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Jang J, Kim HJ, Koh HY. Compensatory enhancement of paternal care in maternally neglected mice family. Anim Cells Syst (Seoul) 2023; 27:249-259. [PMID: 37818017 PMCID: PMC10561577 DOI: 10.1080/19768354.2023.2266006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Parental care strategies, ranging from biparental to uniparental, evolve based on factors affecting sexual conflict over care. Plasticity in how parents respond to reduction in each other's care effort is thus proposed to be important in the evolution of parental care behaviors. Models predict that 'obligate' biparental care is stable when a parent responds to reduced partner effort with 'partial' compensation, trading-off current and future reproduction. A meta-analysis of experimental studies on biparental birds also revealed partial compensation, supporting coevolution of parental care type and plasticity pattern. However, few studies have addressed this issue across different taxa and different parental care types. In laboratory mice, a female-biased 'facultative' biparental species, fathers paired with a competent mother rarely provide care. We show that, when mated with a pup-neglecting mutant mother, fathers increased care effort to 'fully' compensate for the lost maternal care in both pup survival rate and total care amount. Pup retrieval latency was significantly shorter, and neural activity in relevant brain regions twice as high, suggesting enhanced motivation. This study with mice not only opens a road to explore the neural correlates of paternal plasticity but will also help understand how behavioral plasticity contributes to adaptive evolution of parental care behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaewon Jang
- Brain Science Institute (BSI), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hea-jin Kim
- Brain Science Institute (BSI), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae-Young Koh
- Brain Science Institute (BSI), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
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2
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Urocortin-3 neurons in the perifornical area are critical mediators of chronic stress on female infant-directed behavior. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:483-496. [PMID: 36476733 PMCID: PMC9847478 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01902-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Infant avoidance and aggression are promoted by activation of the Urocortin-3 expressing neurons of the perifornical area of hypothalamus (PeFAUcn3) in male and female mice. PeFAUcn3 neurons have been implicated in stress, and stress is known to reduce maternal behavior. We asked how chronic restraint stress (CRS) affects infant-directed behavior in virgin and lactating females and what role PeFAUcn3 neurons play in this process. Here we show that infant-directed behavior increases activity in the PeFAUcn3 neurons in virgin and lactating females. Chemogenetic inhibition of PeFAUcn3 neurons facilitates pup retrieval in virgin females. CRS reduces pup retrieval in virgin females and increases activity of PeFAUcn3 neurons, while CRS does not affect maternal behavior in lactating females. Inhibition of PeFAUcn3 neurons blocks stress-induced deficits in pup-directed behavior in virgin females. Together, these data illustrate the critical role for PeFAUcn3 neuronal activity in mediating the impact of chronic stress on female infant-directed behavior.
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3
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A calcitonin receptor-expressing subregion of the medial preoptic area is involved in alloparental tolerance in common marmosets. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1243. [PMID: 36411342 PMCID: PMC9678893 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04166-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Like humans, common marmoset monkeys utilize family cooperation for infant care, but the neural mechanisms underlying primate parental behaviors remain largely unknown. We investigated infant care behaviors of captive marmosets in family settings and caregiver-infant dyadic situations. Marmoset caregivers exhibited individual variations in parenting styles, comprised of sensitivity and tolerance toward infants, consistently across infants, social contexts and multiple births. Seeking the neural basis of these parenting styles, we demonstrated that the calcitonin receptor-expressing neurons in the marmoset medial preoptic area (MPOA) were transcriptionally activated during infant care, as in laboratory mice. Further, site-specific neurotoxic lesions of this MPOA subregion, termed the cMPOA, significantly reduced alloparental tolerance and total infant carrying, while sparing general health and other social or nonsocial behaviors. These results suggest that the molecularly-defined neural site cMPOA is responsible for mammalian parenting, thus provide an invaluable model to study the neural basis of parenting styles in primates.
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4
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Abstract
Motherhood goes through preparation, onset and maintenance phases until the natural weaning. A variety of changes in hormonal/neurohormonal systems and brain circuits are involved in the maternal behavior. Hormones, neuropeptides, and neurotransmitters involved in maternal behavior act via G-protein-coupled receptors, many of which in turn activate plasma membrane enzymes including phospholipase C (PLC) β isoforms. In this study, we examined the effect of PLCβ1 knockout (KO) on maternal behavior. There was little difference between PLCβ1-KO and wild-type (WT) dams in the relative time spent in maternal behavior during the period between 24 h prepartum and 12 h postpartum (-24 h ∼ PPH 12). After PPH 18, however, PLCβ1-KO dams neglected their pups so that they all died in 2-3 days. In the pup retrieval test, latency was not different during the period within PPH 12, but after PPH 18, PLCβ1-KO dams could not finish pup retrieval in a given time. During both periods, FosB expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) of PLCβ1-KO dams was significantly lower than WT, but not different in the medial preoptic area (mPOA). Given that mPOA activity is required for initiation of maternal behavior, and that NAcc is known to be involved in maternal motivation and maintenance of maternal behavior, our results suggest that PLCβ1 signaling is essential for transition from the onset to maintenance phase of maternal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hea-jin Kim
- Brain Science Institute (BSI), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea,Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaewon Jang
- Brain Science Institute (BSI), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea,Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae-Young Koh
- Brain Science Institute (BSI), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea,Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, Republic of Korea, Hae-Young Koh Brain Science Institute (BSI), Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Hwarang-ro 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
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5
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Zambon A, Rico LC, Herman M, Gundacker A, Telalovic A, Hartenberger LM, Kuehn R, Romanov RA, Hussaini SA, Harkany T, Pollak DD. Gestational immune activation disrupts hypothalamic neurocircuits of maternal care behavior. Mol Psychiatry 2022:10.1038/s41380-022-01602-x. [PMID: 35581295 PMCID: PMC9112243 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01602-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Immune activation is one of the most common complications during pregnancy, predominantly evoked by viral infections. Nevertheless, how immune activation affects mother-offspring relationships postpartum remains unknown. Here, by using the polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) model of gestational infection we show that viral-like immune activation at mid-gestation persistently changes hypothalamic neurocircuit parameters in mouse dams and, consequently, is adverse to parenting behavior. Poly I:C-exposed dams favor non-pup-directed exploratory behavior at the expense of pup retrieval. These behavioral deficits are underlain by dendrite pruning and lesser immediate early gene activation in Galanin (Gal)+ neurons with dam-specific transcriptional signatures that reside in the medial preoptic area (mPOA). Reduced activation of an exclusively inhibitory contingent of these distal-projecting Gal+ neurons allows for increased feed-forward inhibition onto putative dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in Poly I:C-exposed dams. Notably, destabilized VTA output specifically accompanies post-pup retrieval epochs. We suggest that gestational immunogenic insults bias both threat processing and reward perception, manifesting as disfavored infant caregiving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Zambon
