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Puska G, Szendi V, Dobolyi A. Lateral septum as a possible regulatory center of maternal behaviors. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105683. [PMID: 38649125 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The lateral septum (LS) is involved in controlling anxiety, aggression, feeding, and other motivated behaviors. Lesion studies have also implicated the LS in various forms of caring behaviors. Recently, novel experimental tools have provided a more detailed insight into the function of the LS, including the specific role of distinct cell types and their neuronal connections in behavioral regulations, in which the LS participates. This article discusses the regulation of different types of maternal behavioral alterations using the distributions of established maternal hormones such as prolactin, estrogens, and the neuropeptide oxytocin. It also considers the distribution of neurons activated in mothers in response to pups and other maternal activities, as well as gene expressional alterations in the maternal LS. Finally, this paper proposes further research directions to keep up with the rapidly developing knowledge on maternal behavioral control in other maternal brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Puska
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Department of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Vivien Szendi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Arpád Dobolyi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
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2
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Porras A, Rodney-Hernández P, Nguyen C, Rincón-Cortés M. Effects of sensory overstimulation in postpartum rats. Physiol Behav 2024; 280:114547. [PMID: 38614418 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Research in rodents has shown that exposure to excessive early life audiovisual stimulation leads to altered anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive deficits. Since this period of stimulation typically begins prior to weaning, newborn rodents receive sensory overstimulation (SOS) as a litter within their home cage while the dam is present. However, the effects of SOS during the postpartum period remain unexplored. To this end, we adapted an SOS paradigm for use in rats and exposed rat dams and their litters from postpartum days (PD) 10-23. Maternal observations were conducted to determine whether SOS produced changes in positive and/or negative maternal behaviors. Next, we assessed changes in anxiety-like behavior and cognition by testing dams in the elevated zero maze, open field, and novel object recognition tests. To assess potential effects on HPA-axis function, levels of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) were measured approximately 1-week after the cessation of SOS exposure. Our results indicate increased nursing and licking in SOS dams compared to controls, although SOS dams also exhibited significant increases in pup dragging. Moreover, SOS dams exhibited reduced self-care behaviors and nest-building compared to control dams. No differences were found for anxiety-like behaviors, object recognition memory, or CORT levels. This study is the first to assess the impact of postpartum SOS exposure in rat dams. Our findings suggest an SOS-induced enhancement in positive caregiving, but limited impact in all other measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abishag Porras
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, United States
| | - Paolaenid Rodney-Hernández
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, United States
| | - Christine Nguyen
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, United States
| | - Millie Rincón-Cortés
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, United States.
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3
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Massenet M, Philippe R, Pisanski K, Arnaud V, Barluet de Beauchesne L, Reynaud K, Mathevon N, Reby D. Puppy whines mediate maternal behavior in domestic dogs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2316818121. [PMID: 38768360 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316818121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
In mammals, offspring vocalizations typically encode information about identity and body condition, allowing parents to limit alloparenting and adjust care. But how do these vocalizations mediate parental behavior in species faced with the problem of rearing not one, but multiple offspring, such as domestic dogs? Comprehensive acoustic analyses of 4,400 whines recorded from 220 Beagle puppies in 40 litters revealed litter and individual (within litter) differences in call acoustic structure. By then playing resynthesized whines to mothers, we showed that they provided more care to their litters, and were more likely to carry the emitting loudspeaker to the nest, in response to whine variants derived from their own puppies than from strangers. Importantly, care provisioning was attenuated by experimentally moving the fundamental frequency (fo, perceived as pitch) of their own puppies' whines outside their litter-specific range. Within most litters, we found a negative relationship between puppies' whine fo and body weight. Consistent with this, playbacks showed that maternal care was stronger in response to high-pitched whine variants simulating relatively small offspring within their own litter's range compared to lower-pitched variants simulating larger offspring. We thus show that maternal care in a litter-rearing species relies on a dual assessment of offspring identity and condition, largely based on level-specific inter- and intra-litter variation in offspring call fo. This dual encoding system highlights how, even in a long-domesticated species, vocalizations reflect selective pressures to meet species-specific needs. Comparative work should now investigate whether similar communication systems have convergently evolved in other litter-rearing species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Massenet
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, University of Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Inserm, Saint-Etienne 42100, France
| | - Romane Philippe
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, University of Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Inserm, Saint-Etienne 42100, France
| | - Katarzyna Pisanski
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, University of Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Inserm, Saint-Etienne 42100, France
- Laboratoire de Dynamique du Langage, University Lyon 2, CNRS, Lyon 69363, France
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław 50-527, Poland
| | - Vincent Arnaud
- Département des arts, des lettres et du langage, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, QC G7H 2B1, Canada
| | - Lucie Barluet de Beauchesne
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, University of Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Inserm, Saint-Etienne 42100, France
| | - Karine Reynaud
- École Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Maisons-Alfort 94700, France
- Département Physiologie Animale et Systèmes d'Elevage, Unité Mixte de Recherche en Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, CNRS, Institut National de la Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, University of Tours, Nouzilly 37380, France
| | - Nicolas Mathevon
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, University of Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Inserm, Saint-Etienne 42100, France
- Institut universitaire de France, Paris 75005, France
- Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Laboratoire Cognition Humaine et Artificielle, Paris-Sciences-Lettres University, Paris 75014, France
| | - David Reby
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle Bioacoustics Research Laboratory, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, University of Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Inserm, Saint-Etienne 42100, France
- Institut universitaire de France, Paris 75005, France
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Melo LM, de Barros WA, de Fátima Â, Giusti FCV, Giusti-Paiva A. Exposure to the psychedelic substance 25 H-NBOMe disrupts maternal care in lactating rats and subsequently impairs the social play behavior of the offspring. Behav Brain Res 2024; 465:114924. [PMID: 38423256 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Given the critical role of maternal care in the neurodevelopment of offspring, this study aimed to investigate the effects of the psychedelic substance 25 H-NBOMe on maternal behavior in lactating rats and its subsequent impact on the social and neurodevelopmental behavior of the offspring. We administered two different dosages of 25 H-NBOMe (0.3 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg; i,p,) to lactating rats and observed changes in maternal behaviors, such as nest-building and pup retrieval, and in offspring behaviors, including social play. Behavioral assessments were complemented by physiological measurements to rule out general health or nutritional decline. 25 H-NBOMe significantly disrupted maternal behaviors, including nest-building and pup retrieval, without affecting the weight of dams or offspring. Offspring of exposed dams exhibited reduced social play behavior. Higher doses led to more pronounced disruptions, while lower doses, despite not visibly affecting maternal behavior, still impacted offspring behavior, suggesting potential direct effects of 25 H-NBOMe. The study highlights the potential risks associated with the use of 25 H-NBOMe during lactation, emphasizing its detrimental impact on maternal care and offspring development. These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiological effects of psychedelic substances during critical developmental periods and underscore the importance of avoiding their use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidia M Melo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Multicêntrico em Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal de Alfenas (Unifal-MG), Alfenas, MG, Brazil
| | - Wellington A de Barros
- Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Ângelo de Fátima
- Departamento de Química, Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Alexandre Giusti-Paiva
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
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Peña F, Serantes D, Rivas M, Castro JP, Torterolo P, Rodríguez-Camejo C, Hernández A, Benedetto L. Acute and chronic sleep restriction differentially modify maternal behavior and milk macronutrient composition in the postpartum rat. Physiol Behav 2024; 278:114522. [PMID: 38492909 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS Sleep restriction is considered a stressful condition itself, causing a wide variety of physiological alterations, from cognitive and hormonal to immunological status. In addition, it is established that stress in mother rats can modify milk ejection, milk composition, and maternal care of the pups. Also, sleep disturbances during the early stages of motherhood are a common feature of all studied species. In this context, while the impacts of sleep disruption in non-lactating animals were extensively investigated, its repercussions during the initial phases of motherhood have been poorly explored. Therefore, we wonder if maternal behavior, milk ejection and its macronutrient composition would be disrupted when mother rats are subjected to an additional acute or chronic sleep restriction to the already existing sleep disturbances. METHODS Lactating rats were implanted with unilateral electrodes for polysomnographic recordings and for deep brain electrical stimulation into mesopontine waking-promoting area (for sleep deprivation). During the early postpartum period (postpartum day 5-9), mother rats were randomly assigned into one of three groups: chronic sleep restriction group (CSR; 6 h of sleep deprivation/day for five consecutive days), acute sleep restriction group (ASR; 6 h of sleep deprivation only for one day), or undisturbed group (control group). Active maternal behaviors (retrievals of the pups into the nest, mouthing, lickings [corporal and anogenital] and sniffing the pups) and passive maternal behaviors (kyphotic and supine nursing postures) were evaluated during a 30 min period without sleep restriction immediately after the sleep restriction or control period. The litter weight gain was assessed every day, and on the last experimental session mothers were milked for posterior macronutrients analysis (protein, carbohydrates and fat). RESULTS When compared to control group, CSR decreased the amount of milk ejected in the middle days of the sleep restriction period, while ASR did not affect this parameter. Moreover, ASR reduced milk protein content compared to control and CSR groups. Finally, compared to the control group, CSR reduced active maternal behaviors towards the end of the treatment days. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that not only acute but also chronic sleep restriction impacts on the postpartum period, each one affecting different aspects of maternal behavior and lactation. Our results suggest the existence of a homeostatic recovery mechanism in breastfeeding during CSR, possibly ensuring the survival of the litter, while the decline in active maternal behaviors appears to be cumulative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florencia Peña
- Unidad Académica de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Diego Serantes
- Unidad Académica de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Mayda Rivas
- Unidad Académica de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Juan Pedro Castro
- Unidad Académica de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Pablo Torterolo
- Unidad Académica de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Claudio Rodríguez-Camejo
- Área Inmunología, Departamento de Biociencias (DEPBIO), Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay; Unidad Asociada de Inmunología, Instituto de Química Biológica (IQB), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Inmunología, Instituto de Higiene "Prof. Arnoldo Berta", Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Ana Hernández
- Área Inmunología, Departamento de Biociencias (DEPBIO), Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay; Unidad Asociada de Inmunología, Instituto de Química Biológica (IQB), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay; Laboratorio de Inmunología, Instituto de Higiene "Prof. Arnoldo Berta", Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Luciana Benedetto
- Unidad Académica de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.
