1
|
Lv Z, Li L, Li Y, Zhang L, Guo X, Huang C, Hou W, Qu Y, Liu L, Li Y, He Z, Tai F. Involvement of Serotonergic Projections from the Dorsal Raphe to the Medial Preoptic Area in the Regulation of the Pup-Directed Paternal Response of Male Mandarin Voles. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11605. [PMID: 37511364 PMCID: PMC10380723 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Male mammals display different paternal responses to pups, either attacking or killing the young offspring, or contrastingly, caring for them. The neural circuit mechanism underlying the between-individual variation in the pup-directed responsiveness of male mammals remains unclear. Monogamous mandarin voles were used to complete the present study. The male individuals were identified as paternal and infanticidal voles, according their behavioral responses to pups. It was found that the serotonin release in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), as well as the serotonergic neuron activity, significantly increased upon licking the pups, but showed no changes after attacking the pups, as revealed by the in vivo fiber photometry of the fluorescence signal from the 5-HT 1.0 sensor and the calcium imaging indicator, respectively. It was verified that the 5-HTergic neural projections to the MPOA originated mainly from the ventral part of the dorsal raphe (vDR). Furthermore, the chemogenetic inhibition of serotonergic projections from the vDR to the MPOA decreased the paternal behaviors and shortened the latency to attack the pups. In contrast, the activation of serotonergic neurons via optogenetics extended the licking duration and inhibited infanticide. Collectively, these results elucidate that the serotonergic projections from the vDR to the MPOA, a previously unrecognized pathway, regulate the paternal responses of virgin male mandarin voles to pups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zijian Lv
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Lu Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yin Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Lizi Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Xing Guo
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Caihong Huang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Wenjuan Hou
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yishan Qu
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Limin Liu
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yitong Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Zhixiong He
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Fadao Tai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Martz JR, Vasquez A, Dominguez JM. Sex Steroid Hormone Receptor Content of Medial Preoptic Efferents to the Ventral Tegmental Area Is Sexually Dimorphic: Implications for Sex Differences in Mesolimbic Reward Processing. Neuroendocrinology 2023; 113:1154-1166. [PMID: 37429264 PMCID: PMC10776825 DOI: 10.1159/000531821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The medial preoptic area (mPOA) is an important regulator of natural and drug-induced reward. However, despite the mPOA being implicated in sexually dimorphic reward responses, sex differences in medial preoptic efferents to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) have not been fully investigated. METHODS Two cohorts of male and female rats received unilateral injections of the tract-tracer Fluoro-Gold (FLG) into the VTA. Immunohistochemical staining was used to quantify co-labeled FLG-positive neurons with γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), estrogen receptor α (ERα), and androgen receptors (AR). RESULTS Results revealed a pattern of VTA innervation that was comparable between males and females; more efferents emerged from the rostrocentral portions of the mPOA than caudal portions. Results also indicated that males and females had the same percentage of GABAergic mPOA-VTA projections. Differences emerged when investigating the hormone receptor profile of projections to the VTA, where females had a greater percentage of efferents expressing ERα and males had a greater percentage of efferents expressing AR, in the central portion of the mPOA. Lastly, FLG-positive cells were colocalized with GABA and ERα in cohort 1 and GABA and AR in cohort 2. The majority of AR-expressing cells colocalized with GABAergic efferents to the VTA, but only a portion of ERα-expressing cells colocalized with GABAergic efferents to the VTA. CONCLUSION Results indicate that sex differences are present in the sex-steroid hormone receptor content of mPOA-VTA projections, particularly among efferents arising from the central region of the mPOA. These sexually dimorphic connections may influence a wide range of sex differences in reward responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia R. Martz
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX, USA
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol & Addiction Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX, USA
| | - Adriana Vasquez
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX, USA
| | - Juan M. Dominguez
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX, USA
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol & Addiction Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX, USA
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX, USA
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Effects of paternal deprivation in social rodents. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF THERIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.21.2.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
4
|
Wilson KM, Arquilla AM, Rosales-Torres KM, Hussein M, Chan MG, Razak KA, Saltzman W. Neural responses to pup calls and pup odors in California mouse fathers and virgin males. Behav Brain Res 2022; 434:114024. [PMID: 35882277 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The onset of mammalian maternal care is associated with plasticity in neural processing of infant-related sensory stimuli; however, little is known about sensory plasticity associated with fatherhood. We quantified behavioral and neural responses of virgin males and new fathers to olfactory and auditory stimuli from young, unfamiliar pups in the biparental California mouse (Peromyscus californicus). Each male was exposed for 10minutes to one of four combinations of a chemosensory stimulus (pup-scented or unscented cotton [control]) and an auditory stimulus (pup vocalizations or white noise [control]). Behavior did not differ between fathers and virgins during exposure to sensory stimuli or during the following hour; however, males in both groups were more active both during and after exposure to pup-related stimuli compared to control stimuli. Fathers had lower expression of Fos in the main olfactory bulbs (MOB) but higher expression in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis medial division, ventral part (STMV) compared to virgins. Lastly, males had higher Fos expression in MPOA when exposed to pup odor compared to control stimuli, and when exposed to pup odor and pup calls compared to pup calls only or control stimuli. These findings suggest that the onset of fatherhood alters activity of MOB, MPOA and STMV and that pup odors and vocalizations have additive or synergistic effects on males' behavior and MPOA activation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kerianne M Wilson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA.