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura Cuenca Rico
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mathieu Herman
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Taub Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anna Gundacker
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Amina Telalovic
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa-Marie Hartenberger
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rebekka Kuehn
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Roman A Romanov
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - S Abid Hussaini
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Taub Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela D Pollak
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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6
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Fuentes I, Morishita Y, Gonzalez-Salinas S, Champagne FA, Uchida S, Shumyatsky GP. Experience-Regulated Neuronal Signaling in Maternal Behavior. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:844295. [PMID: 35401110 PMCID: PMC8987921 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.844295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal behavior is shaped and challenged by the changing developmental needs of offspring and a broad range of environmental factors, with evidence indicating that the maternal brain exhibits a high degree of plasticity. This plasticity is displayed within cellular and molecular systems, including both intra- and intercellular signaling processes as well as transcriptional profiles. This experience-associated plasticity may have significant overlap with the mechanisms controlling memory processes, in particular those that are activity-dependent. While a significant body of work has identified various molecules and intracellular processes regulating maternal care, the role of activity- and experience-dependent processes remains unclear. We discuss recent progress in studying activity-dependent changes occurring at the synapse, in the nucleus, and during the transport between these two structures in relation to maternal behavior. Several pre- and postsynaptic molecules as well as transcription factors have been found to be critical in these processes. This role reflects the principal importance of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of memory formation to maternal and other behavioral adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana Fuentes
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | | | | | - Frances A. Champagne
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Shusaku Uchida
- SK Project, Medical Innovation Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Gleb P. Shumyatsky
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- *Correspondence: Gleb P. Shumyatsky
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7
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Pereira M, Smiley KO, Lonstein JS. Parental Behavior in Rodents. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 27:1-53. [PMID: 36169811 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97762-7_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Members of the order Rodentia are among the best-studied mammals for understanding the patterns, outcomes, and biological determinants of maternal and paternal caregiving. This research has provided a wealth of information but has historically focused on just a few rodents, mostly members of the two Myomorpha families that easily breed and can be studied within a laboratory setting (including laboratory rats, mice, hamsters, voles, gerbils). It is unclear how well this small collection of animals represents the over 2000 species of extant rodents. This chapter provides an overview of the hormonal and neurobiological systems involved in parental care in rodents, with a purposeful eye on providing information known or could be gleaned about parenting in various less-traditional members of Rodentia. We conclude from this analysis that the few commonly studied rodents are not necessarily even representative of the highly diverse members of Myomorpha, let alone other rodent suborders, and that additional laboratory and field studies of members of this order more broadly would surely provide invaluable information toward revealing a more representative picture of the rich diversity in rodent parenting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Pereira
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Kristina O Smiley
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology & Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Joseph S Lonstein
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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8
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Reese SE, Conradt E, Riquino MR, Garland EL. An Integrated Mechanistic Model of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement for Opioid-Exposed Mother-Infant Dyads. Front Psychol 2021; 12:688359. [PMID: 34777086 PMCID: PMC8582323 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.688359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of neurobiological and psychological research sheds light on the mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of opioid use disorder and its relation to parenting behavior. Perinatal opioid use is associated with risks for women and children, including increased risk of child maltreatment. Drawing from extant data, here we provide an integrated mechanistic model of perinatal opioid use, parenting behavior, infant attachment, and child well-being to inform the development and adaptation of behavioral interventions for opioid-exposed mother-infant dyads. The model posits that recurrent perinatal opioid use may lead to increased stress sensitivity and reward dysregulation for some mothers, resulting in decreased perceived salience of infant cues, disengaged parenting behavior, disrupted infant attachment, and decreased child well-being. We conclude with a discussion of Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement as a means of addressing mechanisms undergirding perinatal opioid use, parenting, and attachment, presenting evidence on the efficacy and therapeutic mechanisms of mindfulness. As perinatal opioid use increases in the United States, empirically informed models can be used to guide treatment development research and address this growing concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Reese
- School of Social Work, College of Health, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States
| | - Elisabeth Conradt
- Child Adaptation and Neurodevelopment Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Michael R. Riquino
- School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Eric L. Garland
- Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development, College of Social Work, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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9
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Dimén D, Puska G, Szendi V, Sipos E, Zelena D, Dobolyi Á. Sex-specific parenting and depression evoked by preoptic inhibitory neurons. iScience 2021; 24:103090. [PMID: 34604722 PMCID: PMC8463871 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of preoptic GABAergic inhibitory neurons was addressed in parenting, anxiety and depression. Pup exposure and forced swimming resulted in similar c-Fos activation pattern in neurons expressing vesicular GABA transporter in the preoptic area with generally stronger labeling and different distributional pattern in females than in males. Chemogenetic stimulation of preoptic GABAergic cells resulted in elevated maternal motivation and caring behavior in females and mothers but aggression toward pups in males. Behavioral effects were the opposite following inhibition of preoptic GABAergic neurons suggesting their physiological relevance. In addition, increased anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors were found following chemogenetic stimulation of the same neurons in females, whereas previous pup exposure increased only anxiety-like behavior suggesting that not the pups, but overstimulation of the cells can lead to depression-like behavior. A sexually dimorphic projection pattern of preoptic GABAergic neurons was also identified, which could mediate sex-dependent parenting and associated emotional behaviors. Preoptic GABAergic neurons promote maternal behaviors in females mice Activation of preoptic GABAergic neurons induces pup-directed aggression in males Projection pattern of preoptic GABAergic neurons is sexually dimorphic Depression-like behaviors are provoked by stimulation of preoptic GABAergic neurons