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Kuroda KO, Fukumitsu K, Kurachi T, Ohmura N, Shiraishi Y, Yoshihara C. Parental brain through time: The origin and development of the neural circuit of mammalian parenting. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2024; 1534:24-44. [PMID: 38426943 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.15111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
This review consolidates current knowledge on mammalian parental care, focusing on its neural mechanisms, evolutionary origins, and derivatives. Neurobiological studies have identified specific neurons in the medial preoptic area as crucial for parental care. Unexpectedly, these neurons are characterized by the expression of molecules signaling satiety, such as calcitonin receptor and BRS3, and overlap with neurons involved in the reproductive behaviors of males but not females. A synthesis of comparative ecology and paleontology suggests an evolutionary scenario for mammalian parental care, possibly stemming from male-biased guarding of offspring in basal vertebrates. The terrestrial transition of tetrapods led to prolonged egg retention in females and the emergence of amniotes, skewing care toward females. The nocturnal adaptation of Mesozoic mammalian ancestors reinforced maternal care for lactation and thermal regulation via endothermy, potentially introducing metabolic gate control in parenting neurons. The established maternal care may have served as the precursor for paternal and cooperative care in mammals and also fostered the development of group living, which may have further contributed to the emergence of empathy and altruism. These evolution-informed working hypotheses require empirical validation, yet they offer promising avenues to investigate the neural underpinnings of mammalian social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumi O Kuroda
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- School of Life Sciences and Technologies, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kansai Fukumitsu
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Takuma Kurachi
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nami Ohmura
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Yuko Shiraishi
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Kawamura Gakuen Woman's University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Chihiro Yoshihara
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- School of Life Sciences and Technologies, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Kanagawa, Japan
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Chou S, Wu R, Li M. Long-term impacts of prenatal maternal immune activation and postnatal maternal separation on maternal behavior in adult female rats: Relevance to postpartum mental disorders. Behav Brain Res 2024; 461:114831. [PMID: 38142861 PMCID: PMC10872411 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Early life adversities are known to exert long-term negative impacts on psychological and brain functions in adulthood. The present work examined how a prenatal brain insult and a postnatal stressor independently or interactively influence the quality of maternal care of postpartum female rats and their cognitive and emotional functions, as a way to identify the behavioral dysfunctions underlying childhood trauma-induced postpartum mental disorders (as indexed by impaired maternal care). Sprague-Dawley female offspring born from mother rats exposed to polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (PolyI:C, 4.0-6.0 mg/kg) intended to cause gestational maternal immune activation (MIA) or saline were subjected to a repeated maternal separation stress (RMS, 3 h/day) or no separation for 9 days in the first two weeks of life (a 2 × 2 design). When these offspring became mothers, their attentional filtering ability (as measured in the prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle reflex test), positive hedonic response (as measured in the sucrose preference test), and negative emotional response (as measured in the startle reflex and fear-potentiated startle test) were examined, along with their home-cage maternal behavior. Virgin littermates served as controls in all the behavioral tests except in maternal behavior. Results showed that mother rats who experienced RMS displayed impaired nest building and crouching/nursing activities. RMS also interacted with MIA to alter pup retrieval latency and startle reactivity, such that MIA-RMS dams demonstrated significantly slower pup retrieval latency and higher startle magnitude compared to either RMS-only and MIA-only mothers. MIA also disrupted attentional filtering ability, with significantly lower prepulse inhibition. However, neither prenatal MIA nor postnatal RMS impaired sucrose preference or the acquisition of fear-potentiated startle. These results indicate that prenatal stress and postnatal adversity could impair maternal behavior individually, and interact with each other, causing impairments in attention, emotion and maternal motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinnyi Chou
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ruiyong Wu
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Psychology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
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McCurdy LY, Yip SW, Worhunsky PD, Zhai ZW, Kim S, Strathearn L, Potenza MN, Mayes LC, Rutherford HJV. Neural correlates of altered emotional responsivity to infant stimuli in mothers who use substances. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 171:126-133. [PMID: 38277872 PMCID: PMC10922955 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Mothers who use substances during pregnancy and postpartum may have altered maternal behavior towards their infants, which can have negative consequences on infant social-emotional development. Since maternal substance use has been associated with difficulties in recognizing and responding to infant emotional expressions, investigating mothers' subjective responses to emotional infant stimuli may provide insight into the neural and psychological processes underlying these differences in maternal behavior. In this study, 39 mothers who used substances during the perinatal period and 42 mothers who did not underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while viewing infant faces and hearing infant cries. Afterwards, they rated the emotional intensity they thought each infant felt ('think'-rating), and how intensely they felt in response to each infant stimulus ('feel'-rating). Mothers who used substances had lower 'feel'-ratings of infant stimuli compared to mothers who did not. Brain regions implicated in affective processing (e.g., insula, inferior frontal gyrus) were less active in response to infant stimuli, and activity in these brain regions statistically predicted maternal substance-use status. Interestingly, 'think'-ratings and activation in brain regions related to cognitive processing (e.g., medial prefrontal cortex) were comparable between the two groups of mothers. Taken together, these results suggest specific neural and psychological processes related to emotional responsivity to infant stimuli may reflect differences in maternal affective processing and may contribute to differences in maternal behavior in mothers who use substances compared to mothers who do not. The findings suggest potential neural targets for increasing maternal emotional responsivity and improving child outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Yan McCurdy
- Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA; Division of Prevention and Community Research, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
| | - Sarah W Yip
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA; Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Patrick D Worhunsky
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Zu Wei Zhai
- Department of Neuroscience, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT, 05753, USA
| | - Sohye Kim
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA; Departments of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Lane Strathearn
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA; Center for Disabilities and Development, University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA; Hawkeye Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Marc N Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA; Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA; The Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, 06109, USA; The Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA
| | - Linda C Mayes
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
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9
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Alsina-Llanes M, Olazábal DE. NMDA- and 6-OHDA-induced Lesions in the Nucleus Accumbens Differently Affect Maternal and Infanticidal Behavior in Pup-naïve Female and Male Mice. Neuroscience 2024; 539:35-50. [PMID: 38176609 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Virgin and pups-naïve female and male adult mice display two opposite responses when they are exposed to pups for the first time. While females generally take care of the pups, males attack them. Since the nucleus accumbens (NA), and its dopaminergic modulation, is critical in integrating information and processing reward and aversion, we investigated if NMDA- and 6-OHDA-induced lesions, damaging mostly NA output and dopaminergic inputs respectively, affected female maternal behavior (MB) or male infanticidal behavior (IB) in mice. Our results revealed minor or no effects of both smaller and larger NMDA-induced lesions in MB and IB. On the other hand, while 6-OHDA-induced lesions in females reduced the incidence of full MB (12.5% 6-OHDA vs. 85.7% SHAM) increasing the latency to retrieve the pups, those lesions did not affect IB in males. There were no differences in locomotor and exploratory activity between the lesioned- and SHAM- females. Despite those lesions did not induce any major effect on IB, NMDA-lesioned males spent less time in the central area of an open field, while dopaminergic-lesioned males showed reduced number of rearing and peripheral crosses. The current study shows that an intact NA is not necessary for the expression of MB and IB. However, dopaminergic inputs to NA play different role in MB and IB. While damaging dopaminergic terminals into the NA did not affect IB, it clearly delayed the more flexible and rewarding expression of parental behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Alsina-Llanes
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, UdelaR. Av. Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay.
| | - D E Olazábal
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, UdelaR. Av. Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay.
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10
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de Barbaro K, Khante P, Maier M, Goodman S. Maternal contingent responses to distress facilitate infant soothing but not in mothers with depression or infants high in negative affect. Dev Psychol 2024; 60:294-305. [PMID: 38032661 PMCID: PMC10827318 DOI: 10.1037/dev0001607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Depression in mothers is consistently associated with reduced caregiving sensitivity and greater infant negative affect expression. The current article examined the real-time behavioral mechanisms underlying these associations using Granger causality time series analyses in a sample of mothers (N = 194; 86.60% White) at elevated risk for depression and their 3-month-old infants (46.40% female) living in a major metropolitan area in the United States. Overall, mothers contingently responded to infant distress, and mothers' responses to infant distress increased the likelihood of infant soothing in real time. However, there was no evidence for maternal contingent responding or facilitation of infant soothing in subsamples of mothers who were currently experiencing elevated depression symptoms or in mothers of highly negative infants. These findings suggest real-time behavioral mechanisms by which risks for maladaptive self-regulation may develop. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaya de Barbaro
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Priyanka Khante
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Meeka Maier
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sherryl Goodman
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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11
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Dye CN, Franceschelli D, Leuner B, Lenz KM. Microglia depletion facilitates the display of maternal behavior and alters activation of the maternal brain network in nulliparous female rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:1869-1877. [PMID: 37330580 PMCID: PMC10584962 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01624-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The peripartum period is accompanied by peripheral immune alterations to promote a successful pregnancy. We and others have also demonstrated significant neuroimmune changes that emerge during late pregnancy and persist postpartum, most prominently decreased microglia numbers within limbic brain regions. Here we hypothesized that microglial downregulation is important for the onset and display of maternal behavior. To test this, we recapitulated the peripartum neuroimmune profile by depleting microglia in non-mother (i.e., nulliparous) female rats who are typically not maternal but can be induced to behave maternally towards foster pups after repeated exposure, a process called maternal sensitization. BLZ945, a selective colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) inhibitor, was administered systemically to nulliparous rats, which led to ~75% decrease in microglia number. BLZ- and vehicle-treated females then underwent maternal sensitization and tissue was stained for ∆fosB to examine activation across maternally relevant brain regions. We found BLZ-treated females with microglial depletion met criteria for displaying maternal behavior significantly sooner than vehicle-treated females and displayed increased pup-directed behaviors. Microglia depletion also reduced threat appraisal behavior in an open field test. Notably, nulliparous females with microglial depletion had decreased numbers of ∆fosB+ cells in the medial amygdala and periaqueductal gray, and increased numbers in the prefrontal cortex and somatosensory cortex, compared to vehicle. Our results demonstrate that microglia regulate maternal behavior in adult females, possibly by shifting patterns of activity in the maternal brain network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney N Dye
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Benedetta Leuner
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kathryn M Lenz
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Institute of Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
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12
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Abstract
Our entire life occurs in a constant alternation between wakefulness and sleep. The impossibility of living without sleep implies that any behavior must adapt to the need for sleep, and maternal behavior does not escape from this determination. Additionally, maternal behavior in mammals is a highly motivated behavior, essential for the survival of the offspring. Thus, the mother has to adapt her physiology of sleep to the constant demands of the pups, where each species will have different strategies to merge these two physiological needs. However, all studied female mammals will experience sleep disturbances at some point of the postpartum period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Benedetto
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Florencia Peña