| | - April M Arquilla
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
| | - Kelsey M Rosales-Torres
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
| | - Manal Hussein
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
| | - May G Chan
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
| | - Khaleel A Razak
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA; Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wallin CM, Bowen SE, Brummelte S. Opioid use during pregnancy can impair maternal behavior and the Maternal Brain Network: A literature review. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2021; 86:106976. [PMID: 33812002 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2021.106976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a global epidemic also affecting women of reproductive age. A standard form of pharmacological treatment for OUD is Opioid Maintenance Therapy (OMT) and buprenorphine has emerged as the preferred treatment for pregnant women with OUD relative to methadone. However, the consequences of BUP exposure on the developing Maternal Brain Network and mother-infant dyad are not well understood. The maternal-infant bond is dependent on the Maternal Brain Network, which is responsible for the dynamic transition from a "nulliparous brain" to a "maternal brain". The Maternal Brain Network consists of regions implicated in maternal care (e.g., medial preoptic area, nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, ventral tegmentum area) and maternal defense (e.g., periaqueductal gray). The endogenous opioid system modulates many of the neurochemical changes in these areas during the transition to motherhood. Thus, it is not surprising that exogenous opioid exposure during pregnancy can be disruptive to the Maternal Brain Network. Though less drastic than misused opioids, OMTs may not be without risk of disrupting the neural and molecular structures of the Maternal Brain Network. This review describes the Maternal Brain Network as a framework for understanding how pharmacological differences in exogenous opioid exposure can disrupt the onset and maintenance of the maternal brain and summarizes opioid and OMT (in particular buprenorphine) use in the context of pregnancy and maternal behavior. This review also highlights future directions for evaluating exogenous opioid effects on the Maternal Brain Network in the hopes of raising awareness for the impact of the opioid crisis not only on exposed infants, but also on mothers and subsequent mother-infant bonds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chela M Wallin
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
| | - Scott E Bowen
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
| | - Susanne Brummelte
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
A Scientometric Approach to Review the Role of the Medial Preoptic Area (MPOA) in Parental Behavior. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11030393. [PMID: 33804634 PMCID: PMC8003755 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11030393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Research investigating the neural substrates underpinning parental behaviour has recently gained momentum. Particularly, the hypothalamic medial preoptic area (MPOA) has been identified as a crucial region for parenting. The current study conducted a scientometric analysis of publications from 1 January 1972 to 19 January 2021 using CiteSpace software to determine trends in the scientific literature exploring the relationship between MPOA and parental behaviour. In total, 677 scientific papers were analysed, producing a network of 1509 nodes and 5498 links. Four major clusters were identified: “C-Fos Expression”, “Lactating Rat”, “Medial Preoptic Area Interaction” and “Parental Behavior”. Their content suggests an initial trend in which the properties of the MPOA in response to parental behavior were studied, followed by a growing attention towards the presence of a brain network, including the reward circuits, regulating such behavior. Furthermore, while attention was initially directed uniquely to maternal behavior, it has recently been extended to the understanding of paternal behaviors as well. Finally, although the majority of the studies were conducted on rodents, recent publications broaden the implications of previous documents to human parental behavior, giving insight into the mechanisms underlying postpartum depression. Potential directions in future works were also discussed.
Collapse
|
7
|
Yu ZX, Li XY, Xu XH. Neural Circuit Mechanisms That Underlie Parental Care. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1284:49-62. [PMID: 32852740 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-7086-5_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
In mammals, parental care is essential for the survival of the young; therefore, it is vitally important to the propagation of the species. These behaviors, differing between the two sexes, are innate, stereotyped, and are also modified by an individual's reproductive experience. These characteristics suggest that neural mechanisms underlying parental behaviors are genetically hardwired, evolutionarily conserved as well as sexually differentiated and malleable to experiential changes. Classical lesion studies on neural control of parental behaviors, mostly done in rats, date back to the 1950s. Recent developments of new methods and tools in neuroscience, which allow precise targeting and activation/inhibition of specific populations of neurons and their projections to different brain structures, have afforded fresh opportunities to dissect and delineate the detailed neural circuit mechanisms that govern distinct components of parental behaviors in the genetically tractably organism, the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus). In this review, we summarize recent discoveries using modern neurobiological tools within the context of traditional lesion studies. In addition, we discuss interesting cross talk between neural circuits that govern parent care with those that regulate other innate behaviors such as feeding and mating.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Xian Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xing-Yu Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. .,Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
Killing of unrelated young by sexually naïve male mammals is taxonomically widespread, but in many species, males subsequently show paternal care or at least do not harm their own young. This dramatic and important change is due to a shift in paternal state rather than to recognition of young, the mother or the location in which mating occurred. This transition from infanticidal to paternal behaviour is timed so that the inhibition of infanticide is synchronized with the birth of their own young. Ejaculation followed by cohabitation with the pregnant female causes this transition, but the precise stimuli from the female remain elusive. However, changes in social status also cause changes in infanticide. The switch from infanticide is accompanied by physiological change in the male that can be detected by both females and pups. Hormonal changes have been implicated in the switch but establishing causal links has been difficult. Recent neuroanatomical studies show that pup odours activate the vomeronasal organ and its efferent projections to induce infanticide. The emergence of paternal care depends on the inability of the vomeronasal organ to detect pup odours. In the absence of vomeronasal input, pup odours activate a conserved parental circuit and induce caregiving behaviour. An emerging picture is of complex, antagonistic circuits competing for behavioural expression, which allow for males to commit infanticide when they may benefit from such activity but ensure that they do not damage their fitness by killing their own young. However, we stress the need for more work on the neural mechanisms that mediate this process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert W. Elwood
- Queen’s University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences, Belfast, U.K
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Paternal care in rodents: Ultimate causation and proximate mechanisms. RUSSIAN JOURNAL OF THERIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.19.1.01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
10
|
Romero-Morales L, Cárdenas M, Martínez-Torres M, Cárdenas R, Álvarez-Rodríguez C, Luis J. Estradiol and estrogen receptor α in the mPOA and MeA in dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli) fathers. Horm Behav 2020; 119:104653. [PMID: 31816282 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
E2 and its alpha receptor (ERα) have an essential role in the regulation of maternal behavior. In dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli), E2 facilitates the display of paternal care, and it is possible that ERα is part of the neuroendocrine mechanisms that regulate this behavior. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of copulation, cohabitation with the pregnant mate and the presence of the pups on paternal behavior, circulating E2 levels and the presence of ERα in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and medial amygdala (MeA) in dwarf hamsters. Eight males were mated with intact females (IFs), 8 with tubally ligated females (TLFs) and 8 with ovariectomized females (OFs). In males mated with IFs, paternal behavior tests were performed after copulation, halfway through pregnancy and 24 h after the birth of their pups. Males mated with TLFs were subjected to paternal behavior tests at equivalent periods as the males mated with IFs. In males mated with OFs, paternal behavior tests were performed on days 1, 5 and 10 of cohabitation. After the last paternal behavior tests, blood samples were taken for quantification of E2 by radioimmunoassay (RIA), and the brains were dissected to determine ERα immunoreactivity (ir) in the mPOA and MeA. Fathers mated with IFs had higher serum E2 concentrations and more ERα-ir cells in the mPOA than those of males mated with TLFs and OFs. These results suggest that E2 and its ERα may be associated with paternity in the dwarf hamster.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Romero-Morales
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, Mexico
| | - Mario Cárdenas
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición, Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Martín Martínez-Torres
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, Mexico
| | - Rene Cárdenas
- Laboratorio de Biología Experimental, Depto. De Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
| | - Carmen Álvarez-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, Mexico
| | - Juana Luis
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Lang DLY, Bamshad M, Dorcely R. Pattern of fos activation in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of male prairie vole's (Microtus ochrogaster) in response to infant-related stimuli. Brain Res 2019; 1714:119-125. [PMID: 30822390 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Revised: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Prairie voles are socially monogamous mammals that form pair bonds and display paternal care. This study was focused on the male prairie vole's neuronal responses to infant-related odors. Using the fos protein as a measure of neuronal activation, we examined the brain responses of males to infant-related odors. Prior to testing, the subjects had cohabited for two weeks with either a male sibling (Male-Cohabited) or an unrelated female (Female-Cohabited). Given that paternal behavior of male prairie voles is enhanced after two-weeks of cohabitation with a mate, we hypothesized that fos activation in brain regions involved in caring must be increased in response to infants or their odors but not in response to water or sub-adult odors. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the pattern of fos expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminals (BNST) two hours after Male-Cohabited and Female-Cohabited males were exposed to either two live infants or to odors of infants, sub-adults or water. Results showed differences in fos expression within the VTA between Male-Cohabited and Female-Cohabited subjects that were exposed to infants and infant odors. The type of cohabitation had no effect on fos expression within the BNST, but the pattern of fos activation in this region differed by the type of odor to which the subjects were exposed. Together, the data indicate that female sensory cues during post-mating cohabitation may be processed within the VTA to direct the male prairie vole's responses towards infants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Damaris-Lois Yamoah Lang
- Department of Natural Sciences, The City University Of New York - Hostos CC, Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451, United States.