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Affiliation(s)
- Diána Dimén
- MTA-ELTE Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gina Puska
- MTA-ELTE Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, 1078 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Vivien Szendi
- MTA-ELTE Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Eszter Sipos
- Department of Behavioral and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1080 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dóra Zelena
- Department of Behavioral and Stress Studies, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 1080 Budapest, Hungary.,Centre for Neuroscience, Szentágothai Research Centre, Institute of Physiology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Árpád Dobolyi
- MTA-ELTE Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
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10
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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] [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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11
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Dunlap AG, Besosa C, Pascual LM, Chong KK, Walum H, Kacsoh DB, Tankeu BB, Lu K, Liu RC. Becoming a better parent: Mice learn sounds that improve a stereotyped maternal behavior. Horm Behav 2020; 124:104779. [PMID: 32502487 PMCID: PMC7487030 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
While mothering is often instinctive and stereotyped in species-specific ways, evolution can favor genetically "open" behavior programs that allow experience to shape infant care. Among experience-dependent maternal behavioral mechanisms, sensory learning about infants has been hard to separate from motivational changes arising from sensitization with infants. We developed a paradigm in which sensory learning of an infant-associated cue improves a stereotypical maternal behavior in female mice. Mice instinctively employed a spatial memory-based strategy when engaged repetitively in a pup search and retrieval task. However, by playing a sound from a T-maze arm to signal where a pup will be delivered for retrieval, mice learned within 7 days and retained for at least 2 weeks the ability to use this specific cue to guide a more efficient search strategy. The motivation to retrieve pups also increased with learning on average, but their correlation did not explain performance at the trial level. Bilaterally silencing auditory cortical activity significantly impaired the utilization of new strategy without changing the motivation to retrieve pups. Finally, motherhood as compared to infant-care experience alone accelerated how quickly the new sensory-based strategy was acquired, suggesting a role for the maternal hormonal state. By rigorously establishing that newly formed sensory associations can improve the performance of a natural maternal behavior, this work facilitates future studies into the neurochemical and circuit mechanisms that mediate novel sensory learning in the maternal context, as well as more learning-based mechanisms of parental behavior in rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander G Dunlap
- Bioengineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Leila M Pascual
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kelly K Chong
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Hasse Walum
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Brenda B Tankeu
- Department of Natural Sciences, Bowie State University, Bowie, MD, USA; Emory College Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Program, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kai Lu
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Robert C Liu
- Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition and Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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12
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Infralimbic Cortex Biases Preference Decision Making for Offspring over Competing Cocaine-Associated Stimuli in New Mother Rats. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0460-19.2020. [PMID: 32631896 PMCID: PMC7358336 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0460-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the context of drug abuse, converging evidence suggests that cocaine use in new mothers is significantly reduced by the competing motivation related to child rearing. Given the demonstrated importance of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in decision-making processes, we investigated the contribution of distinct regions of the mPFC [anterior cingulate (Cg1), prelimbic (PrL), infralimbic (IL)] to decision making in new mother rats performing a concurrent pup/cocaine choice conditioned place preference (CPP) task. When given a choice, inactivation of IL cortex significantly biased decision making of mother rats toward cocaine-associated cues, highly contrasting the distribution of preferences by control groups. In contrast, inactivation of PrL cortex had the opposite effect, significantly increasing offspring bias in the decision making, such that none of the mothers chose the cocaine-associated alternative. Cg1 inactivation was without effect. Functional inactivation of these same mPFC subregions had no effect in a non-conflict CPP task in which context-induced cocaine or pup seeking were examined separately. Notably, inactivation of the IL cortex also interfered with maternal behavior. Taken together, we have identified a specific role of the IL cortex in the prioritization of offspring over drug competing alternatives, thus promoting resistance to drug use in new mothers.
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13
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Rats display empathic behavior independent of the opportunity for social interaction. Neuropsychopharmacology 2020; 45:1097-1104. [PMID: 31752014 PMCID: PMC7235244 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0572-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Empathy, the capacity for shared emotional valence with others, can allow for cooperativity and social bonding between individuals. However, clinical studies indicate it is dysregulated in neuropsychiatric disorders like autism and addiction, making a translationally relevant model of empathy extremely important. The evolutionary basis of the empathic behaviors observed across numerous species can be described using the Perception Action Model (PAM), in which shared affect can promote an action that eliminates the distress of both the "Target" and, by extension, the "Observer". Increasing evidence suggests rodents will work to reduce the distress of a conspecific, but current models of helping behavior are unable to completely parse apart whether the reported behavior is driven by empathy or social reward. The current study demonstrates, using a novel behavioral model, rats learn to aid a distressed conspecific in the absence of social reward, retain the task over time, and previous experience increases the rate of task acquisition. Further, our model suggests that empathic behavior is subject to low effort as compared to a social reward. We next validated the specificity of this model to study empathic processes, characterized the importance of both the Target's level of distress and the impact of the Observer's familiarity with the Target on empathic behavior. Overall, we believe this model adheres to the PAM of empathy by eliminating the influence of social interaction. Importantly, it can be used to directly evaluate the neurocircuitry of empathy and explore the interplay between blunted empathic behavior and neuropsychiatric disorders.