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Mayda Rivas
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Annabel Ferreira
- Sección de Fisiología y Nutrición, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Pablo Torterolo
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
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13
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Chaker Z, Segalada C, Kretz JA, Acar IE, Delgado AC, Crotet V, Moor AE, Doetsch F. Pregnancy-responsive pools of adult neural stem cells for transient neurogenesis in mothers. Science 2023; 382:958-963. [PMID: 37995223 DOI: 10.1126/science.abo5199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Adult neural stem cells (NSCs) contribute to lifelong brain plasticity. In the adult mouse ventricular-subventricular zone, NSCs are heterogeneous and, depending on their location in the niche, give rise to different subtypes of olfactory bulb (OB) interneurons. Here, we show that multiple regionally distinct NSCs, including domains that are usually quiescent, are recruited on different gestation days during pregnancy. Synchronized activation of these adult NSC pools generates transient waves of short-lived OB interneurons, especially in layers with less neurogenesis under homeostasis. Using spatial transcriptomics, we identified molecular markers of pregnancy-associated interneurons and showed that some subsets are temporarily needed for own pup recognition. Thus, pregnancy triggers transient yet behaviorally relevant neurogenesis, highlighting the physiological relevance of adult stem cell heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zayna Chaker
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Jonas A Kretz
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ilhan E Acar
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ana C Delgado
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Valerie Crotet
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas E Moor
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fiona Doetsch
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
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14
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Abstract
Sexual, parental, and aggressive behaviors are central to the reproductive success of individuals and species survival and thus are supported by hardwired neural circuits. The reproductive behavior control column (RBCC), which comprises the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN), the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl), and the ventral premammillary nucleus (PMv), is essential for all social behaviors. The RBCC integrates diverse hormonal and metabolic cues and adjusts an animal's physical activity, hence the chance of social encounters. The RBCC further engages the mesolimbic dopamine system to maintain social interest and reinforces cues and actions that are time-locked with social behaviors. We propose that the RBCC and brainstem form a dual-control system for generating moment-to-moment social actions. This Review summarizes recent progress regarding the identities of RBCC cells and their pathways that drive different aspects of social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Mei
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Takuya Osakada
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA
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15
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Shimon-Raz O, Yeshurun Y, Ulmer-Yaniv A, Levinkron A, Salomon R, Feldman R. Attachment Reminders Trigger Widespread Synchrony across Multiple Brains. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7213-7225. [PMID: 37813569 PMCID: PMC10601370 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0026-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Infant stimuli elicit widespread neural and behavioral response in human adults, and such massive allocation of resources attests to the evolutionary significance of the primary attachment. Here, we examined whether attachment reminders also trigger cross-brain concordance and generate greater neural uniformity, as indicated by intersubject correlation. Human mothers were imaged twice in oxytocin/placebo administration design, and stimuli included four ecological videos of a standard unfamiliar mother and infant: two infant/mother alone (Alone) and two mother-infant dyadic contexts (Social). Theory-driven analysis measured cross-brain synchrony in preregistered nodes of the parental caregiving network (PCN), which integrates subcortical structures underpinning mammalian mothering with cortical areas implicated in simulation, mentalization, and emotion regulation, and data-driven analysis assessed brain-wide concordance using whole-brain parcellation. Results demonstrated widespread cross-brain synchrony in both the PCN and across the neuroaxis, from primary sensory/somatosensory areas, through insular-cingulate regions, to temporal and prefrontal cortices. The Social context yielded significantly more cross-brain concordance, with PCNs striatum, parahippocampal gyrus, superior temporal sulcus, ACC, and PFC displaying cross-brain synchrony only to mother-infant social cues. Moment-by-moment fluctuations in mother-infant social synchrony, ranging from episodes of low synchrony to tightly coordinated positive bouts, were tracked online by cross-brain concordance in the preregistered ACC. Findings indicate that social attachment stimuli, representing evolutionary-salient universal cues that require no verbal narrative, trigger substantial interbrain concordance and suggest that the mother-infant bond, an icon standing at the heart of human civilization, may function to glue brains into a unified experience and bind humans into social groups.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Infant stimuli elicit widespread neural response in human adults, attesting to their evolutionary significance, but do they also trigger cross-brain concordance and induce neural uniformity among perceivers? We measured cross-brain synchrony to ecological mother-infant videos. We used theory-driven analysis, measuring cross-brain concordance in the parenting network, and data-driven analysis, assessing brain-wide concordance using whole-brain parcellation. Attachment cues triggered widespread cross-brain concordance in both the parenting network and across the neuroaxis. Moment-by-moment fluctuations in behavioral synchrony were tracked online by cross-brain variability in ACC. Attachment reminders bind humans' brains into a unitary experience and stimuli characterized by social synchrony enhance neural similarity among participants, describing one mechanism by which attachment bonds provide the neural template for the consolidation of social groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yaara Yeshurun
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | | | - Ayelet Levinkron
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Roy Salomon
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
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16
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Ammari R, Monaca F, Cao M, Nassar E, Wai P, Del Grosso NA, Lee M, Borak N, Schneider-Luftman D, Kohl J. Hormone-mediated neural remodeling orchestrates parenting onset during pregnancy. Science 2023; 382:76-81. [PMID: 37797007 PMCID: PMC7615220 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi0576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
During pregnancy, physiological adaptations prepare the female body for the challenges of motherhood. Becoming a parent also requires behavioral adaptations. Such adaptations can occur as early as during pregnancy, but how pregnancy hormones remodel parenting circuits to instruct preparatory behavioral changes remains unknown. We found that action of estradiol and progesterone on galanin (Gal)-expressing neurons in the mouse medial preoptic area (MPOA) is critical for pregnancy-induced parental behavior. Whereas estradiol silences MPOAGal neurons and paradoxically increases their excitability, progesterone permanently rewires this circuit node by promoting dendritic spine formation and recruitment of excitatory synaptic inputs. This MPOAGal-specific neural remodeling sparsens population activity in vivo and results in persistently stronger, more selective responses to pup stimuli. Pregnancy hormones thus remodel parenting circuits in anticipation of future behavioral need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachida Ammari
- State-dependent Neural Processing Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Francesco Monaca
- State-dependent Neural Processing Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Mingran Cao
- State-dependent Neural Processing Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Estelle Nassar
- State-dependent Neural Processing Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Patty Wai
- State-dependent Neural Processing Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Nicholas A. Del Grosso
- State-dependent Neural Processing Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Matthew Lee
- State-dependent Neural Processing Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Neven Borak
- State-dependent Neural Processing Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Deborah Schneider-Luftman
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Johannes Kohl
- State-dependent Neural Processing Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd, London NW1 1AT, UK
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17
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Sharma K, Govar AA, Ghimire B, Nishimori K, Hammock E, Teruyama R. Sexually dimorphic oxytocin receptor-expressing (OXTR) neurons in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) in the postpartum female mouse are involved in maternal behavior. J Neuroendocrinol 2023; 35:e13337. [PMID: 37784240 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Maternal care is crucial for the survival and development of offspring. Oxytocin modulates maternal behavior by binding to oxytocin receptors (OXTRs) in various parts of the brain. Previously, we showed that OXTRs are expressed in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) of female, but not male mice. Because the AVPV is involved in the regulation of maternal behavior and oxytocin enhances its induction, this finding leads to the hypothesis that the female specific population of OXTR neurons in the AVPV regulates maternal behavior. To address this hypothesis, OXTR-Venus reporter mice were used to assess if expression levels of OXTR in the AVPV are changed during the postpartum period. The total number of OXTR-Venus neurons was significantly greater in postpartum dams compared to virgin females. To assess efferent projections of the AVPV-OXTR neurons, a Cre-dependent fluorescent protein (tdTomato) expressing a viral vector was injected into one side of the AVPV of female OXTR-Cre mice. Fibers expressing tdTomato were found in hypothalamic areas containing oxytocin neurons (the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei) and the midbrain areas (the ventral tegmental area and periaqueductal gray) that are involved in the regulation of maternal motivation. To assess if activity of the AVPV-OXTR neurons is involved in the regulation of maternal behaviors, a chemogenetic approach was employed. Specific inhibition of activity of AVPV-OXTR neurons completely abolished pup retrieval and nest building behaviors. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that AVPV-OXTR neurons in postpartum female mice constitute an important node in the neural circuitry that regulates maternal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaustubh Sharma
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Armita A Govar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Bandana Ghimire
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Katsuhiko Nishimori
- Laboratory of Obesity and Internal Inflammation, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Elizabeth Hammock
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Ryoichi Teruyama
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
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18
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Sur D, Agranyoni O, Kirby M, Cohen N, Bagaev A, Karandasheva K, Shmerkin E, Gorobets D, Savita BK, Avneri R, Divon MS, Lax E, Michaelevski I, Pinhasov A. Nurture outpaces nature: fostering with an attentive mother alters social dominance in a mouse model of stress sensitivity. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:3816-3828. [PMID: 37845494 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02273-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Maternal care is critical for epigenetic programming during postnatal brain development. Stress is recognized as a critical factor that may affect maternal behavior, yet owing to high heterogeneity in stress response, its impact varies among individuals. We aimed here to understand the connection between inborn stress vulnerability, maternal care, and early epigenetic programming using mouse populations that exhibit opposite poles of the behavioral spectrum (social dominance [Dom] and submissiveness [Sub]) and differential response to stress. In contrast to stress-resilient Dom dams, stress-vulnerable Sub dams exhibit significantly lower maternal attachment, serum oxytocin, and colonic Lactobacillus reuteri populations. Sub offspring showed a reduced hippocampal expression of key methylation genes at postnatal day (PND) 7 and a lack of developmentally-dependent increase in 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) at PND 21. In addition, Sub pups exhibit significant hypermethylation of gene promoters connected with glutamatergic synapses and behavioral responses. We were able to reverse the submissive endophenotype through cross-fostering Sub pups with Dom dams (Sub/D). Thus, Sub/D pups exhibited elevated hippocampal expression of DNMT3A at PND 7 and increased 5-mC levels at PND 21. Furthermore, adult Sub/D offspring exhibited increased sociability, social dominance, and hippocampal glutamate and monoamine levels resembling the neurochemical profile of Dom mice. We postulate that maternal inborn stress vulnerability governs epigenetic patterning sculpted by maternal care and intestinal microbiome diversity during early developmental stages and shapes the array of gene expression patterns that may dictate neuronal architecture with a long-lasting impact on stress sensitivity and the social behavior of offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debpali Sur
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Oryan Agranyoni
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Michael Kirby
- Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson School of Medicine, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Naamah Cohen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Anastasia Bagaev
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Kristina Karandasheva
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Elena Shmerkin
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Denis Gorobets
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Brajesh Kumar Savita
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Raphael Avneri
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Mali-Salmon Divon
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
- Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson School of Medicine, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Elad Lax
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Izhak Michaelevski
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel
| | - Albert Pinhasov
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ariel University, Ramat HaGolan St 65, 4077625, Ariel, Israel.
- Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson School of Medicine, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel.