| | - Maryam Bamshad
- Department of Biological Sciences, The City University Of New York - Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Blvd, Bronx, NY 10468, United States.
| | - Reginald Dorcely
- Department of Mathematics, The City University Of New York - Hostos CC, Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Keller M, Vandenberg LN, Charlier TD. The parental brain and behavior: A target for endocrine disruption. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 54:100765. [PMID: 31112731 PMCID: PMC6708493 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
During pregnancy, the sequential release of progesterone, 17β-estradiol, prolactin, oxytocin and placental lactogens reorganize the female brain. Brain structures such as the medial preoptic area, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the motivation network including the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens are reorganized by this specific hormonal schedule such that the future mother will be ready to provide appropriate care for her offspring right at parturition. Any disruption to this hormone pattern, notably by exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC), is therefore likely to affect the maternal brain and result in maladaptive maternal behavior. Development effects of EDCs have been the focus of intense study, but relatively little is known about how the maternal brain and behavior are affected by EDCs. We encourage further research to better understand how the physiological hormone sequence prepares the mother's brain and how EDC exposure could disturb this reorganization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Keller
- Laboratoire de Physiologie de la Reproduction & des Comportements, UMR 7247 INRA/CNRS/Université de Tours/IFCE, Nouzilly, France
| | - Laura N Vandenberg
- School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
| | - Thierry D Charlier
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail), UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Alteration in oxytocin levels induced by early social environment affects maternal behavior and estrogen receptor alpha in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus). Behav Brain Res 2019; 365:36-47. [PMID: 30802533 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.02.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Many studies have shown that the early social environment exerts long-term effects on the brain and also the parental behavior of adults. Oxytocin (OXT) is one of the most important neurotransmitters that regulate social behavior; howerve, whether the early social environment affects parental behavior via OXT remains unclear. Using socially monogamous adult mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), the present study found that 1) both paternal deprivation and early social deprivation significantly decreased OXT expression in both the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) and the supraoptic nucleus (SON) of F2 generation offspring; 2) systemic neonatal OXT injection in naïve animals promoted maternal but not paternal behavior in adult F2 offspring; 3) systemic neonatal OXT injection significantly increased ERα expression in both the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and the ventro medial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) in female but not in male mandarin voles; 4) systemic neonatal administration of an OXT antagonist significantly reduced ERα expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), VMH, and the arcuate hypothalamic nucleus (Arc) in females and in all examined brain regions in males. In summary, the obtained data demonstrate that the early social environment could affect OXT level, which in turn leads to long-term effects on ERα expression in relevant brain regions, consequently affecting maternal behavior but not paternal behavior.
Collapse
|
14
|
Horrell ND, Saltzman W, Hickmott PW. Plasticity of paternity: Effects of fatherhood on synaptic, intrinsic and morphological characteristics of neurons in the medial preoptic area of male California mice. Behav Brain Res 2019; 365:89-102. [PMID: 30802534 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.02.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Parental care by fathers enhances offspring survival and development in numerous species. In the biparental California mouse, Peromyscus californicus, behavioral plasticity is seen during the transition into fatherhood: adult virgin males often exhibit aggressive or indifferent responses to pups, whereas fathers engage in extensive paternal care. In this species and other biparental mammals, the onset of paternal behavior is associated with increased neural responsiveness to pups in specific brain regions, including the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus (MPOA), a region strongly implicated in both maternal and paternal behavior. To assess possible changes in neural circuit properties underlying this increased excitability, we evaluated synaptic, intrinsic, and morphological properties of MPOA neurons in adult male California mice that were either virgins or first-time fathers. We used standard whole-cell recordings in a novel in vitro slice preparation. Excitatory and inhibitory post-synaptic currents from MPOA neurons were recorded in response to local electrical stimulation, and input/output curves were constructed for each. Responses to trains of stimuli were also examined. We quantified intrinsic excitability by measuring voltage changes in response to square-pulse injections of both depolarizing and hyperpolarizing current. Biocytin was injected into neurons during recording, and their morphology was analyzed. Most parameters did not differ significantly between virgins and fathers. However, we document a decrease in synaptic inhibition in fathers. These findings suggest that the onset of paternal behavior in California mouse fathers may be associated with limited electrophysiological plasticity within the MPOA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan D Horrell
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States; Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States; Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States.