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14
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Zhao C, Chang L, Auger AP, Gammie SC, Riters LV. Mu opioid receptors in the medial preoptic area govern social play behavior in adolescent male rats. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2020; 19:e12662. [PMID: 32388931 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Neural systems underlying important behaviors are usually highly conserved across species. The medial preoptic area (MPOA) has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in reward associated with affiliative, nonsexual, social communication in songbirds. However, the role of MPOA in affiliative, rewarding social behaviors (eg, social play behavior) in mammals remains largely unknown. Here we applied our insights from songbirds to rats to determine whether opioids in the MPOA govern social play behavior in rats. Using an immediate early gene (ie, Egr1, early growth response 1) expression approach, we identified increased numbers of Egr1-labeled cells in the MPOA after social play in adolescent male rats. We also demonstrated that cells expressing mu opioid receptors (MORs, gene name Oprm1) in the MPOA displayed increased Egr1 expression when adolescent rats were engaged in social play using double immunofluorescence labeling of MOR and Egr1. Furthermore, using short hairpin RNA-mediated gene silencing we revealed that knockdown of Oprm1 in the MPOA reduced the number of total play bouts and the frequency of pouncing. Last, RNA sequencing differential gene expression analysis identified genes involved in neuronal signaling with altered expression after Oprm1 knockdown, and identified Egr1 as potentially a key modulator for Oprm1 in the regulation of social play behavior. Altogether, these results show that the MPOA is involved in social play behavior in adolescent male rats and support the hypothesis that the MPOA is part of a conserved neural circuit across vertebrates in which opioids act to govern affiliative, intrinsically rewarded social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changjiu Zhao
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Liza Chang
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Anthony P Auger
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Stephen C Gammie
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Lauren V Riters
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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15
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Rincón-Cortés M, Grace AA. Adaptations in reward-related behaviors and mesolimbic dopamine function during motherhood and the postpartum period. Front Neuroendocrinol 2020; 57:100839. [PMID: 32305528 PMCID: PMC7531575 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Initiation and maintenance of maternal behavior is driven by a complex interaction between the physiology of parturition and offspring stimulation, causing functional changes in maternal brain and behavior. Maternal behaviors are among the most robust and rewarding motivated behaviors. Mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system alterations during pregnancy and the postpartum enable enhanced reward-related responses to offspring stimuli. Here, we review behavioral evidence demonstrating postpartum rodents exhibit a bias towards pups and pup-related stimuli in reward-related tasks. Next, we provide an overview of normative adaptations in the mesolimbic DA system induced by parturition and the postpartum, which likely mediate shifts in offspring valence. We also discuss a causal link between dopaminergic dysfunction and disrupted maternal behaviors, which are recapitulated in postpartum depression (PPD) and relevant rodent models. In sum, mesolimbic DA system activation drives infant-seeking behavior and strengthens the mother-infant bond, potentially representing a therapeutic target for reward-related deficits in PPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Millie Rincón-Cortés
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, United States.
| | - Anthony A Grace
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, United States
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16
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Grieb ZA, Vitale EM, Morrell JI, Lonstein JS, Pereira M. Decreased mesolimbic dopaminergic signaling underlies the waning of maternal caregiving across the postpartum period in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:1107-1119. [PMID: 31927604 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05441-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Mesolimbic dopamine (DA) signaling is essential for the high maternal caregiving characteristic of the early postpartum period, but little is known about dopamine's role in the expression of maternal caregiving thereafter. OBJECTIVES We tested the hypothesis that decreased mesolimbic dopaminergic signaling is particularly responsible for the natural decline in maternal caregiving that occurs as the postpartum period progresses. METHODS Sprague-Dawley (SD) mother rats received intraperitoneal injections of either vehicle, the DA D1 receptor agonist SKF38393, the DA D2 receptor agonist quinpirole, or both agonists twice daily from postpartum days 9 to 15. In a separate experiment involving Long-Evans (LE) rats, we examined whether DA D1 and D2 receptor mRNAs in the nucleus accumbens (NA) shell and ventral tegmental area (VTA), along with DA turnover in the VTA, decline across the postpartum period in parallel with the decreasing maternal behavior. RESULTS All drug treatments significantly maintained higher frequencies of active maternal behaviors (nesting, pup licking, retrieval) compared to vehicle. Furthermore, the majority of mothers treated with SKF38393 either alone or combined with quinpirole maintained full expression of maternal behavior during behavioral testing. D2 receptor mRNA levels were found to be lower in the late postpartum NA shell and VTA compared to early postpartum, but D1 receptor mRNA levels in the NA shell were higher in the late postpartum period. Furthermore, both late postpartum and recently parturient LE mothers had higher VTA DA turnover compared to nulliparae, suggesting changes in mesolimbic signal-to-noise ratio both at the end and beginning of motherhood. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our results suggest that alterations in mesolimbic DA is part of the neural substrate responsible for dynamic maternal caregiving across the entire postpartum period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary A Grieb
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA. .,Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, 880 Petit Science Center, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA.