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19
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Valtcheva S, Issa HA, Bair-Marshall CJ, Martin KA, Jung K, Zhang Y, Kwon HB, Froemke RC. Neural circuitry for maternal oxytocin release induced by infant cries. Nature 2023; 621:788-795. [PMID: 37730989 PMCID: PMC10639004 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06540-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that is important for maternal physiology and childcare, including parturition and milk ejection during nursing1-6. Suckling triggers the release of oxytocin, but other sensory cues-specifically, infant cries-can increase the levels of oxytocin in new human mothers7, which indicates that cries can activate hypothalamic oxytocin neurons. Here we describe a neural circuit that routes auditory information about infant vocalizations to mouse oxytocin neurons. We performed in vivo electrophysiological recordings and photometry from identified oxytocin neurons in awake maternal mice that were presented with pup calls. We found that oxytocin neurons responded to pup vocalizations, but not to pure tones, through input from the posterior intralaminar thalamus, and that repetitive thalamic stimulation induced lasting disinhibition of oxytocin neurons. This circuit gates central oxytocin release and maternal behaviour in response to calls, providing a mechanism for the integration of sensory cues from the offspring in maternal endocrine networks to ensure modulation of brain state for efficient parenting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Valtcheva
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Habon A Issa
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chloe J Bair-Marshall
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kathleen A Martin
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kanghoon Jung
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yiyao Zhang
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hyung-Bae Kwon
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Robert C Froemke
- Skirball Institute for Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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20
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Danoff JS, Ramos EN, Hinton TD, Perkeybile AM, Graves AJ, Quinn GC, Lightbody-Cimer AR, Gordevičius J, Milčiūtė M, Brooke RT, Carter CS, Bales KL, Erisir A, Connelly JJ. Father's care uniquely influences male neurodevelopment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2308798120. [PMID: 37487074 PMCID: PMC10400995 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308798120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammalian infants depend on parental care for survival, with numerous consequences for their behavioral development. We investigated the epigenetic and neurodevelopmental mechanisms mediating the impact of early biparental care on development of alloparenting behavior, or caring for offspring that are not one's own. We find that receiving high parental care early in life leads to slower epigenetic aging of both sexes and widespread male-specific differential expression of genes related to synaptic transmission and autism in the nucleus accumbens. Examination of parental care composition indicates that high-care fathers promote a male-specific increase in excitatory synapses and increases in pup retrieval behavior as juveniles. Interestingly, females raised by high-care fathers have the opposite behavioral response and display fewer pup retrievals. These results support the concept that neurodevelopmental trajectories are programmed by different features of early-life parental care and reveal that male neurodevelopmental processes are uniquely sensitive to care by fathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua S. Danoff
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Erin N. Ramos
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Taylor D. Hinton
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Allison M. Perkeybile
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Andrew J. Graves
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Graham C. Quinn
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | | | | | - Milda Milčiūtė
- Epigenetic Clock Development Foundation, Torrance, CA90502
| | | | - C. Sue Carter
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Karen L. Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA95616
| | - Alev Erisir
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
| | - Jessica J. Connelly
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22904
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21
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Mei L, Yan R, Yin L, Sullivan RM, Lin D. Antagonistic circuits mediating infanticide and maternal care in female mice. Nature 2023; 618:1006-1016. [PMID: 37286598 PMCID: PMC10648307 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06147-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In many species, including mice, female animals show markedly different pup-directed behaviours based on their reproductive state1,2. Naive wild female mice often kill pups, while lactating female mice are dedicated to pup caring3,4. The neural mechanisms that mediate infanticide and its switch to maternal behaviours during motherhood remain unclear. Here, on the basis of the hypothesis that maternal and infanticidal behaviours are supported by distinct and competing neural circuits5,6, we use the medial preoptic area (MPOA), a key site for maternal behaviours7-11, as a starting point and identify three MPOA-connected brain regions that drive differential negative pup-directed behaviours. Functional manipulation and in vivo recording reveal that oestrogen receptor α (ESR1)-expressing cells in the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNSTprESR1) are necessary, sufficient and naturally activated during infanticide in female mice. MPOAESR1 and BNSTprESR1 neurons form reciprocal inhibition to control the balance between positive and negative infant-directed behaviours. During motherhood, MPOAESR1 and BNSTprESR1 cells change their excitability in opposite directions, supporting a marked switch of female behaviours towards the young.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Mei
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Rongzhen Yan
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Luping Yin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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22
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Leerkes EM, Girod SA, Buehler C, Shriver LH, Wideman L. Interactive effects of maternal physiological arousal and regulation on maternal sensitivity: Replication and extension in an independent sample. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22375. [PMID: 36811368 PMCID: PMC9972255 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the extent to which mothers' physiological arousal (i.e., skin conductance level [SCL] augmentation) and regulation (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA] withdrawal) interacted to predict subsequent maternal sensitivity. Mothers' (N = 176) SCL and RSA were measured prenatally during a resting baseline and while watching videos of crying infants. Maternal sensitivity was observed during a free-play task and the still-face paradigm when their infants were 2 months old. The results demonstrated that higher SCL augmentation but not RSA withdrawal predicted more sensitive maternal behaviors as a main effect. Additionally, SCL augmentation and RSA withdrawal interacted, such that well-regulated maternal arousal was associated with greater maternal sensitivity at 2 months. Further, the interaction between SCL and RSA was only significant for the negative dimensions of maternal behavior used to derive the measure of maternal sensitivity (i.e., detachment and negative regard) suggesting that well-regulated arousal is particularly important for inhibiting the tendency to engage in negative maternal behaviors. The results replicate findings from mothers in previous studies and demonstrate that the interactive effects of SCL and RSA in relation to parenting outcomes are not sample specific. Considering joint effects of physiological responding across multiple biological systems may enhance understanding of the antecedents of sensitive maternal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther M. Leerkes
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro, PO Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402, United States
| | - Savannah A. Girod
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro, PO Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402, United States
| | - Cheryl Buehler
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro, PO Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402, United States
| | - Lenka H. Shriver
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro, PO Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402, United States
| | - Laurie Wideman
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro, PO Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402, United States
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23
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Khant Aung Z, Masih RR, Desroziers E, Campbell RE, Brown RSE. Enhanced pup retrieval behaviour in a mouse model of polycystic ovary syndrome. J Neuroendocrinol 2022; 34:e13206. [PMID: 36416198 PMCID: PMC10077988 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy to affect women of reproductive-age world-wide. Hyperandrogenism is both a hallmark feature of PCOS, and is hypothesised to be an underlying mechanism driving the development of the condition in utero. With circulating hormones known to profoundly influence maternal responses in females, we aimed to determine whether maternal behaviour is altered in a well-described prenatally androgenised (PNA) mouse model of PCOS. Mouse dams were administered with dihydrotestosterone or vehicle on days 16, 17 and 18 of pregnancy. Maternal responses were assessed in both the dihydrotestosterone-injected dams following parturition and in their adult female PNA offspring. Exposure of dams to excess androgens during late pregnancy had no detrimental effects on pregnancy outcomes, including gestation length, pup survival and gestational weight gain, or on subsequent maternal behaviour following parturition. By contrast, PNA virgin females, modelling PCOS, exhibited enhanced maternal behaviour when tested in an anxiogenic novel cage environment, with females rapidly retrieving pups and nesting with them. In comparison, most control virgin females failed to complete this retrieval task in the anxiogenic environment. Assessment of progesterone receptor and oestrogen receptor α immunoreactivity in the brains of virgin PNA and control females revealed increased numbers of oestrogen receptor α positive cells in the brains of PNA females in regions well known to be important for maternal behaviour. This suggests that increased oestrogenic signalling in the neural circuit that underlies maternal behaviour may be a possible mechanism by which maternal behaviour is enhanced in PNA female mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zin Khant Aung
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Renee R Masih
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Elodie Desroziers
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Sorbonne Université - Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie, Neuroplasticité des Comportements de la Reproduction, Neurosciences Paris Seine, UM119 - CNRS UMR 8246 - INSERM UMRS 1130, Paris, France
| | - Rebecca E Campbell
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Rosemary S E Brown
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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24
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Oliveira ACF, Bernardi LM, Monteiro ALB, Silva KG, Weber SH, Borges TD, Dalmau A, Costa LB. Induced Stress and Tactile Stimulation Applied to Primiparous does and their Consequences on Maternal Behavior, Human-Animal Relationships, and Future Offspring's Sexual Disorders. Vet Res Commun 2022; 46:925-938. [PMID: 35353323 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-022-09920-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate whether tactile stimulation in rabbits during the gestation phase improve the maternal behavior and human-animal relationships as well as the effects on reproductive behavior of male kits when reached maturity compared to induced stress. A total of 33 primiparous New Zealand does were selected after pregnancy confirmation and allocated in a randomized complete block design. The treatments applied were as follows: (C) animals not stimulated during the experimental period; (TS) animals that received tactile stimulation; and (SS) does which were immobilized. The nest building behavior as well as the weight, sexual behavior, mortality, and semen analysis of the offspring was recorded. In addition, the novel object, flight distance, social isolation, and human-approach tests were conducted. Under the conditions of the present trial, TS animals showed more trust in the unfamiliar observer when compared to the other two treatments. The treatments applied to the females (TS and SS) were sufficient to confirm that the control group presented better values for the number of stillbirths and the proportion of deaths in the first week. Finally, the handling of does reduce the males' ejaculation and sperm presence but not inhibited sexual behavior or impaired semen quality. It is possible to conclude that TS did not impair does welfare or maternal behavior and it improved the human-animal relationship, however there was a negative impact on the litter. More studies that directly assess impact on the future reproductive capacity of the offspring are necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela C F Oliveira
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Luiza M Bernardi
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Ana Larissa B Monteiro
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Kassy G Silva
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Saulo H Weber
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Tâmara D Borges
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Antoni Dalmau
- Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries - IRTA, Monells, Spain
| | - Leandro B Costa
- Graduate Program of Animal Science - PPGCA, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná - PUCPR, Imaculada Conceição, 1155 - Prado Velho, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
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25
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Grieb ZA, Lonstein JS. Oxytocin interactions with central dopamine and serotonin systems regulate different components of motherhood. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210062. [PMID: 35858105 PMCID: PMC9272149 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of oxytocin in maternal caregiving and other postpartum behaviours has been studied for more than five decades. How oxytocin interacts with other neurochemical systems to enact these behavioural changes, however, is only slowly being elucidated. The best-studied oxytocin-neurotransmitter interaction is with the mesolimbic dopamine system, and this interaction is essential for maternal motivation and active caregiving behaviours such as retrieval of pups. Considerably less attention has been dedicated to investigating how oxytocin interacts with central serotonin to influence postpartum behaviour. Recently, it has become clear that while oxytocin-dopamine interactions regulate the motivational and pup-approach aspects of maternal caregiving behaviours, oxytocin-serotonin interactions appear to regulate nearly all other aspects including postpartum nursing, aggression, anxiety-like behaviour and stress coping strategy. Collectively, oxytocin's interactions with central dopamine and serotonin systems are thus critical for the entire suite of behavioural adaptations exhibited in the postpartum period, and these sites of interaction are potential pharmacological targets for where oxytocin could help to ameliorate deficits in maternal caregiving and poor postpartum mental health. This article is part of the theme issue 'Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary A. Grieb
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Joseph S. Lonstein
- Psychology Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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26
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Mayer HS, Rosinger ZJ, Kruithof VB, Mishra S, BlackOwl AL, Stolzenberg DS. Effects of maternal experience on pup-induced activation of maternal neural circuits in virgin mice. Horm Behav 2022; 141:105129. [PMID: 35168026 PMCID: PMC10866554 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Maternal experience can promote a long-lasting increase in maternal motivation. This maintenance of caregiving behaviors, rather than avoidant or agnostic responses towards young, is advantageous for the survival of subsequent offspring. We have previously reported that maternal motivation is associated with differential immediate early gene expression in central motivation circuits and aversion circuits. Here we ask how these circuits come to differentially respond to infant cues. We used Targeted Recombination in Active Populations (TRAP) to identify cells that respond to pups in maternally hesitant TRAP2;Ai14 virgin female mice. Following an initial 60 min exposure to foster pups, virgin TRAP2;Ai14 mice were injected with 4-hydroxytamoxifen to induce recombination in c-Fos expressing cells and subsequent permanent expression of a red fluorescent reporter. We then examined whether the same cells that encode pup cues are reactivated during maternal memory retrieval two weeks later using c-Fos immunohistochemistry. Whereas initial pup exposure induced c-Fos activation exclusively in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), following repeated experience, c-Fos expression was significantly higher than baseline in multiple regions of maternal and central aversion circuits (e.g., ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens, basolateral amygdala, prefrontal cortex, medial amygdala, and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus). Further, cells in many of these sites were significantly reactivated during maternal memory retrieval. These data suggest that cells across both maternal motivation and central aversion circuits are stably responsive to pups and thus may form the cellular representation of maternal memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather S Mayer
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - Zachary J Rosinger
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - Vivian B Kruithof
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - Shambhavi Mishra
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - Anthony L BlackOwl
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - Danielle S Stolzenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States of America.