| | - Peter W Hickmott
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States; Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Reshetnikov VV, Kovner AV, Lepeshko AA, Pavlov KS, Grinkevich LN, Bondar NP. Stress early in life leads to cognitive impairments, reduced numbers of CA3 neurons and altered maternal behavior in adult female mice. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2018; 19:e12541. [DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliy V. Reshetnikov
- Laboratory of Gene Expression RegulationInstitute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS) Novosibirsk Russia
| | - Anna V. Kovner
- Laboratory of Molecular Mechanisms of Pathological ProcessesInstitute of Cytology and Genetics, SB RAS Novosibirsk Russia
| | - Arina A. Lepeshko
- Laboratory of Gene Expression RegulationInstitute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS) Novosibirsk Russia
- Novosibirsk National Research State University Novosibirsk Russia
| | - Konstantin S. Pavlov
- Laboratory of Experimental Models of Emotional PathologiesInstitute of Physiology and Basic Medicine Novosibirsk Russia
| | - Larisa N. Grinkevich
- Laboratory of Regulation of Functions of Brain NeuronsPavlov Institute of Physiology, RAS St. Petersburg Russia
| | - Natalya P. Bondar
- Laboratory of Gene Expression RegulationInstitute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS) Novosibirsk Russia
- Novosibirsk National Research State University Novosibirsk Russia
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
DeAngelis R, Dodd L, Snyder A, Rhodes JS. Dynamic regulation of brain aromatase and isotocin receptor gene expression depends on parenting status. Horm Behav 2018; 103:62-70. [PMID: 29928890 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Fathering behavior is critical for offspring survival in many species across diverse taxa, but our understanding of the neuroendocrine mechanisms regulating paternal care is limited in part because of the few primarily paternal species among the common animal models. However, many teleosts display primarily paternal care, and among the teleosts, anemonefish species are particularly well suited for isolating molecular mechanisms of fathering as they perform parental care in isolation of many other typically competing behaviors such as territorial defense and nest building. The goal of this study was to determine the extent to which whole brain gene expression levels of isotocin receptors, arginine vasotocin receptors, and aromatase as well as circulating levels of the bioactive sex steroid hormones estradiol (E2) and 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) vary in association with parenting behavior in Amphiprion ocellaris. Brain aromatase and IT receptor gene expression were higher in both males and females that were parenting versus not. IT receptor expression was overall higher in males than females, which we interpret is a reflection of the greater parental effort that males display. Aromatase was overall higher in females than males, which we conclude is related to the higher circulating E2, which crosses into the brain and increases aromatase transcription. Results suggest both aromatase and IT receptors are dynamically upregulated in the brains of A. ocellaris males and females to support high levels of parental effort.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ross DeAngelis
- Program for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | - Logan Dodd
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Amanda Snyder
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Justin S Rhodes
- Program for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Romero-Morales L, Martínez-Torres M, Cárdenas M, Álvarez C, Carmona A, Cedillo B, Loya-Zurita E, Luis J. An increase in estradiol facilitates the onset of paternal behavior in the dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli). Horm Behav 2018; 99:35-40. [PMID: 29425672 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [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: 08/30/2017] [Revised: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In the dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli), activational effects of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) in the regulation of paternal behavior have been repeatedly rejected because peripheral concentrations of E2 do not change across the reproductive cycle of males. Further, castration no affected paternal behavior despite that both T and E2 concentrations decreased significantly. However, the role of these hormones has not been evaluated in models of castration and hormonal replacement in virgin males. Here, we analysed the effects of E2 and T in paternal behavior in virgin male dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli). Thirty paternal (PAT) males were bilaterally castrated; of them, 10 were implanted with T, 10 with E2 and 10 males received no treatment. Other 10 PAT males underwent sham-castration. Seventeen aggressive (AGG) males were also bilaterally castrated; of these, 10 AGG received E2 replacement, 7 were not treated. Other 7 AGG males were submitted to sham-castration. Following treatments, paternal behavior tests were conducted again. T and E2 levels in plasma were quantified by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The results showed that the treatments did not affect the paternal behavior of males that were initially paternal. Neither castration nor sham-castration surgery affected the behavior of AGG males. However, when these males were treated with E2 and the concentrations of this hormone increase significantly they became paternal. Our data suggest that an increase in E2 levels shifted infanticidal behavior to paternal behavior in dwarf hamster.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Romero-Morales
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, Mexico
| | - Martín Martínez-Torres
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, Mexico
| | - Mario Cárdenas
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición, Salvador Zurbirán, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Carmen Álvarez
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, Mexico
| | - Agustín Carmona
- Laboratorio de Biología Experimental, Depto. De Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico.
| | - Benita Cedillo
- Psicología Experimental, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, Mexico
| | - Eduardo Loya-Zurita
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, Mexico
| | - Juana Luis
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, UMF, FES Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. de los Barrios No. 1, Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Kohl J, Dulac C. Neural control of parental behaviors. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 49:116-122. [PMID: 29482085 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Parenting is a multicomponent social behavior that is essential for the survival of offspring in many species. Despite extensive characterization of individual brain areas involved in parental care, we do not fully understand how discrete aspects of this behavior are orchestrated at the neural circuit level. Recent progress in identifying genetically specified neuronal populations critical for parenting, and the use of genetic and viral tools for circuit-cracking now allow us to deconstruct the underlying circuitry and, thus, to elucidate how different aspects of parental care are controlled. Here we review the latest advances, outline possible organizational principles of parental circuits and discuss future challenges.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Kohl
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Dulac
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Zilkha N, Scott N, Kimchi T. Sexual Dimorphism of Parental Care: From Genes to Behavior. Annu Rev Neurosci 2017; 40:273-305. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-072116-031447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Noga Zilkha
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Niv Scott
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
- Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Tali Kimchi
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Fang Q, Wang J. Place preferences associated with pups or cocaine change the expression of D2R, V1aR and OTR in the NAcc and MeA and the levels of plasma AVP, OT, T and E2 in mandarin vole fathers. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 80:147-154. [PMID: 28371737 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2016] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Drug abuse often has negative impacts on parenting behavior. The dopamine (DA), arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) systems are involved in paternal behavior and drug-induced behaviors. Mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus) are socially monogamous rodents with high levels of paternal behavior. The aims of this study were to examine the protein expression levels of the DA 2-type receptor (D2R), AVP receptor 1A(V1aR) and OT receptor (OTR) in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and medial amygdala (MeA) as well as the plasma hormone responses after mandarin vole fathers were conditioned with their pups or cocaine. Our experimental models are based on the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. We observed CPP in response to either pup- or cocaine-associated cues in the mandarin vole fathers. Fathers that were conditioned to either pups or cocaine had a lower expression of D2R and V1aR in the NAcc than did controls. Fathers that were conditioned to pups had higher levels of OTR expression in the MeA and higher plasma levels of AVP, OT, estradiol (E2), and lower plasma levels of testosterone (T) than did controls. Fathers that were conditioned to cocaine exhibited lower levels of plasma AVP and T. These results indicate that the reward effects of pup and cocaine are both mediated by D2R, V1aR and OTR in the NAcc and MeA and that there are subtle differences between the pup and cocaine reward mechanisms that are associated with altered plasma AVP, OT, T and E2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Fang
- College of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Beifang University of Nationalities, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China; College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710062, China
| | - Jianli Wang
- College of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Beifang University of Nationalities, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Abstract
Social interactions are essential for animals to reproduce, defend their territory, and raise their young. The conserved nature of social behaviors across animal species suggests that the neural pathways underlying the motivation for, and the execution of, specific social responses are also maintained. Modern tools of neuroscience have offered new opportunities for dissecting the molecular and neural mechanisms controlling specific social responses. We will review here recent insights into the neural circuits underlying a particularly fascinating and important form of social interaction, that of parental care. We will discuss how these findings open new avenues to deconstruct infant-directed behavioral control in males and females, and to help understand the neural basis of parenting in a variety of animal species, including humans. Please also see the video abstract here.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Kohl
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London, UK
| | - Anita E. Autry
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Dulac
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Bales KL, Saltzman W. Fathering in rodents: Neurobiological substrates and consequences for offspring. Horm Behav 2016; 77:249-59. [PMID: 26122293 PMCID: PMC4691427 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Paternal care, though rare among mammals, is routinely displayed by several species of rodents. Here we review the neuroanatomical and hormonal bases of paternal behavior, as well as the behavioral and neuroendocrine consequences of paternal behavior for offspring. Fathering behavior is subserved by many of the same neural substrates which are also involved in maternal behavior (for example, the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus). While gonadal hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone, as well as hypothalamic neuropeptides such as oxytocin and vasopressin, and the pituitary hormone prolactin, are implicated in the activation of paternal behavior, there are significant gaps in our knowledge of their actions, as well as pronounced differences between species. Removal of the father in biparental species has long-lasting effects on behavior, as well as on these same neuroendocrine systems, in offspring. Finally, individual differences in paternal behavior can have similarly long-lasting, if more subtle, effects on offspring behavior. Future studies should examine similar outcome measures in multiple species, including both biparental species and closely related uniparental species. Careful phylogenetic analyses of the neuroendocrine systems presumably important to male parenting, as well as their patterns of gene expression, will also be important in establishing the next generation of hypotheses regarding the regulation of male parenting behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA; California National Primate Research Center, USA.