| | - Erika M Vitale
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Joan I Morrell
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
| | - Joseph S Lonstein
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 108 Giltner Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Mariana Pereira
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 197 University Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, 535 Tobin Hall, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
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17
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Hahn AH, Spool JA, Angyal CS, Stevenson SA, Riters LV. Conditioned place preferences induced by hearing song outside the breeding season relate to neural dopamine D 1 and cannabinoid CB 1 receptor gene expression in female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Behav Brain Res 2019; 371:111970. [PMID: 31128162 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.111970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The affective state induced by sensory stimuli changes to adaptively modify behaviors that are critical for survival and reproduction. In European starlings, during the spring breeding season, male courtship song is rewarding to females, but only to those that possess resources that are necessary for reproduction (i.e., nesting sites). In fall, starling song is non-sexual and proposed to maintain flocks. This suggests that in fall it may be adaptive for females to be rewarded by fall rather than spring, courtship song. We used a conditioned place preference (CPP) test to evaluate song-induced affective state in fall condition females and quantitative real-time PCR to measure expression of genes that modulate affective state (CB1 endocannabinoid and D1 dopamine receptors) in brain regions that were previously implicated in song-induced reward (i.e., the medial preoptic nucleus (mPOA) and ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH)). Fall condition females developed an aversion to a place that had been paired with playback of both male fall and courtship song, indicating that in general male song induces a negative affective state outside the breeding season. Song-induced aversion was stronger in birds conditioned towards an initial place preference. For mPOA, CB1 receptor expression correlated positively with fall and spring song-induced CPP. D1 receptor expression correlated negatively with fall (but not spring) song-induced CPP, and the ratio of CB1 to D1 receptor expression correlated positively with fall (but not spring) song-induced CPP. These correlations suggest that interactions between D1 and CB1 receptors in mPOA may play a role in modifying affective responses to song.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison H Hahn
- Department of Integrative Biology, 428 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Jeremy A Spool
- Department of Integrative Biology, 428 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Caroline S Angyal
- Department of Integrative Biology, 428 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Sharon A Stevenson
- Department of Integrative Biology, 428 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Lauren V Riters
- Department of Integrative Biology, 428 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
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18
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Horrell ND, Saltzman W, Hickmott PW. Plasticity of paternity: Effects of fatherhood on synaptic, intrinsic and morphological characteristics of neurons in the medial preoptic area of male California mice. Behav Brain Res 2019; 365:89-102. [PMID: 30802534 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.02.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Parental care by fathers enhances offspring survival and development in numerous species. In the biparental California mouse, Peromyscus californicus, behavioral plasticity is seen during the transition into fatherhood: adult virgin males often exhibit aggressive or indifferent responses to pups, whereas fathers engage in extensive paternal care. In this species and other biparental mammals, the onset of paternal behavior is associated with increased neural responsiveness to pups in specific brain regions, including the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus (MPOA), a region strongly implicated in both maternal and paternal behavior. To assess possible changes in neural circuit properties underlying this increased excitability, we evaluated synaptic, intrinsic, and morphological properties of MPOA neurons in adult male California mice that were either virgins or first-time fathers. We used standard whole-cell recordings in a novel in vitro slice preparation. Excitatory and inhibitory post-synaptic currents from MPOA neurons were recorded in response to local electrical stimulation, and input/output curves were constructed for each. Responses to trains of stimuli were also examined. We quantified intrinsic excitability by measuring voltage changes in response to square-pulse injections of both depolarizing and hyperpolarizing current. Biocytin was injected into neurons during recording, and their morphology was analyzed. Most parameters did not differ significantly between virgins and fathers. However, we document a decrease in synaptic inhibition in fathers. These findings suggest that the onset of paternal behavior in California mouse fathers may be associated with limited electrophysiological plasticity within the MPOA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan D Horrell
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States; Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States; Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States.
| | - Peter W Hickmott
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States; Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, United States
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19
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Barba-Müller E, Craddock S, Carmona S, Hoekzema E. Brain plasticity in pregnancy and the postpartum period: links to maternal caregiving and mental health. Arch Womens Ment Health 2019; 22:289-299. [PMID: 30008085 PMCID: PMC6440938 DOI: 10.1007/s00737-018-0889-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Pregnancy and the postpartum period involve numerous physiological adaptations that enable the development and survival of the offspring. A distinct neural plasticity characterizes the female brain during this period, and dynamic structural and functional changes take place that accompany fundamental behavioral adaptations, stimulating the female to progress from an individual with self-directed needs to being responsible for the care of another life. While many animal studies detail these modifications, an emerging body of research reveals the existence of reproduction-related brain plasticity in human mothers too. Additionally, associations with aspects of maternal caregiving point to adaptive changes that benefit a woman's transition to motherhood. However, the dynamic changes that affect a woman's brain are not merely adaptive, and they likely confer a vulnerability for the development of mental disorders. Here, we review the changes in brain structure and function that a woman undergoes during the peripartum period, outlining associations between these neural alterations and different aspects of maternal care. We additionally discuss peripartum mood disorders and postpartum psychosis, and review the neuroimaging studies that investigate the neural bases of these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Barba-Müller