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27
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Seward CH, Saul MC, Troy JM, Dibaeinia P, Zhang H, Sinha S, Stubbs LJ. An epigenomic shift in amygdala marks the transition to maternal behaviors in alloparenting virgin female mice. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0263632. [PMID: 35192674 PMCID: PMC8863255 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Adults of many species will care for young offspring that are not their own, a phenomenon called alloparenting. However, in many cases, nonparental adults must be sensitized by repeated or extended exposures to newborns before they will robustly display parental-like behaviors. To capture neurogenomic events underlying the transition to active parental caring behaviors, we analyzed brain gene expression and chromatin profiles of virgin female mice co-housed with pregnant dams during pregnancy and after birth. After an initial display of antagonistic behaviors and a surge of defense-related gene expression, we observed a dramatic shift in the chromatin landscape specifically in amygdala of the pup-exposed virgin females compared to females co-housed with mother before birth, accompanied by a dampening of anxiety-related gene expression. This epigenetic shift coincided with hypothalamic expression of the oxytocin gene and the emergence of behaviors and gene expression patterns classically associated with maternal care. The results outline a neurogenomic program associated with dramatic behavioral changes and suggest molecular networks relevant to human postpartum mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H. Seward
- Pacific Northwest Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States of America
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Michael C. Saul
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Joseph M. Troy
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Payam Dibaeinia
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Huimin Zhang
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Saurabh Sinha
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, IL, United States of America
- Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Lisa J. Stubbs
- Pacific Northwest Research Institute, Seattle, WA, United States of America
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, IL, United States of America
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28
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Bigelow LJ, Pope EK, Knight JB, Rock JE, MacLeod SK, Bernard PB. The Effects of Rearing in a Shelved Environment on Behavioral and Physiological Markers of Welfare in Rats (Rattus norvegicus). Dev Neurosci 2022; 44:557-565. [PMID: 35850093 DOI: 10.1159/000525967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Early-life experiences are critical modifiers of development. An important component of early-life experience is the nature of maternal interactions, which can be modified by stress. During rearing, mothers are typically allocated to single-level cages where they are readily accessible to pups, a potentially stressful scenario not reflective of nature. Accordingly, mothers regularly removed from the rearing environment interact differently with their offspring, leading to long-term changes in offspring physiology and behavior. Such changes commonly include modifications within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, of which corticosterone is a major component. Modifications in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may also be manifested through changes in affective behavior and assessed via tests such as the open field and elevated plus maze as well as via ultrasonic vocalization (USV) analysis. As a means of assessing the impact of rearing in a shelved environment, we allocated mothers to standard single-level cages or cages with an integrated shelf, which allowed the mother to temporarily escape pups. While there were no differences in fecal cortico-sterone, behavior in the elevated plus maze, or USVs, male rats reared in standard cages weighed more, and all standard single-level housed rats spent more time in the center of the open field. The observed differences indicate that allocating nursing mothers to shelved environments throughout the postnatal period has long-lasting effects on offspring behavior that must be considered when establishing dam enrichment protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan J Bigelow
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada,
| | - Emily K Pope
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
| | - Jennifer B Knight
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
| | - Jessica E Rock
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
| | - Sarah K MacLeod
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
| | - Paul B Bernard
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
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29
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Lévy F. The Onset of Maternal Behavior in Sheep and Goats: Endocrine, Sensory, Neural, and Experiential Mechanisms. Adv Neurobiol 2022; 27:79-117. [PMID: 36169813 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97762-7_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In sheep and goats, the onset of maternal behavior at parturition is characterized by a first phase called maternal responsiveness during which the mother is attracted to any newborn. In a second phase, called maternal selectivity, the mother establishes a selective bond with her young so that she only accepts it at suckling. After a description of the behavioral expression of both phases, this chapter reviews the physiological, sensory, and neural mechanisms involved. These two behavioral processes are synchronized with parturition by the vaginocervical stimulation induced by the expulsion of the newborn. Olfactory cues provided by the neonate are involved in maternal responsiveness and selectivity. Oxytocin supported by estrogens is the key factor for maternal responsiveness. The neural network involved in maternal responsiveness is mainly hypothalamic and is different from the circuitry involved in selectivity, which mainly concerns olfactory processing regions. Visual and auditory cues are necessary for offspring recognition at a distance. This multisensory recognition suggests that mothers form a mental image of their young. Maternal experience renders mothers more responsive to maternally relevant physiology and to young-related sensory inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Lévy
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, F-37380, Nouzilly, France.
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30
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González-Mariscal G, Hoy S, Hoffman KL. Rabbit Maternal Behavior: A Perspective from Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Animal Production, and Psychobiology. Adv Neurobiol 2022; 27:131-176. [PMID: 36169815 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97762-7_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Rabbit maternal behavior (MB) impacts meat and fur production on the farm, survival of the species in the wild, and pet welfare. Specific characteristics of rabbit MB (i.e., three-step nest building process; single, brief, daily nursing bout) have been used as models for exploring particular themes in neuroscience, like obsessive-compulsive actions, circadian rhythms, and cognition. Particular hormonal combinations regulate nest building by acting on brain regions controlling MB in other mammals. Nonhormonal factors like type of lodging and the doe's social rank influence nursing and milk production. The concurrency of pregnancy and lactation, the display of nonselective nursing, and the rapid growth of altricial young - despite a minimal effort of maternal care - have prompted the study of mother-young affiliation, neurodevelopment, and weaning. Neurohormonal mechanisms, common to other mammals, plus additional strategies (perhaps unique to rabbits) allow the efficient, adaptive display of MB in multiple settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela González-Mariscal
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico.
