenile and adult rats. Brain Res Bull 2004; 63:259-68. [PMID: 15196651 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2004.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2003] [Revised: 02/16/2004] [Accepted: 02/24/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Continuous exposure of non-parturient rats to pups can induce maternal behavior similar in most aspects to that found in the postpartum rat. Surprisingly, young juvenile rats (20-24 days of age) only require 1-3 days of exposure to pups, while adults require 4-8 days before maternal behavior emerges. Dopamine (DA) and possibly serotonin (5-HT) may mediate the expression of adult maternal behavior. We hypothesize that postnatal changes in DA and 5-HT within the neural circuit that supports maternal behavior including the medial preoptic area (MPOA), medial and cortical amygdala (MCA), and nucleus accumbens (NAC), may underlie these differences in responsiveness across juveniles and adults. We measured DA, 5-HT, and their metabolites in postmortem samples of these regions in maternal and non-maternal juvenile and adult females. The only difference found across behavioral groups was that the MPOA of adults induced into maternal behavior by pup exposure had more DA than did that of isolated adult females or maternal juveniles. However, when adults versus juveniles were compared, the content of DA and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic (DOPAC) was higher in the adult than in the juvenile NAC and MCA; the content of 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in these structures did not vary across the age groups. In contrast, higher levels of 5-HT and 5-HIAA were found in the MPOA in juveniles compared to adults. We propose that these region-specific age differences in DA and 5HT may underlie differences in juvenile-adult responses to pups.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Olazábal
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.
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Gonzalez A, Fleming AS. Artificial rearing causes changes in maternal behavior and c-fos expression in juvenile female rats. Behav Neurosci 2002; 116:999-1013. [PMID: 12492299 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.116.6.999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of early-rearing experiences on responsiveness to pups and on the pattern of c-fos activation in the brain of juvenile female rats. From Days 4 to 20, littermate females were reared with their mothers (MR) or artificially (AR). AR rats received minimal licking-like tactile stimulation (AR-min) or maximal stimulation (AR-max). On Day 20, rats were exposed to pups for 4 or 8 days, exposed to a playmate for 4 or 8 days, or left in isolation for 4 or 8 days. Compared with MR rats, pup-exposed AR rats engaged in less pup licking, and all AR rats showed significant reductions in c-fos immunoreactivity in the medial preoptic area and the parietal and piriform cortices. The AR-min group showed the greatest difference in Fos-lir compared with the MR groups. Possible mechanisms that mediate the effects of rearing on the development of neural circuits underlying maternal behavior are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Gonzalez
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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Murphy AZ, Hoffman GE. Distribution of gonadal steroid receptor-containing neurons in the preoptic-periaqueductal gray-brainstem pathway: a potential circuit for the initiation of male sexual behavior. J Comp Neurol 2001; 438:191-212. [PMID: 11536188 DOI: 10.1002/cne.1309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The present study used anterograde and retrograde tract tracing techniques to examine the organization of the medial preoptic-periaqueductal gray-nucleus paragigantocellularis pathway in the male rat. The location of neurons containing estrogen (alpha subtype; ER alpha) and androgen receptors (AR) were also examined. We report here that injection of the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) into the medial preoptic (MPO) produced dense labeling within the periaqueductal gray (PAG); anterogradely labeled fibers terminated in close juxtaposition to neurons retrogradely labeled from the nucleus paragigantocellularis (nPGi). Dual immunostaining for Fluoro-Gold (FG) and ER alpha or FG and AR showed that over one-third of MPO efferents to the PAG contain receptors for either estrogen or androgen. In addition, approximately 50% of PAG neurons retrogradely labeled from the nPGi were immunoreactive for either ER alpha or AR. These results are the first to establish an MPO-->PAG-->nPGi circuit and further indicate that gonadal steroids can influence neuronal synaptic activity within these sites. We reported previously that nPGi reticulospinal neurons terminate preferentially within the motoneuronal pools of the lumbosacral spinal cord that innervate the pelvic viscera. Together, we propose that the MPO-->PAG-->nPGi circuit forms the final common pathway whereby MPO neural output results in the initiation and maintenance of male copulatory reflexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Z Murphy
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, USA.
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Lovic V, Gonzalez A, Fleming AS. Maternally separated rats show deficits in maternal care in adulthood. Dev Psychobiol 2001; 39:19-33. [PMID: 11507706 DOI: 10.1002/dev.1024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Although there is considerable research on the phenomenology, neuroendocrinology, neuroanatomy, and sensory control of maternal behavior, little is known about the influences of early postnatal and postweaning experiences on the development of maternal behavior. The purpose of this study was to assess how early life separation from the mother rat affects development of the offspring's juvenile and adult maternal behavior. From postnatal Days 1 to 17, 3 female rats within each litter were separated (SEP) from the mother and the rest of the litter for 5 hr daily while 3 of their sisters were not maternally separated (NSEP). On postnatal Day 21, all subjects were weaned and randomly assigned to one of three juvenile conditions. One female from both SEP and NSEP groups was either isolated (I), given a social conspecific (S), or given 1- to 4-day-old pups (P) for 5 consecutive days. Maternal behavior of SEP and NSEP animals was assessed and recorded on each of the 5 days. Once all animals reached adulthood, they were mated, gave birth, and were assessed for their maternal behavior. We found that the effects of maternal separation on juvenile maternal-like behaviors were minimal. On the other hand, maternal separation reduced adult maternal licking and crouching over pups. In addition, there was a significant interaction between postnatal and juvenile experience on maternal crouching in maternal animals. These results are discussed in terms of the variety of possible behavioral, endocrine, and neurochemical mechanisms that mediate the effects of early life experiences on adult maternal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Lovic
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario L5L 1C6, Canada
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