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
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]
|
25
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Yu P, Zhang H, Li X, He F, Tai F. Early bi-parental separation or neonatal paternal deprivation in mandarin voles reduces adult offspring paternal behavior and alters serum corticosterone levels and neurochemistry. Horm Behav 2015; 73:8-14. [PMID: 26012712 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2014] [Revised: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 05/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Although the effect of early social environments on maternal care in adulthood has been examined in detail, few studies have addressed the long-term effect on paternal care and its underlying neuroendocrine mechanisms. Here, using monogamous mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus) that show high levels of paternal care, the effects of early bi-parental separation (EBPS) or neonatal paternal deprivation (NPD) on adult paternal behavior, serum corticosterone levels, and receptor mRNA expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and medial preoptic area (MPOA) were investigated. Compared to the parental care group (PC), we found that EBPS reduced crouching behavior and increased inactivity, self-grooming, and serum corticosterone levels in adult offspring; and NPD significantly reduced retrieval behavior and increased self-grooming behavior of offspring at adulthood. EBPS displayed more dopamine type I receptor (D1R) mRNA expression in the NAcc, but less oxytocin receptor (OTR) mRNA expression than PC in the MPOA. Both EBPS and NPD exhibited more mRNA expression of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) than PC in the MPOA. In the EBPS group, increased serum corticosterone concentration was closely associated with reduced crouching behavior, and reduced expression of OTR was closely associated with altered crouching behavior and increased D1R expression. Our results provide substantial evidence that EBPS or NPD has long-term consequences and reduces paternal behavior in adult animals. Importantly the oxytocin system in the MPOA might interact with NAcc dopamine systems to regulate paternal behavior and EBPS may affect interactions between the MPOA and NAcc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peng Yu
- Institute of Behavioral and Physical Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China; Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Institute of Behavioral and Physical Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
| | - Xibo Li
- Institute of Behavioral and Physical Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
| | - Fengqin He
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Biotechnology, Xi'an University of Arts and Science, Xi'an 710065, Shaanxi, China
| | - Fadao Tai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, Shaanxi, China.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Nuclear receptors in transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 118:34-43. [PMID: 25792088 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2015.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2014] [Revised: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear Receptors are ligand-activated transcription factors that translate information about the lipid environment into specific genetic programs, a property that renders them good candidates to be mediators of rapid adaptation changes of a species. Lipid-based morphogens, endocrine hormones, fatty acids and xenobiotics might act through this class of transcription factors making them regulators able to fine-tune physiological processes. Here we review the basic concepts and current knowledge on the process whereby small molecules act through nuclear receptors and contribute to transgenerational changes. Several molecules shown to cause transgenerational changes like phthalates, BPA, nicotine, tributylin bind and activate nuclear receptors like ERs, androgen receptors, glucocorticoid receptors or PPARγ. A specific subset of observations involving nuclear receptors has focused on the effects of environmental stress or maternal behaviour on the development of transgenerational traits. While these effects do not involve environmental ligands, they change the expression levels of Estrogen and glucocorticoid receptors of the second generation and consequently initiate an altered genetic program in the second generation. In this review we summarize the available literature about the role of nuclear receptors in transgenerational inheritance.
Collapse
|
28
|
Li Y, Lian Z, Wang B, Tai F, Wu R, Hao P, Qiao X. Natural variation in paternal behavior is associated with central estrogen receptor alpha and oxytocin levels. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2015; 201:285-93. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-015-0979-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2014] [Revised: 12/07/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
|
29
|
Swain JE, Kim P, Spicer J, Ho SS, Dayton CJ, Elmadih A, Abel KM. Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers. Brain Res 2014; 1580:78-101. [PMID: 24637261 PMCID: PMC4157077 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 201] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2013] [Revised: 02/11/2014] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Brain networks that govern parental response to infant signals have been studied with imaging techniques over the last 15 years. The complex interaction of thoughts and behaviors required for sensitive parenting enables the formation of each individual's first social bonds and critically shapes development. This review concentrates on magnetic resonance imaging experiments which directly examine the brain systems involved in parental responses to infant cues. First, we introduce themes in the literature on parental brain circuits studied to date. Next, we present a thorough chronological review of state-of-the-art fMRI studies that probe the parental brain with a range of baby audio and visual stimuli. We also highlight the putative role of oxytocin and effects of psychopathology, as well as the most recent work on the paternal brain. Taken together, a new model emerges in which we propose that cortico-limbic networks interact to support parental brain responses to infants. These include circuitry for arousal/salience/motivation/reward, reflexive/instrumental caring, emotion response/regulation and integrative/complex cognitive processing. Maternal sensitivity and the quality of caregiving behavior are likely determined by the responsiveness of these circuits during early parent-infant experiences. The function of these circuits is modifiable by current and early-life experiences, hormonal and other factors. Severe deviation from the range of normal function in these systems is particularly associated with (maternal) mental illnesses - commonly, depression and anxiety, but also schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Finally, we discuss the limits and extent to which brain imaging may broaden our understanding of the parental brain given our current model. Developments in the understanding of the parental brain may have profound implications for long-term outcomes in families across risk, resilience and possible interventions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Oxytocin and Social Behav.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J E Swain
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, USA; Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, USA.