| | - Steffen Hoy
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Kurt L Hoffman
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, Mexico
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31
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Mumena WA. Maternal Knowledge, Attitude and Practices toward Free Sugar and the Associations with Free Sugar Intake in Children. Nutrients 2021; 13:4403. [PMID: 34959955 PMCID: PMC8706702 DOI: 10.3390/nu13124403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Research addressing factors related to free sugar (FS) consumption among children in Saudi Arabia is lacking. We aimed to evaluate maternal knowledge, attitude, and practices toward FS and the associations with children's intake of FS. This cross-sectional study included 424 Saudi children aged 6-12 years and their mothers. Data related to maternal knowledge, attitude, and practices were collected using an online survey. Data concerning children's habitual intake of FS were collected through phone interviews using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Limited knowledge on FS was observed among mothers of children [median 7.00 [interquartile range 6.00-8.00] out of 11.0. Maternal knowledge was not correlated with maternal attitude or practices toward FS. Maternal knowledge towards FS did not predict children's intake of FS, whereas maternal attitude and practices toward limiting the consumption of FS predicted lower intake of FS among Saudi children, particularly the FS consumed from solid food sources (B: -5.73 [95% confidence interval (CI): -9.79 to -1.66]) and (B: -6.85 [95% CI: -11.9 to -1.80]), respectively. Despite the limited knowledge pertaining to FS among mothers in Saudi Arabia, they were making efforts to limit their children's consumption of FS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walaa Abdullah Mumena
- Clinical Nutrition Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, P.O. Box 344, Madinah 42353, Saudi Arabia
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32
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Nomkin LG, Gordon I. The relationship between maternal smartphone use, physiological responses, and gaze patterns during breastfeeding and face-to-face interactions with infant. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257956. [PMID: 34624025 PMCID: PMC8500426 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Smartphone use during parent-child interactions is highly prevalent, however, there is a lack of scientific knowledge on how smartphone use during breastfeeding or face-to-face interactions may modulate mothers’ attentive responsiveness towards the infant as well as maternal physiological arousal. In the present study, we provide the first evidence for the influence of the smartphone on maternal physiological responses and her attention towards the infant during breastfeeding and face-to-face interactions. Twenty breastfeeding mothers and their infants participated in this lab study during which electrodermal activity, cardiograph impedance, and gaze patterns were monitored in breastfeeding and face-to-face interactions with three conditions manipulating the level of maternal smartphone involvement. We report that mothers’ gaze toward their infants decreased when breastfeeding while using the smartphone compared to face-to-face interaction. Further, we show that greater maternal electrodermal activity and cardiac output were related to longer maternal gaze fixation toward the smartphone during breastfeeding. Finally, results indicate that mothers’ smartphone addiction levels were negatively correlated with electrodermal activity during breastfeeding. This study provides an initial basis for much required further research that will explore the influence of smartphone use on maternal biobehavioral responses in this digital age and the consequences for infant cognitive, emotional, and social development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ilanit Gordon
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
- * E-mail:
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Asadi E, Khodagholi F, Asadi S, Mohammadi Kamsorkh H, Kaveh N, Maleki A. Quality of early-life maternal care predicts empathy-like behavior in adult male rats: Linking empathy to BDNF gene expression in associated brain regions. Brain Res 2021; 1767:147568. [PMID: 34192516 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Empathy is the ability to experience a shared affective state as others. It enhances group living and manifests itself as helping behavior towards a distressed person. It also can flourish by nurturing. Recent findings suggest that rodents exhibit empathy-like behavior towards their conspecifics. However, the role of early-life experiences (e.g., maternal care) is not clear on the development of empathy-like behavior. Moreover, brain-derived neutrophilic factor (BDNF) is a pivotal protein in modulating the brain's function and behaviors. Evidence suggests that the expression of the BDNF gene can be affected by the quality of maternal care. In this study, we questioned whether variation in maternal care modulates empathy-like behavior of male rats in adulthood. Additionally, gene expression of BDNF was measured in the amygdala, hippocampus, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and striatum in these adult male rats. Based on the pattern of maternal care, the offspring were divided into high maternal care (HMC) and low maternal care (LMC) groups. We confirmed that the early-life experience of HMC significantly promoted the empathy-like behavior of rats in adulthood compared to LMC. In terms of gene expression, the HMC group consistently had higher BDNF gene expression in all studied regions, except anterior cingulate cortex which groups were not different. Taken together, it suggests that maternal care in infancy predicts empathy-like behavior in adulthood and differences in BDNF gene expression in different brain regions may reflect the underlying mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Asadi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fariba Khodagholi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Sareh Asadi
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Neda Kaveh
- Neurobiology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Maleki
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Wan L, Huang RJ, Luo ZH, Gong JE, Pan A, Manavis J, Yan XX, Xiao B. Reproduction-Associated Hormones and Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis. Neural Plast 2021; 2021:3651735. [PMID: 34539776 PMCID: PMC8448607 DOI: 10.1155/2021/3651735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The levels of reproduction-associated hormones in females, such as estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, and oxytocin, change dramatically during pregnancy and postpartum. Reproduction-associated hormones can affect adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), thereby regulating mothers' behavior after delivery. In this review, we first briefly introduce the overall functional significance of AHN and the methods commonly used to explore this front. Then, we attempt to reconcile the changes of reproduction-associated hormones during pregnancy. We further update the findings on how reproduction-related hormones influence adult hippocampal neurogenesis. This review is aimed at emphasizing a potential role of AHN in reproduction-related brain plasticity and its neurobiological relevance to motherhood behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Wan
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Rou-Jie Huang
- Medical Doctor Program, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhao-Hui Luo
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
| | - Jiao-e Gong
- Department of Neurology, Hunan Children's Hospital, Changsha 410007, China
| | - Aihua Pan
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Jim Manavis
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia 5000
| | - Xiao-Xin Yan
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410013, China
| | - Bo Xiao
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China
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Grieb ZA, Ford EG, Yagan M, Lau BYB, Manfredsson FP, Krishnan K, Lonstein JS. Oxytocin receptors in the midbrain dorsal raphe are essential for postpartum maternal social and affective behaviors. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 131:105332. [PMID: 34182251 PMCID: PMC8405581 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin receptors (OTRs) in the midbrain dorsal raphe (DR; the source of most forebrain serotonin) have recently been identified as a potential pharmacological target for treating numerous psychiatric disorders. However, almost all research on this topic has been conducted on males and the role of DR OTRs in female social and affective behaviors is mostly unknown. This may be particularly relevant during early motherhood, which is a time of high endogenous oxytocin signaling, but also a time of elevated risk for psychiatric dysfunction. To investigate whether OTRs in the DR are necessary for postpartum female social and affective behaviors, we constructed and then injected into the DR an adeno-associated virus permanently expressing an shRNA targeting OTR mRNA. We then observed a suite of social and affective behaviors postpartum. OTR knockdown in the maternal DR led to pup loss after parturition, decreased nursing, increased aggression, and increased behavioral despair. These effects of OTR knockdown in the DR may be due to disrupted neuroplasticity in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), which mediates maternal sensitivity to the tactile cues from young, as we found significantly more plasticity-restricting perineuronal nets (PNNs) in the S1 rostral barrel field and fewer PNNs in the caudal barrel field of OTR-knockdown mothers. These results demonstrate that OTRs in the midbrain DR are essential for postpartum maternal social and affective behaviors, are involved in postpartum cortical plasticity, and suggest that pharmacotherapies targeting OTRs in the DR could be effective treatments for some peripartum affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary A Grieb
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Emma G Ford
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Mahircan Yagan
- Deparment of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, 1311 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Billy Y B Lau
- Deparment of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, 1311 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Fredric P Manfredsson
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Keerthi Krishnan
- Deparment of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, 1311 Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Joseph S Lonstein
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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Laubach ZM, Greenberg JR, Turner JW, Montgomery TM, Pioon MO, Sawdy MA, Smale L, Cavalcante RG, Padmanabhan KR, Lalancette C, vonHoldt B, Faulk CD, Dolinoy DC, Holekamp KE, Perng W. Early-life social experience affects offspring DNA methylation and later life stress phenotype. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4398. [PMID: 34285226 PMCID: PMC8292380 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24583-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies in rodents and captive primates suggest that the early-life social environment affects future phenotype, potentially through alterations to DNA methylation. Little is known of these associations in wild animals. In a wild population of spotted hyenas, we test the hypothesis that maternal care during the first year of life and social connectedness during two periods of early development leads to differences in DNA methylation and fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCMs) later in life. Here we report that although maternal care and social connectedness during the den-dependent life stage are not associated with fGCMs, greater social connectedness during the subadult den-independent life stage is associated with lower adult fGCMs. Additionally, more maternal care and social connectedness after den independence correspond with higher global (%CCGG) DNA methylation. We also note differential DNA methylation near 5 genes involved in inflammation, immune response, and aging that may link maternal care with stress phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary M Laubach
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA MI, USA.
- BEACON, NSF Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
- Mara Hyena Project, Masai Mara National Reserve, Narok, Kenya.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Julia R Greenberg
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA MI, USA
- Mara Hyena Project, Masai Mara National Reserve, Narok, Kenya
| | - Julie W Turner
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA MI, USA
- BEACON, NSF Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Mara Hyena Project, Masai Mara National Reserve, Narok, Kenya
| | - Tracy M Montgomery
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA MI, USA
- Mara Hyena Project, Masai Mara National Reserve, Narok, Kenya
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Malit O Pioon
- Mara Hyena Project, Masai Mara National Reserve, Narok, Kenya
| | - Maggie A Sawdy
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA MI, USA
| | - Laura Smale
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | | | | | - Bridgett vonHoldt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | | | - Dana C Dolinoy
- Epigenomics Core, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kay E Holekamp
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA MI, USA
- BEACON, NSF Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Mara Hyena Project, Masai Mara National Reserve, Narok, Kenya
| | - Wei Perng
- Department of Epidemiology and Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
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Mazurkiewicz D, Bronkowska M. Circulating Insulin and IGF-1 and Frequency of Food Consumption during Pregnancy as Predictors of Birth Weight and Length. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13072344. [PMID: 34371854 PMCID: PMC8308892 DOI: 10.3390/nu13072344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between maternal insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentration and food consumption frequency and the birth parameters of the newborn. A total of 157 mother-newborn pairs participated in the study. The study showed that more frequent consumption of sweet and salty snacks as well as fruit and fruit or vegetable juices may promote greater weight gain in pregnancy and higher newborn birth weight. A significantly higher insulin concentration was found among overweight women according to body mass index (BMI), and a significantly lower concentration of IGF-1 was demonstrated among women ≥35 years of age. There was no significant correlation between the concentration of insulin and IGF-1 in the mother’s blood plasma and the birth weight and length of the newborn. A significant relationship was only found between the concentration of IGF-1 in the mother’s blood and the Ponderal index of the newborn. A woman’s eating habits during pregnancy have a significant impact on the mother’s health and on the proper growth and development of the foetus.