- Brain and Development Research Center, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands ,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands ,University Institute of Mental Health Vidal i Barraquer, Ramon Llull University, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sinéad Craddock
- Brain and Development Research Center, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands ,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Susanna Carmona
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain ,Unidad de Medicina y Cirugía Experimental, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain ,Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elseline Hoekzema
- Brain and Development Research Center, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands. .,Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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20
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Smiley KO, Ladyman SR, Gustafson P, Grattan DR, Brown RSE. Neuroendocrinology and Adaptive Physiology of Maternal Care. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2019; 43:161-210. [PMID: 31808002 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2019_122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Parental care is critical for offspring survival in many species. In mammals, parental care is primarily provided through maternal care, due to obligate pregnancy and lactation constraints, although some species also show paternal and alloparental care. These behaviors are driven by specialized neural circuits that receive sensory, cortical, and hormonal input to generate a coordinated and timely change in behavior, and sustain that behavior through activation of reward pathways. Importantly, the hormonal changes associated with pregnancy and lactation also act to coordinate a broad range of physiological changes to support the mother and enable her to adapt to the demands of these states. This chapter will review the neural pathways that regulate maternal behavior, the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy and lactation, and how these two facets merge together to promote both young-directed maternal responses (including nursing and grooming) and young-related responses (including maternal aggression and other physiological adaptions to support the development of and caring for young). We conclude by examining how experimental animal work has translated into knowledge of human parenting, particularly in regards to maternal mental health issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina O Smiley
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sharon R Ladyman
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Papillon Gustafson
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - David R Grattan
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Rosemary S E Brown
- Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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21
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Endogenous opioid signalling in the brain during pregnancy and lactation. Cell Tissue Res 2018; 375:69-83. [DOI: 10.1007/s00441-018-2948-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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22
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Abu-Taweel GM. Neurobehavioral protective properties of curcumin against the mercury chloride treated mice offspring. Saudi J Biol Sci 2018; 26:736-743. [PMID: 31048998 PMCID: PMC6486524 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2018.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
In the present investigation, the effects of mercuric chloride (HgCl2) on the neurobehavioural and neurochemical disruption in mice offspring was studied. A total of thirty pregnant mice were divided into six groups. Group II and III were received 150 and 300 ppm of curcumin respectively. Group IV was given 10 ppm of HgCl2. Group V and VI were given 10 ppm of HgCl2 with 150 and 300 ppm of curcumin respectively. In this study, treatment started from day one of pregnancy and continued until post-natal day 15 (PD 15). During weaning period, three pups in each experimental group were marked and were subjected to behavioral, physical and biochemical tests. The results revealed decreased body weight, delayed hair growth and eye opening. HgCl2 treated pups taken more time in righting, rotating reflexes to return to normal placement, cliff avoidance compared to that of control group. HgCl2 exposed pups showed memory and learning deficits. Anxiety behavior in treating pups was increased. Biochemical investigations showed decreased level of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in forebrain of treated pups compared to the control and curcumin groups. The protective effect of curcumin doses were significant compared to HgCl2 group. The results indicated that the administration of curcumin showed effective activity towards biochemical and behavioral disorders obtained with the HgCl2 treated animals. Overall, the curcumin administration revealed increased cognetion and anxiety behaviors in the treated animals. Conclusively, curcumin has a good benefits for health which can use to avoid toxicants such as Hg and other heavy metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gasem Mohammad Abu-Taweel
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Education, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 2375, Dammam 31451, Saudi Arabia
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23
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Borland JM, Grantham KN, Aiani LM, Frantz KJ, Albers HE. Role of oxytocin in the ventral tegmental area in social reinforcement. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 95:128-137. [PMID: 29852406 PMCID: PMC6109598 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2018] [Revised: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The rewarding properties of social interactions play a critical role in the development and maintenance of social relationships, and deficits in social reward are associated with various psychiatric disorders. In the present study, we used a novel Operant Social Preference (OSP) task to investigate the reinforcing properties of social interactions under conditions of high or low reward value, and high or low behavioral effort in male Syrian hamsters. Further, we investigated the role of oxytocin (OT) in a key structure of the mesolimbic reward system, the ventral tegmental area (VTA), in mediating the reinforcing properties of social interaction. Adult male hamsters were placed in a three-chambered apparatus, and allowed access to either a social chamber containing an unrestrained conspecific or a non-social chamber, by pushing through a one-way entry, vertical-swing door. Increasing the duration of social interaction (reward value) decreased the frequency of entering the social interaction chambers, whereas decreasing the duration of social interaction conversely increased the frequency of entries. Moreover, increasing behavioral effort required to access social interaction decreased the frequency of entries, especially under conditions when the duration of social interaction was only 5 s. OT injected into the VTA decreased the frequency of entering social interaction chambers in a manner similar to that observed when duration was increased, whereas injection of an OT receptor antagonist in the VTA increased the frequency of seeking social interaction. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that activation of OT receptors in the VTA are critical for the reinforcing properties of social interactions. Furthermore, social interactions may exhibit duration and cost dependent reinforcing effects on behavior similar to those observed with food and drugs of abuse.