| | - P Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, USA
| | - J Spicer
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, USA
| | - S S Ho
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, USA
| | - C J Dayton
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, USA; School of Social Work, Wayne State University, USA
| | - A Elmadih
- Centre for Women׳s Mental Health, Institute of Brain Behaviour and Mental Health, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, UK
| | - K M Abel
- Centre for Women׳s Mental Health, Institute of Brain Behaviour and Mental Health, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, UK
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Swain J, Dayton C, Kim P, Tolman R, Volling B. PROGRESS ON THE PATERNAL BRAIN: THEORY, ANIMAL MODELS, HUMAN BRAIN RESEARCH, AND MENTAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS. Infant Ment Health J 2014; 35:394-408. [PMID: 25798491 DOI: 10.1002/imhj.21471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
With a secure foundation in basic research across mammalian species in which fathers participate in the raising of young, novel brain-imaging approaches are outlining a set of consistent brain circuits that regulate paternal thoughts and behaviors in humans. The newest experimental paradigms include increasingly realistic baby-stimuli to provoke paternal cognitions and behaviors with coordinated hormone measures to outline brain networks that regulate motivation, reflexive caring, emotion regulation, and social brain networks with differences and similarities to those found in mothers. In this article, on the father brain, we review all brain-imaging studies on PubMed to date on the human father brain and introduce the topic with a selection of theoretical models and foundational neurohormonal research on animal models in support of the human work. We discuss potentially translatable models for the identification and treatment of paternal mood and father-child relational problems, which could improve infant mental health and developmental trajectories with potentially broad public health importance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J.E. Swain
- University of Michigan and Yale University
| | - C.J. Dayton
- Wayne State University and University of Michigan
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Abstract
Fathering plays an important role in infants' socioemotional and cognitive development. Previous studies have identified brain regions that are important for parenting behavior in human mothers. However, the neural basis of parenting in human fathers is largely unexplored. In the current longitudinal study, we investigated structural changes in fathers' brains during the first 4 months postpartum using voxel-based morphometry analysis. Biological fathers (n = 16) with full-term, healthy infants were scanned at 2-4 weeks postpartum (time 1) and at 12-16 weeks postpartum (time 2). Fathers exhibited increase in gray matter (GM) volume in several neural regions involved in parental motivation, including the hypothalamus, amygdala, striatum, and lateral prefrontal cortex. On the other hand, fathers exhibited decreases in GM volume in the orbitofrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and insula. The findings provide evidence for neural plasticity in fathers' brains. We also discuss the distinct patterns of associations among neural changes, postpartum mood symptoms, and parenting behaviors among fathers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pilyoung Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO 80208-3500
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06510
| | - Paola Rigo
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race Street, Denver, CO 80208-3500
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, 38122 Italy
| | - Linda C. Mayes
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06510
- The Anna Freud Centre, 12 Maresfield Gardens, London NW3 5SD, United Kingdom
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06510
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, 52900, Israel
| | - James F. Leckman
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06510
| | - James E Swain
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06510
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychology, Center for Human Growth and Development, Women and Infants Mental Health Program, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Sandini TM, Udo MS, Reis‐Silva TM, Bernardi MM, Spinosa HDS. Prenatal exposure to integerrimine N‐oxide impaired the maternal care and the physical and behavioral development of offspring rats. Int J Dev Neurosci 2014; 36:53-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2014.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Revised: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 05/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thaísa M. Sandini
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological AnalysesFaculty of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of São PauloAv. Prof. Dr. Lineu Prestes, 58005508‐000São PauloBrazil
| | - Mariana S.B. Udo
- Department of Clinical and Toxicological AnalysesFaculty of Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of São PauloAv. Prof. Dr. Lineu Prestes, 58005508‐000São PauloBrazil
| | - Thiago M. Reis‐Silva
- Department of NeuroscienceInstitute of PsychologyUniversity of São PauloAv. Prof. Dr. Melo de Morais, 172105508‐030São PauloBrazil
| | - Maria Martha Bernardi
- Graduate Program of Environmental and Experimental Pathology and Graduate Program DentistryPaulista University, UNIPRua Dr. Bacelar, 121204026‐002São PauloBrazil
| | - Helenice de S. Spinosa
- Department of PathologySchool of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of Sao PauloAv. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 8705508 270São PauloBrazil
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Kenny SL, Wright LD, Green AD, Mashoodh R, Perrot TS. Expression of maternal behavior and activation of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis during predatory threat exposure: Modulatory effects of transport stress. Physiol Behav 2014; 123:148-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2013] [Accepted: 08/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
34
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan P Perea-Rodriguez
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, 3386 Spieth Hall, Riverside, CA, 92521
| | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Gromov VS, Voznesenskaya VV. Care of young, aggressiveness, and secretion of testosterone in male rodents: A correlation analysis. BIOL BULL+ 2013. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359013050063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
36
|
siRNA silencing of estrogen receptor-α expression specifically in medial preoptic area neurons abolishes maternal care in female mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:16324-9. [PMID: 22988120 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1214094109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The medial preoptic area has been shown to be intricately involved in many behaviors, including locomotion, sexual behavior, maternal care, and aggression. The gene encoding estrogen receptor-α (ERα) protein is expressed in preoptic area neurons, and a very dense immunoreactive field of ERα is found in the preoptic region. ERα knockout animals show deficits in maternal care and sexual behavior and fail to exhibit increases in these behaviors in response to systemic estradiol treatment. In the present study, we used viral-vector mediated RNA interference to silence ERα expression specifically in the preoptic area of female mice and measured a variety of behaviors, including social and sexual aggression, maternal care, and arousal activity. Suppression of ERα in the preoptic area almost completely abolished maternal care, significantly increasing the latency to pup retrieval and significantly reducing the time the moms spent nursing and licking the pups. Strikingly, maternal aggression toward a male intruder was not different between control and preoptic ERα-silenced mice, demonstrating the remarkably specific role of ERα in these neurons. Reduction of ERα expression in preoptic neurons significantly decreased sexual behavior in female mice and increased aggression toward both sexual partners and male intruders in a seminatural environment. Estrogen-dependent increases in arousal, measured by home cage activity, were not mediated by ERα expression in the preoptic neurons we targeted, as ERα-suppressed mice had increases similar to control mice. Thus, we have established that a specific gene in a specific group of neurons is required for a crucially important natural behavior.