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Wood EK, Halter CM, Gabrielle N, Capitanio JP, Higley JD. Stress-induced plasma cortisol concentrations in infancy are associated with later parenting behaviors in female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1098-1108. [PMID: 33559137 PMCID: PMC8797157 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Few studies have longitudinally assessed the relationship between infant stress reactivity and future parenting style. Studies show that stress-induced plasma cortisol concentrations are stable over development and that they can be utilized as a marker for stress reactivity. This study investigates the relationship between stress-induced plasma cortisol concentrations in infancy and later parenting behavior in a translational nonhuman primate model. We hypothesized that higher stress-induced cortisol levels in infancy would predict impairments in maternal behaviors in adulthood. Subjects were rhesus macaque females (N = 122; Macaca mulatta), assessed as infants and again as mothers. At 3-4 months of age, subjects underwent a standardized BioBehavioral Assessment during which blood samples were obtained and they were assessed for behaviorally inhibition. Approximately 7 years later, subjects were observed as they interacted with their own offspring for four 300-s sessions. Typical rhesus monkey mother-offspring behaviors were recorded, including approaches and leaves and maternal cradling. Results showed that subjects' stress-induced cortisol concentrations and whether they exhibited behavioral inhibition as infants predicted later maternal behavior, with high cortisol concentrations and behavioral inhibition predicting high rates of offspring approaches and leaves and low rates of maternal cradling. Results also showed that higher stress-induced cortisol concentrations in infancy predicted higher scores on the Brown Index, an indication that the subjects' offspring, rather than the subject themselves, initiated changes in proximity. Taken together, these results suggest that individuals that exhibit higher stress-induced cortisol concentrations and behavioral inhibition at 3-4 months of age are at risk for engaging in less sensitive parenting behaviors as adults. To the extent that these findings generalize to humans, they suggest an important link between stress-induced cortisol concentrations and behavioral inhibition in infancy and behavior later in life, such that early-life stress reactivity can serve as a marker for later parenting behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Colt M. Halter
- Psychology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT,
USA
| | | | - John P. Capitanio
- Psychology Department, University of
California—Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA,
USA
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Fuertes M, da Costa Ribeiro C, Barbosa M, Gonçalves J, Teodoro AT, Almeida R, Beeghly M, Lopes dos Santos P, Lamônica DAC. Patterns of regulatory behavior in the still-face paradigm at 3 months: A comparison of Brazilian and Portuguese infants. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252562. [PMID: 34115796 PMCID: PMC8195415 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Three infant regulatory behavior patterns have been identified during the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm (FFSF) in prior research samples: a Social-Positive Oriented pattern (i.e., infants exhibit predominantly positive social engagement), a Distressed-Inconsolable pattern (i.e., infants display conspicuous negative affect that persists or increases across FFSF episodes), and a Self-Comfort Oriented pattern (e.g., infants primarily engage in self-comforting behaviors such as thumb-sucking). However, few studies have examined these patterns outside US and European countries or evaluated potential cross-country differences in these patterns. In this study, we compared the regulatory behavior patterns of 74 Brazilian and 124 Portuguese infants in the FFSF at 3 months of age, and evaluated their links to demographic and birth variables. The prevalence of the three regulatory patterns varied by country. The most frequent pattern in the Portuguese sample was the Social-Positive Oriented, followed by the Distressed-Inconsolable and the Self-Comfort Oriented. However, in the Brazilian sample, the Distressed-Inconsolable pattern was the most prevalent, followed by the Social-Positive Oriented and the Self-Comfort Oriented. Moreover, in the Brazilian sample, familial SES was higher among infants with a Social-Positive pattern whereas 1st-minute Apgar scores were lower among Portuguese infants with a Distressed-Inconsolable Oriented pattern of regulatory behavior. In each sample, Social Positive pattern of regulatory behavior was associated with maternal sensitivity, Self-Comfort Oriented pattern of regulatory behavior with maternal control, and Distressed-Inconsolable pattern with maternal unresponsivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Fuertes
- Centro de Psicologia of University of Porto, Oporto, Portugal
- ESELX_IPL, Lisboa, Portugal
- * E-mail:
| | - Camila da Costa Ribeiro
- Departamento de Fonoaudiologia da Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Miguel Barbosa
- IFaculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joana Gonçalves
- Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação of University of Porto, Oporto, Portugal
| | - Ana Teresa Teodoro
- Departamento de Fonoaudiologia da Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rita Almeida
- Faculdade de Psicologia of University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Marjorie Beeghly
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States of America
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Yoshihara C, Tokita K, Maruyama T, Kaneko M, Tsuneoka Y, Fukumitsu K, Miyazawa E, Shinozuka K, Huang AJ, Nishimori K, McHugh TJ, Tanaka M, Itohara S, Touhara K, Miyamichi K, Kuroda KO. Calcitonin receptor signaling in the medial preoptic area enables risk-taking maternal care. Cell Rep 2021; 35:109204. [PMID: 34077719 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal mammals exhibit heightened motivation to care for offspring, but the underlying neuromolecular mechanisms have yet to be clarified. Here, we report that the calcitonin receptor (Calcr) and its ligand amylin are expressed in distinct neuronal populations in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and are upregulated in mothers. Calcr+ MPOA neurons activated by parental care project to somatomotor and monoaminergic brainstem nuclei. Retrograde monosynaptic tracing reveals that significant modification of afferents to Calcr+ neurons occurs in mothers. Knockdown of either Calcr or amylin gene expression hampers risk-taking maternal care, and specific silencing of Calcr+ MPOA neurons inhibits nurturing behaviors, while pharmacogenetic activation prevents infanticide in virgin males. These data indicate that Calcr+ MPOA neurons are required for both maternal and allomaternal nurturing behaviors and that upregulation of amylin-Calcr signaling in the MPOA at least partially mediates risk-taking maternal care, possibly via modified connectomics of Calcr+ neurons postpartum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Yoshihara
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kenichi Tokita
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; The Institute of Natural Sciences, Senshu University, Tokyo 101-8425, Japan
| | - Teppo Maruyama
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan
| | - Misato Kaneko
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan
| | - Yousuke Tsuneoka
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan; Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan
| | - Kansai Fukumitsu
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Eri Miyazawa
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Shinozuka
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Arthur J Huang
- Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Nishimori
- Department of Obesity and Internal Inflammation, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Thomas J McHugh
- Laboratory for Circuit and Behavioral Physiology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Minoru Tanaka
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Applied Life Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo 180-8602, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Itohara
- Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kazushige Touhara
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; ERATO Touhara Chemosensory Signal Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Kazunari Miyamichi
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Laboratory for Comparative Connectomics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Kumi O Kuroda
- Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
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Finnegan MK, Kane S, Heller W, Laurent H. Mothers' neural response to valenced infant interactions predicts postpartum depression and anxiety. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250487. [PMID: 33905457 PMCID: PMC8078806 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
It is currently unknown whether differences in neural responsiveness to infant cues observed in postpartum affective disturbance are specific to depression/anxiety or are better attributed to a common component of internalizing distress. It is also unknown whether differences in mothers’ brain response can be accounted for by effects of past episodes, or if current neural processing of her child may serve as a risk factor for development of future symptoms. Twenty-four mothers from a community-based sample participated in an fMRI session viewing their 3-month- old infant during tasks evoking positive or negative emotion. They were tracked across the ensuing 15 months to monitor changes in affective symptoms. Past and current episodes of depression and anxiety, as well as future symptoms, were used to predict differences in mothers’ hemodynamic response to their infant in positive compared to negative emotion contexts. Lower relative activation in largely overlapping brain regions involving frontal lobe structures to own infant positive vs. negative emotion was associated with concurrent (3-month) depression diagnosis and prospective (3–18 month) depression and anxiety symptoms. There was little evidence for impacts of past psychopathology (more limited effect of past anxiety and nonsignificant effect of past depression). Results suggest biased maternal processing of infant emotions during postpartum depression and anxiety is largely accounted for by a shared source of variance (internalizing distress). Furthermore, differential maternal responsiveness to her infant’s emotional cues is specifically associated with the perpetuation of postpartum symptoms, as opposed to more general phenotypic or scarring effects of past psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Kate Finnegan
- Psychology Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States of America
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Stephanie Kane
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States of America
| | - Wendy Heller
- Psychology Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States of America
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
| | - Heidemarie Laurent
- Psychology Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States of America
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States of America
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Sakamoto T, Ishio Y, Ishida Y, Mogi K, Kikusui T. Low maternal licking/grooming stimulation increases pain sensitivity in male mouse offspring. Exp Anim 2021; 70:13-21. [PMID: 32741955 PMCID: PMC7887629 DOI: 10.1538/expanim.20-0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Deprivation of maternal care has been associated with higher pain sensitivity in offspring. In the present study, we hypothesized that the maternal licking/grooming behavior was an important factor for the development of the pain regulatory system. To test this hypothesis, we used male F2 offspring of early-weaned (EW) F1 mother mice that exhibit lower frequency of licking/grooming behavior. The formalin test revealed that F2 offspring of EW F1 dams showed significantly higher pain behavior than F2 offspring of normally-weaned (NW) F1 dams. We found that the mRNA levels of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), a nociceptor, were higher in the lumbosacral dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of F2 offspring of EW F1 dams than those of F2 offspring of NW F1 dams, suggesting that the higher pain sensitivity may be attributed to low licking/grooming, which may result in developmental changes in nociceptive neurons. In the DRG, mRNA levels of Mas-related G-protein coupled receptor B4 (MrgprB4), a marker of sensory neurons that detect gentle stroking, was also up-regulated in the F2 offspring of EW F1 dams. Considering that gentle touch alleviates pain, Mrgprb4 up-regulation may reflect a compensatory change. The present findings indicate important implications of maternal licking/grooming behavior in the development of the pain regulatory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Sakamoto
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan
| | - Yukino Ishio
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan
| | - Yuiko Ishida
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Mogi
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan
| | - Takefumi Kikusui
- Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5201, Japan
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de la Torre A, Coyohua Fuentes A, Rangel Negrín A, Velarde Garcéz DA, Canales Espinosa D, Cervantes Acosta P, Dias PAD. Maternal care according to offspring sex and maternal physical condition in mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). Primates 2021; 62:379-388. [PMID: 33523342 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-020-00883-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The Trivers-Willard hypothesis (TWH) posits that maternal care will be biased in favor of the sex that provides the greatest fitness returns per unit of investment, depending on maternal physical condition. Our aim was to examine the TWH in mantled howler monkeys living at Los Tuxtlas (Veracruz, Mexico). The biological attributes of mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) meet the assumptions of TWH better than those of other explanations, so we expected that females in better physical condition should bias maternal care toward sons, whereas mothers in worse physical condition should bias care toward daughters. Between December 2017 and March 2019, we studied mother-infant interactions in 20 dyads with focal-animal sampling and continuous recording (N = 204 h). We performed genetic analysis to determine offspring sex (N = 7 daughters and 13 sons) and measured C-peptide in urine samples of mothers to assess their physical condition (N = 46 samples). Mothers in better physical condition spent less time in contact with their sons but more time in contact with their daughters. For proximity behavior, mothers in better physical condition spent more time near their sons and less time near their daughters. These results suggest a bias in maternal care towards daughters, contrary to our predictions. In light of current models of maternal investment, our results support that mothers obtain higher fitness returns through daughters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalia de la Torre
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México
- Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México
| | - Alejandro Coyohua Fuentes
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México
| | - Ariadna Rangel Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México
| | - Daniel A Velarde Garcéz
- Instituto iBIOTROP, Museo de Zoología and Laboratorio de Zoología Terrestre, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Domingo Canales Espinosa
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México
| | | | - Pedro Américo D Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México.