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24
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Song Z, Kalyani M, Becker JB. Sex differences in motivated behaviors in animal models. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018; 23:98-102. [PMID: 30467551 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences exist in the motivation for sexual behavior, food, parental care and motivation to take drugs. There are also sex differences in the likelihood of exhibiting motivational disorders such as anhedonia, depression, addictive behavior, and eating disorders. This brief review summaries recent studies on sex differences in all motivated behaviors in social and non-social contexts, focusing on animal models. We also discuss the roles of gonadal hormones and the nonapeptides (nine amino acid peptides) in modulating sex differences in motivation. We propose that sex differences in the neural mechanisms mediating endogenous motivation for food, sex, partners and care of offspring underlie sex differences in all motivated behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhimin Song
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Manu Kalyani
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Jill B Becker
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.,Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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25
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Catanese MC, Vandenberg LN. Developmental estrogen exposures and disruptions to maternal behavior and brain: Effects of ethinyl estradiol, a common positive control. Horm Behav 2018; 101:113-124. [PMID: 29107581 PMCID: PMC5938171 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Due of its structural similarity to the endogenous estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2), the synthetic estrogen 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2) is widely used to study the effects of estrogenic substances on sensitive organs at multiple stages of development. Here, we investigated the effects of EE2 on maternal behavior and the maternal brain in females exposed during gestation and the perinatal period. We assessed several components of maternal behavior including nesting behavior and pup retrieval; characterized the expression of estrogen receptor (ER)α in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), a brain region critical for the display of maternal behavior; and measured expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, a marker for dopaminergic cells, in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a brain region important in maternal motivation. We found that developmental exposure to EE2 induces subtle effects on several aspects of maternal behavior including time building the nest and time spent engaged in self-care. Developmental exposure to EE2 also altered ERα expression in the central MPOA during both early and late lactation and led to significantly reduced tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the VTA. Our results demonstrate both dose- and postpartum stage-related effects of developmental exposure to EE2 on behavior and brain that manifest later in adulthood, during the maternal period. These findings provide further evidence for effects of exposure to exogenous estrogenic compounds during the critical periods of fetal and perinatal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary C Catanese
- Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, USA
| | - Laura N Vandenberg
- Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, USA.
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26
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Behavioral mechanisms underlying the maternal disruptive effect of serotonin 5-HT 2A receptor activation in Sprague-Dawley rats. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2018; 125:1065-1075. [PMID: 29616335 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-018-1878-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence indicates that acute activation of 5-HT2A receptors causes a disruption of maternal behavior in rats. However, the behavioral mechanisms underlying such a disruption are not known. We addressed this issue using two behavioral approaches targeting the maternal motivational and emotional processing systems. First, we used the pup-separation technique to increase maternal motivation to see whether pup separation is capable of reducing the maternal disruptive effect of TCB-2 (a high-affinity 5-HT2A agonist) treatment. On postpartum days 4 and 6, different groups of Sprague-Dawley dams were treated with the TCB-2 (5.0 mg/kg, sc) or vehicle and their maternal behaviors were tested after either a 4-h pup-separation or no-pup-separation condition. Although acute TCB-2 injection disrupted maternal behavior, this disruption was not attenuated by pup separation, even after we optimized the timing of separation to maximize its increase on maternal motivation. Acute TCB-2 also impaired the retrieval of food pellets, suggesting a general effect on motivated behaviors. Next, we used a pup preference test and found that dams treated with TCB-2 exhibited an even stronger preference to pups over a male conspecific than vehicle-treated dams, indicating an enhanced motivational and emotional processing of the rewarding property of pups. These findings suggest that TCB-2 has a disruptive effect on rat maternal behavior, and this disruption is not likely due to the drug's effect on mothers' motivational and emotional processing of the incentive salience of pups, although this motivational suppression account cannot be completely ruled out. Future work could explore other possible behavioral mechanisms, such as the drug's effect on executive function.
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Kohl J, Dulac C. Neural control of parental behaviors. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 49:116-122. [PMID: 29482085 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Parenting is a multicomponent social behavior that is essential for the survival of offspring in many species. Despite extensive characterization of individual brain areas involved in parental care, we do not fully understand how discrete aspects of this behavior are orchestrated at the neural circuit level. Recent progress in identifying genetically specified neuronal populations critical for parenting, and the use of genetic and viral tools for circuit-cracking now allow us to deconstruct the underlying circuitry and, thus, to elucidate how different aspects of parental care are controlled. Here we review the latest advances, outline possible organizational principles of parental circuits and discuss future challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Kohl
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Dulac
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Horrell ND, Hickmott PW, Saltzman W. Neural Regulation of Paternal Behavior in Mammals: Sensory, Neuroendocrine, and Experiential Influences on the Paternal Brain. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2018; 43:111-160. [PMID: 30206901 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, parents in many species devote extraordinary effort toward caring for offspring, often risking their lives and exhausting limited resources. Understanding how the brain orchestrates parental care, biasing effort over the many competing demands, is an important topic in social neuroscience. In mammals, maternal care is necessary for offspring survival and is largely mediated by changes in hormones and neuropeptides that fluctuate massively during pregnancy, parturition, and lactation (e.g., progesterone, estradiol, oxytocin, and prolactin). In the relatively small number of mammalian species in which parental care by fathers enhances offspring survival and development, males also undergo endocrine changes concurrent with birth of their offspring, but on a smaller scale than females. Thus, fathers additionally rely on sensory signals from their mates, environment, and/or offspring to orchestrate paternal behavior. Males can engage in a variety of infant-directed behaviors that range from infanticide to avoidance to care; in many species, males can display all three behaviors in their lifetime. The neural plasticity that underlies such stark changes in behavior is not well understood. In this chapter we summarize current data on the neural circuitry that has been proposed to underlie paternal care in mammals, as well as sensory, neuroendocrine, and experiential influences on paternal behavior and on the underlying circuitry. We highlight some of the gaps in our current knowledge of this system and propose future directions that will enable the development of a more comprehensive understanding of the proximate control of parenting by fathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan D Horrell