Collapse
|
37
|
Bâ A. Perinatal thiamine deficiency-induced spontaneous abortion and pup-killing responses in rat dams. Nutr Neurosci 2012; 16:69-77. [PMID: 22889588 DOI: 10.1179/1476830512y.0000000032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The current study attempts to determine whether thiamine (B1 vitamin) deficiency and chronic alcohol-related thiamine-deficient (TD) status, disturb maternal behavior towards pups. METHODS During gestation and lactation, Wistar rat dams were exposed to the following treatments: (i) prenatal TD dams; (ii) perinatal TD dams; (iii) postnatal TD dams; (iv) 12% alcohol/water drinking mothers; (v) ad libitum control dams. Pair-feeding treatments controlled malnutrition related to thiamine deficiency; (vi) prenatal pair-fed (PF) dams; (vii) perinatal PF dams; (viii) postnatal PF dams and included also the control of alcohol consummation: (ix) PF saccharose dams. Dams were observed for gestation outcome and for apparent disorders of the maternal behavior related to the pups at parturition. RESULTS From the nine experimental groups studied, only pre- and perinatal TD dams exhibited spontaneous abortion (33.36 and 41.66%, respectively) followed by pups-killing responses where, respectively, 4 dams/7 (57.14%) and 5 dams/7 (71.43%) showed disruption of maternal behavior and appearance of cannibalism towards pups which all were killed within 48 hours after parturition. Spontaneous abortion and pup-killing responses were not observed in the dams of any other experimental group, suggesting that perinatal disturbances of hormonal factors underlay these maternal disorders. DISCUSSION Previous studies reported that thiamine deficiency-induced degeneration of dopamine neurons may be related to mouse-killing aggression in rats. The present study suggests that perinatal thiamine deficiency-induced alteration of dopaminergic neurons in maternal brain could be a trigger factor of pup-killing responses. Central dopamine and oxytocin have been strongly associated with both the onset and maintenance of maternal behavior and the regulation of maternal aggressiveness as well. Our studies suggest that estrogen control oxytocin levels in brain structures of pregnancy-terminated rats via dopamine transmission. Thiamine may modulate cAMP/Ca2+ -dependent estradiol-triggered responses which in turn control dopamine synthesis. Consequently, thiamine deficiency induced perinatally triggers pup-killing responses in pregnancy-terminated rats by the following toxic effects: (i) disturbances of estrogen production and/or release affecting dopamine synthesis; (ii) alterations of dopamine inhibition on central oxytocinergic system-related maternal aggressiveness. Likewise, our results indicate also that perinatal thiamine deficiency alone induces spontaneous abortion, reduces litter size, and lowers birth weight, which together suggest changing in the fetoplacental estrogen receptor alpha/progesterone receptor A ratio during gestation, via autocrine/paracrine regulation disturbances. Those hypotheses should be confirmed by further investigations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abdoulaye Bâ
- Université de Cocody, UFR Biosciences, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
RAFACZ MICHELLEL, MARGULIS SUE, SANTYMIRE RACHELM. Hormonal Correlates of Paternal Care Differences in the Hylobatidae. Am J Primatol 2012; 74:247-60. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.21994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
|
39
|
Jia R, Tai F, An S, Zhang X. Neonatal paternal deprivation or early deprivation reduces adult parental behavior and central estrogen receptor α expression in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus). Behav Brain Res 2011; 224:279-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.05.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2010] [Revised: 04/30/2011] [Accepted: 05/31/2011] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
|
40
|
Stolzenberg DS, Numan M. Hypothalamic interaction with the mesolimbic DA system in the control of the maternal and sexual behaviors in rats. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2011; 35:826-47. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2010] [Revised: 10/05/2010] [Accepted: 10/06/2010] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
|
41
|
Song Z, Tai F, Yu C, Wu R, Zhang X, Broders H, He F, Guo R. Sexual or paternal experiences alter alloparental behavior and the central expression of ERα and OT in male mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus). Behav Brain Res 2010; 214:290-300. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.05.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2010] [Revised: 05/21/2010] [Accepted: 05/25/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
42
|
Pawluski JL, Barakauskas VE, Galea LAM. Pregnancy decreases oestrogen receptor alpha expression and pyknosis, but not cell proliferation or survival, in the hippocampus. J Neuroendocrinol 2010; 22:248-57. [PMID: 20136685 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2010.01960.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Motherhood differentially affects learning and memory performance and this effect depends on reproductive experience. In turn, evidence suggests that the effects of oestradiol on learning and memory are mediated through binding to oestrogen receptors in the hippocampus and that this is related to hippocampal neurogenesis. The present study investigated the effect of pregnancy and reproductive experience on ERalpha expression throughout the hippocampus, as well as cell proliferation, new cell survival and cell death (as measured by pyknotic cells) in the granule cell layer of the hippocampus. Three groups of female Sprague-Dawley rats were used: virgin, primigravid and multigravid. All rats were injected with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU; 200 mg/kg) on the afternoon of impregnation and at matched time-points in virgins. Rats were perfused either during early pregnancy (gestation day 1) or late pregnancy (gestation day 21) after BrdU injection. The results obtained show that, during late pregnancy, females, whether first or second pregnancy, have fewer ERalpha-positive cells in the CA3 region of the dorsal hippocampus than virgin females. In addition during early pregnancy, females have significantly fewer pyknotic cells in the granule cell layer than virgin females. There were no other differences between groups in the number of ERalpha-positive, BrdU-positive or pyknotic cells. Future studies will aim to investigate the mechanisms and consequences of the alteration in ERalpha expression in the hippocampus during late pregnancy, as well as the possible changes in ERbeta expression at this time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J L Pawluski
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Psychology and Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Kentner AC, Abizaid A, Bielajew C. Modeling dad: animal models of paternal behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2009; 34:438-51. [PMID: 19744516 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2009] [Revised: 08/31/2009] [Accepted: 08/31/2009] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
In humans, paternal behaviors have a strong influence on the emotional and social development of children. Fathers, more frequently than mothers, leave the family nucleus, and/or become abusive, leading to offspring that are more likely to grow under stressful conditions and greater susceptibility to abnormal health and social outcomes. Literature on parental behaviors, human or animal, has primarily focused on the interactions between mothers and offspring, with little research directed at understanding paternal behavior. In animal studies, experimenters correlate paternal behaviors with those seen in rodent or primate mothers, often under situations in which behaviors such as nest protection, huddling, pup grooming, and retrieval are artificially induced. In humans, the majority of the studies have looked at paralleling hormonal changes in fathers with those occurring in mothers, or observed paternal behaviors in populations with specific anthropological backgrounds. These studies reveal commonalities in parental behaviors and their underlying neural circuits. However, this work highlights the possibility that paternal behavior has components that are strictly masculine with unique neurobiological mechanisms. This review summarizes this information and provides a current view of a topic that needs further exploration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda C Kentner
- Hotckiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Sakai M, Yamanouchi K. Effects of Estrogen, Androgen, and Phytoestrogen on Retrieving and Licking Behaviors in Nulliparous and Male Rats. Zoolog Sci 2007; 24:894-8. [DOI: 10.2108/zsj.24.894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2007] [Accepted: 04/28/2007] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
45
|
Wynne-Edwards KE, Timonin ME. Paternal care in rodents: weakening support for hormonal regulation of the transition to behavioral fatherhood in rodent animal models of biparental care. Horm Behav 2007; 52:114-21. [PMID: 17482188 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2007] [Revised: 03/27/2007] [Accepted: 03/28/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Male rodents that are naturally paternal, like all females, must inhibit infanticide and activate direct parental behavior as they become parents. Males, however, alter their behavior in the absence of parturition, postpartum ovulation and lactation, and therefore do not experience the hormone dynamics associated with such conditions. Paternal males might nevertheless use the same hormones to activate pre-existing maternal behavior pathways in the brain. Positive and inverse associations between prolactin, sex steroids (estradiol, testosterone, progesterone), glucocorticoids, oxytocin and vasopressin and paternal behavior are reviewed. Across biparental rodents (Phodopus campbelli, Peromyscus californicus, Microtus ochrogaster, and Meriones unguiculatus), as well as non-human primates and men, hormone-behavior associations are broadly supported. However, experimental manipulations (largely restricted to P. campbelli) suggest that the co-variation of hormones and paternal behavior is not causal in paternal behavior. Perhaps the hormone-behavior associations shared by P. campbelli and other paternal males are important for other challenges at the same time as fatherhood (e.g., mating during the postpartum estrus). On the other hand, each paternal species might, instead, have unique neuroendocrine pathways to parental behavior. In the latter case, future comparisons might reveal extraordinary plasticity in how the brain forms social bonds and alters behavior in family groups.