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Benedek I, Altbӓcker V, Molnár T. Stress reactivity near birth affects nest building timing and offspring number and survival in the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246258. [PMID: 33513198 PMCID: PMC7845978 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The physiological response to stressors has great importance, and its variance has an adaptive role in the survival of individuals. This study describes the effects of stress-axis activation on maternal behavior during the birthing process (parturition) in captive rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In this species, chances of survival are strongly influenced by nest quality. Thus, maternal care is initiated with nest preparation in late pregnancy, which itself is subject to strict and complex hormonal regulation. Among these hormones, progesterone is one of the most dominant in the process of nest construction. We have demonstrated that its level is altered by the level of cortisol elevation in the animal in question, potentially having an influence on the preparation of the nest for the newborn kittens. We found that does that had a constant and un-elevated level of cortisol metabolite while delivering their litters performed better than those individuals that showed an increased corticoid response around parturition. The latter group exhibited a perceptible delay in the building of their nests, and in addition, further losses were also experienced in their already smaller litters. As the quality of the nest itself proved to be was in no way inferior to those of the other group, this higher kitten-mortality rate may be attributed to impaired maternal behavior. Individual variances in cortisol levels may also result in subtle changes in hormonal regulation, potentially affecting the expression of maternal behavior. We have concluded that the higher level of cortisol detected in more-sensitive does effectively disrupts the natural hormonal regulation involved in their nest-building processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ildikó Benedek
- Department of Wild Biology and Ethology, Institute of Environmental Science and Nature Conservation, Szent István University, Kaposvár, Hungary
| | - Vilmos Altbӓcker
- Department of Wild Biology and Ethology, Institute of Environmental Science and Nature Conservation, Szent István University, Kaposvár, Hungary
| | - Tamás Molnár
- Department of Nature Conservation and Environmental Management, Institute of Environmental Science and Nature Conservation, Szent István University, Kaposvár, Hungary
- * E-mail:
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Orchard ER, Ward PGD, Chopra S, Storey E, Egan GF, Jamadar SD. Neuroprotective Effects of Motherhood on Brain Function in Late Life: A Resting-State fMRI Study. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:1270-1283. [PMID: 33067999 PMCID: PMC7906778 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The maternal brain undergoes structural and functional plasticity during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Little is known about functional plasticity outside caregiving-specific contexts and whether changes persist across the lifespan. Structural neuroimaging studies suggest that parenthood may confer a protective effect against the aging process; however, it is unknown whether parenthood is associated with functional brain differences in late life. We examined the relationship between resting-state functional connectivity and number of children parented in 220 healthy older females (73.82 ± 3.53 years) and 252 healthy older males (73.95 ± 3.50 years). We compared the patterns of resting-state functional connectivity with 3 different models of age-related functional change to assess whether these effects may be functionally neuroprotective for the aging human parental brain. No relationship between functional connectivity and number of children was obtained for males. For females, we found widespread decreasing functional connectivity with increasing number of children parented, with increased segregation between networks, decreased connectivity between hemispheres, and decreased connectivity between anterior and posterior regions. The patterns of functional connectivity related to the number of children an older woman has parented were in the opposite direction to those usually associated with age-related cognitive decline, suggesting that motherhood may be beneficial for brain function in late life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwina R Orchard
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Phillip G D Ward
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sidhant Chopra
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Elsdon Storey
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience (Medicine), Monash University, The Alfred Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Gary F Egan
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sharna D Jamadar
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Melbourne, Australia
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Salais-López H, Abellán-Álvaro M, Bellés M, Lanuza E, Agustin-Pavon C, Martínez-García F. Maternal Motivation: Exploring the Roles of Prolactin and Pup Stimuli. Neuroendocrinology 2021; 111:805-830. [PMID: 32645699 DOI: 10.1159/000510038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Motherhood entails increased motivation for pups, which become strong reinforcers and guide maternal behaviours. This depends on steroids and lactogens acting on the brain of females during pregnancy and postpartum. Since virgin female mice exposed to pups are nearly spontaneously maternal, the specific roles of endocrine and pup-derived signals in the induction of maternal motivation remain unclear. This work investigates maternal motivation in dams and virgin female mice, using a novel variant of the pup retrieval paradigm, the motivated pup retrieval test. We also analyse the role of prolactin (PRL) and of stimuli derived from a litter of pups and its mother, in the acquisition of maternal motivation. Experimental design included female mice in 3 conditions: lactating dams, comothers (virgins housed and sharing pup care with dams) and pup-naïve virgins. Females underwent 3 motivated-pup-retrieval trials, with pups displaced behind a 10-cm-high wire-mesh barrier. Dams retrieved with significantly lower latencies than comothers or virgins, indicating that full maternal motivation appears only after pregnancy. Although initially comothers and virgins showed no retrieval, comothers significantly improved throughout the experiment, suggesting an induced sensitization process. Lengthening exposure of comothers to the dyad pups-dam (from 2 to 5 days at the beginning of testing) had no strong effects on maternal sensitization. PRL responsiveness was analysed in these animals using immunohistochemical detection of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (pSTAT5, PRL-derived signalling marker). As expected, dams showed significantly higher pSTAT5 expression in most of the analysed nuclei. Moreover, comothers displayed significantly higher PRL responsiveness than pup-naïve virgins in the medial preoptic nucleus, even if they display similar circulating PRL levels, which are significantly lower than those of dams. Given the instrumental role of this nucleus in the relay and integration of pup-derived stimuli to facilitate proactive maternal responses, this increase in PRL responsiveness likely reflects the mechanism underlying the maternal sensitization process reported in this work. Since the analyses of maternal motivation and PRL signalling in the brain were performed in the same animals, we were able to explore correlation between both set of data. The results shed light on the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying maternal motivation and other aspects of maternal behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Salais-López
- Research Unit in Functional Neuroanatomy, Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - María Abellán-Álvaro
- Research Unit in Functional Neuroanatomy, Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
- Research Unit in Functional Neuroanatomy, Departament de Biologia Cellular, Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - María Bellés
- Research Unit in Functional Neuroanatomy, Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Research Unit in Functional Neuroanatomy, Departament de Biologia Cellular, Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Carmen Agustin-Pavon
- Research Unit in Functional Neuroanatomy, Departament de Biologia Cellular, Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Fernando Martínez-García
- Research Unit in Functional Neuroanatomy, Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain,
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Austin SH, Krause JS, Viernes R, Farrar VS, Booth AM, Harris RM, Angelier F, Lee C, Bond A, Wingfield JC, MacManes MM, Calisi RM. Uncovering the Sex-Specific Endocrine Responses to Reproduction and Parental Care. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:631384. [PMID: 34867772 PMCID: PMC8632640 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.631384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hormones mediate physiological and behavioral changes in adults as they transition into reproduction. In this study, we characterize the circulating levels of five key hormones involved in reproduction in rock doves (Columba livia): corticosterone, progesterone, estradiol, testosterone, and prolactin using univariate and multivariate approaches. We show similar patterns as previous studies in the overall patterns in circulating levels of these hormones, i.e., testosterone (males) and estradiol (females) high during nest-building or egg-laying, prolactin increasing at mid-incubation and peaking at hatching (both sexes), and elevated corticosterone levels in later incubation and early nestling development. In our investigation of hormone co-variation, we find a strong correlation between prolactin and corticosterone across sampling stages and similarities in earlier (early to mid-incubation) compared to later (late incubation to nestling d9) sampling stages in males and females. Finally, we utilized experimental manipulations to simulate nest loss or altered caregiving lengths to test whether external cues, internal timing, or a combination of these factors contributed most to hormone variation. Following nest loss, we found that both males and females responded to the external cue. Males generally responded quickly following nest loss by increasing circulating testosterone, but this response was muted when nest loss occurred early in reproduction. Similar treatment type, e.g., removal of eggs, clustered similarly in hormone space. These results suggest internal drivers limited male response early in reproduction to nest loss. In contrast, circulating levels of these hormones in females either did not change or decreased following nest manipulation suggesting responsiveness to external drivers, but unlike males, this result suggests that reproductive processes were decreasing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne H. Austin
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Suzanne H. Austin,
| | - Jesse S. Krause
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Rechelle Viernes
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Victoria S. Farrar
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - April M. Booth
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Rayna M. Harris
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Candice Lee
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Annie Bond
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - John C. Wingfield
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Matthew M. MacManes
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, The University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Rebecca M. Calisi
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Cárdenas EF, Kujawa A, Humphreys KL. Neurobiological changes during the peripartum period: implications for health and behavior. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 15:1097-1110. [PMID: 31820795 PMCID: PMC7657461 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy and the transition to parenthood is an important period marked by dramatic neurobiological and psychosocial changes that may have implications for the health of women and offspring. Although human and non-human animal research suggests that the brain undergoes alterations during the peripartum period, these changes are poorly understood. Here, we review existing research, particularly human neuroimaging and psychophysiological research, to examine changes in brain structure and function during the peripartum period and discuss potential implications for the health of women and offspring. First, we discuss the potential causes of these changes across pregnancy, including physiological and psychosocial factors. Next, we discuss the evidence for structural and functional changes in the brain during pregnancy and into the postpartum period, noting the need for research conducted prospectively across human pregnancy. Finally, we propose potential models of individual differences in peripartum neurobiological changes (i.e. hypo-response, typical response, hyper-response) and emphasize the need to consider trajectories of change in addition to pre-existing factors that may predict maternal adjustment to parenthood. We suggest that the consideration of individual differences in neurobiological trajectories across pregnancy may contribute to a better understanding of risk for negative health and behavior outcomes for women and offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia F Cárdenas
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 37203, Nashville, USA
| | - Autumn Kujawa
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 37203, Nashville, USA
| | - Kathryn L Humphreys
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, 37203, Nashville, USA
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49
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de Lange AG, Barth C, Kaufmann T, Anatürk M, Suri S, Ebmeier KP, Westlye LT. The maternal brain: Region-specific patterns of brain aging are traceable decades after childbirth. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:4718-4729. [PMID: 32767637 PMCID: PMC7555081 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy involves maternal brain adaptations, but little is known about how parity influences women's brain aging trajectories later in life. In this study, we replicated previous findings showing less apparent brain aging in women with a history of childbirths, and identified regional brain aging patterns linked to parity in 19,787 middle- and older-aged women. Using novel applications of brain-age prediction methods, we found that a higher number of previous childbirths were linked to less apparent brain aging in striatal and limbic regions. The strongest effect was found in the accumbens-a key region in the mesolimbic reward system, which plays an important role in maternal behavior. While only prospective longitudinal studies would be conclusive, our findings indicate that subcortical brain modulations during pregnancy and postpartum may be traceable decades after childbirth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann‐Marie G. de Lange
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
| | - Claudia Barth
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
| | - Tobias Kaufmann
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
| | - Melis Anatürk
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative NeuroimagingUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Sana Suri
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative NeuroimagingUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Lars T. Westlye
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental DisordersUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
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50
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Lapp HE, Bartlett AA, Zup SL, Hunter RG, Moore CL. Early experience alters developmental trajectory of central oxytocin systems involved in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation in Long-Evans rats. Horm Behav 2020; 126:104822. [PMID: 32730760 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is important for postnatal developmental experiences for mothers, infants, and transactions between them. Oxytocin is also implicated in adult affiliative behaviors, including social buffering of stress. There is evidence for connections between early life experience and adult oxytocin system functioning, but effects of early experience on behavioral, endocrine, and neurophysiological outcomes related to adult social buffering are not well explored. We use a limited bedding and nesting (LBN) material paradigm as an environmental disruption of early experiences and assessed central oxytocin systems in brain regions related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation (paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus). We also assessed developmentally-appropriate social behaviors and HPA reactivity during social buffering testing in adulthood. LBN litters had larger huddles and more pups visible compared to control litters during the first two weeks of life. LBN also altered the developmental trajectory of oxytocin-expressing cells and oxytocin receptor cells, with increases in oxytocin receptor cells at P15 in LBN pups. By adulthood, LBN females had more and LBN males had fewer oxytocin and oxytocin receptor cells in these areas compared to sex-matched controls. Adult LBN females, but not LBN males, had behavioral changes during social interaction and social buffering testing. The sex-specific effects of early experience on central oxytocin systems and social behavior may contribute to female resilience to early life adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Lapp
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Psychology, 100 Morrissey Rd., Boston, MA 02125, United States of America.
| | - Andrew A Bartlett
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Psychology, 100 Morrissey Rd., Boston, MA 02125, United States of America
| | - Susan L Zup
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Psychology, 100 Morrissey Rd., Boston, MA 02125, United States of America
| | - Richard G Hunter
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Psychology, 100 Morrissey Rd., Boston, MA 02125, United States of America
| | - Celia L Moore
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Psychology, 100 Morrissey Rd., Boston, MA 02125, United States of America
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