Collapse
|
46
|
Olazábal DE, Young LJ. Species and individual differences in juvenile female alloparental care are associated with oxytocin receptor density in the striatum and the lateral septum. Horm Behav 2006; 49:681-7. [PMID: 16442534 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2005] [Revised: 12/08/2005] [Accepted: 12/08/2005] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin has been implicated in the regulation of affiliative behavior and maternal responsiveness in several mammalian species. Rodent species vary considerably in the expression of juvenile alloparental behavior. For example, alloparental behavior is spontaneous in juvenile female prairie voles (approximately 20 days of age), takes 1-3 days of pup exposure to develop in juvenile rats, and is nearly absent in juvenile mice and meadow voles. Here, we tested the hypothesis that species differences in pup responsiveness in juvenile rodents are associated with oxytocin receptor (OTR) density in specific brain regions. We found that OTR density in the nucleus accumbens (NA) is highest in juvenile prairie voles, intermediate in juvenile rats, and lowest in juvenile mice and meadow voles. In the caudate putamen (CP), OTR binding was highest in prairie voles, intermediate in rats and meadow voles, and lowest in mice. In contrast, the lateral septum (LS) shows an opposite pattern, with OTR binding being high in mice and meadow voles and low in prairie voles and rats. Thus, alloparental responsiveness in juvenile rodents is positively correlated with OTR density in the NA and CP and negatively correlated with OTR density in the LS. We then investigated whether a similar receptor-behavior relationship exists among juvenile female prairie voles by correlating individual variation in alloparental behavior with variation in OTR density. The time spent adopting crouching postures, the most distinctive component of alloparental behavior in juveniles, was positively correlated with OTR density in the NA (r = 0.47) and CP (r = 0.45) and negatively correlated with OTR density in the lateral septum (r = -0.53). Thus, variation in OTR density in the NA, CP, and LS may underlie both species and individual differences in alloparental care in rodents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D E Olazábal
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, and Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Hume JM, Wynne-Edwards KE. Paternal responsiveness in biparental dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli) does not require estradiol. Horm Behav 2006; 49:538-44. [PMID: 16458311 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2005] [Revised: 11/24/2005] [Accepted: 11/25/2005] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Males of the biparental hamster species Phodopus campbelli act as midwives and are responsive to an experimentally displaced pup. Males also have peripheral estradiol concentrations that are similar to conspecific females. Castration reduces peripheral estradiol, yet does not affect paternal responsiveness despite the known role of estradiol in maternal behavior. Synthesis of estradiol within the central nervous system, however, might not be affected by castration. Males received implants of osmotic pumps containing the aromatase inhibitor letrozole to reduce both peripheral and central estradiol concentrations. Though estradiol was effectively reduced, it had no effect on paternal responsiveness or reproductive success. Neither testosterone nor aggression directed towards an intruder was altered. Results support the emerging conclusion that estradiol is not required for the exceptional paternal behavior of male P. campbelli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna M Hume
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
| | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alison S Fleming
- Department of Pyschology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Hume JM, Wynne-Edwards KE. Castration reduces male testosterone, estradiol, and territorial aggression, but not paternal behavior in biparental dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli). Horm Behav 2005; 48:303-10. [PMID: 15925370 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2005] [Revised: 04/03/2005] [Accepted: 04/04/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Biparental male hamsters, Phodopus campbelli, act as midwives during the birth of their litter and are highly responsive to an experimentally displaced pup. They also have high peripheral concentrations of estradiol, a hormone with known roles in maternal behavior. Surgical castration during the gestation of their first litter was used to investigate the source of that estradiol and the functional role of testicular sex steroids in paternal responsiveness. In Experiment I, castration reduced both testosterone and estradiol concentrations, confirming that the testes were the primary source of estradiol. However, neither paternal responsiveness nor multiple measures of reproductive success were altered by the castration. Aggression directed towards an intruder, however, was reduced by castration. In Experiment II, removal of prior experience with birth or pups also failed to alter paternal responsiveness in castrated males. Although the present results do not preclude a role for local estradiol synthesis in the brain, results do not support an association between high circulating estradiol in males and their paternal behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna M Hume
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
| | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Arabo A, Lefebvre M, Fermanel M, Caston J. Administration of 17alpha-ethinylestradiol during pregnancy elicits modifications of maternal behavior and emotional alteration of the offspring in the rat. BRAIN RESEARCH. DEVELOPMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH 2005; 156:93-103. [PMID: 15862632 DOI: 10.1016/j.devbrainres.2005.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2004] [Revised: 02/07/2005] [Accepted: 02/08/2005] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Intraperitoneal administration of 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (15 microg.kg(-1)) in pregnant rats, every day from day 9 to day 14 of pregnancy, elicited a high percentage of abortions. Quantification of maternal behavior showed that treated dams took better care of their pups than control dams, injected with the vehicle only, did. Postnatal reflexes, which reflect maturational rate, were established more promptly in the offspring of treated dams than in the offspring of control dams. However, when adult, the rats born from treated dams developed anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors. All these results are explained by the effects of the exogenous estrogen on the developing brain of the fetuses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Arabo
- Université de Rouen, Faculté des Sciences, UPRES EA 1780 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan Cedex, France
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|