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Peter W Hickmott
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Wendy Saltzman
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
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29
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Abstract
Social interactions are essential for animals to reproduce, defend their territory, and raise their young. The conserved nature of social behaviors across animal species suggests that the neural pathways underlying the motivation for, and the execution of, specific social responses are also maintained. Modern tools of neuroscience have offered new opportunities for dissecting the molecular and neural mechanisms controlling specific social responses. We will review here recent insights into the neural circuits underlying a particularly fascinating and important form of social interaction, that of parental care. We will discuss how these findings open new avenues to deconstruct infant-directed behavioral control in males and females, and to help understand the neural basis of parenting in a variety of animal species, including humans. Please also see the video abstract here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Kohl
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, London, UK
| | - Anita E. Autry
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Dulac
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Donhoffner ME, Goings SP, Atabaki K, Wood RI. Intracerebroventricular Oxytocin Self-Administration in Female Rats. J Neuroendocrinol 2016; 28:10.1111/jne.12416. [PMID: 27529669 PMCID: PMC5082598 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Revised: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is a neuromodulator that facilitates pair-bonding, maternal care and social approach. OT is considered to promote these social behaviours by enhancing the salience and reinforcing effects of relevant social stimuli. There is the additional possibility that OT per se may be rewarding. To test this, we investigated whether female rats would voluntarily self-administer OT. Female Long-Evans rats were ovariectomised and then received an oestrogen implant and an i.c.v. cannula. Rats were tested in an operant chamber with active and inactive levers. They were initially tested for 4 h/day on a fixed-ratio 5 schedule for self-administration of artificial cerebral spinal fluid (aCSF) for 5 days, followed by aCSF, or OT, at 1 or 10 ng/μl for another 5 days. Rats self-administering aCSF made 36.2 ± 6.2 active lever responses/4 h versus 14.9 ± 3.4 inactive responses. Responses for 1 ng/μl OT were similar. However, rats self-administering 10 ng/μl OT made significantly more active lever responses (67.8 ± 12.0 per 4 h), and received 121.4 ± 21.0 ng OT/4 h. To determine whether reduced anxiety contributes to the reinforcing effects of OT, rats received an infusion of aCSF or OT at 0.3 or 3.0 μg immediately before testing on the elevated plus maze. There was no effect of OT on anxiety as reflected by percentage time spent on the open arms, as well as no effect of OT on locomotion as measured either by the number of closed arm entries or the number of total arm entries. These results suggest that OT may be rewarding, and that this is not a result of the anxiolytic effects of OT.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Donhoffner
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - S P Goings
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - K Atabaki
- Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R I Wood
- Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Abstract
Rat maternal behavior is a complex social behavior. Many clinically used antipsychotic drugs, including the typical drug haloperidol and the atypical drugs clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, aripiprazole, and amisulpride, disrupt active maternal responses (e.g. pup retrieval, pup licking, and nest building) to various extents. In this review, I present a summary of recent studies on the behavioral effects and neurobiological mechanisms of antipsychotic action on maternal behavior in rats. I argue that antipsychotic drugs at clinically relevant doses disrupt active maternal responses primarily by suppressing maternal motivation. Atypical drug-induced sedation also contributes to their disruptive effects, especially that on pup nursing. Among many potential receptor mechanisms, dopamine D2 receptors and serotonin 5-HT2A/2C receptors are shown to be critically involved in the mediation of the maternal disruptive effects of antipsychotic drugs, with D2 receptors contributing more to typical antipsychotic-induced disruptions, whereas 5-HT2A/2C receptors contributing more to atypical drug-induced disruptions. The nucleus accumbens shell-related reward circuitry is an essential neural network in the mediation of the behavioral effects of antipsychotic drugs on maternal behavior. This research not only helps understand the extent and mechanisms of impact of antipsychotic medications on human maternal care, but is also important for enhancing our understanding of the neurochemical basis of maternal behavior. It is also valuable for understanding the complete spectrum of therapeutic effects and side-effects of antipsychotic treatment. This knowledge may facilitate the development of effective intervening strategies to help patients coping with such undesirable effects.
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Abstract
Over 70 years since the first description of the disease, disrupted social behavior remains a core clinical feature of autistic spectrum disorder. The complex etiology of the disorder portends the need for a better understanding of the brain mechanisms that enable social behaviors, particularly those that are relevant to autism which is characterized by a failure to develop peer relationships, difficulty with emotional reciprocity and imitative play, and disrupted language and communication skills. Toward this end, the current review will examine recent progress that has been made toward understanding the neural mechanisms underlying consociate social attachments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gül Dölen
- a Department of Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA
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Abstract
In this protocol, social motivation is measured in mice through a pair of operant conditioning paradigms. To conduct the experiments, two-chambered shuttle boxes were equipped with two operant levers (left and right) and a food receptacle in one chamber, which was then divided from the second chamber by an automated guillotine door covered by a wire grid. Different stimulus mice, rotated across testing days, served as a social stimulus behind the wire grid, and were only visible following the opening of the guillotine door. Test mice were trained to lever press in order to open the door and gain access to the stimulus partner for 15 sec. The number of lever presses required to obtain the social reward progressively increased on a fixed schedule of 3. Testing sessions ended after test mice stopped lever pressing for 5 consecutive minutes. The last reinforced ratio or breakpoint can be used as a quantitative measure of social motivation. For the second paradigm, test mice were trained to discriminate between left and right lever presses in order to obtain either a food reward or the social reward. Mice were rewarded for every 3 presses of each respective lever. The number of food and social rewards can be compared as a measurement of the value placed upon each reward. The ratio of each reward type can also be compared between mouse strains and the change in this ratio can be monitored within testing sessions to measure satiation with a given reward type. Both of these operant conditioning paradigms are highly useful for the quantification of social motivation in mouse models of autism and other disorders of social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loren Martin
- Department of Graduate Psychology, Azusa Pacific University;
| | - Erica Iceberg
- Department of Graduate Psychology, Azusa Pacific University
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Barrett LF, Lindquist KA, Bliss-Moreau E, Duncan S, Gendron M, Mize J, Brennan L. Of Mice and Men: Natural Kinds of Emotions in the Mammalian Brain? A Response to Panksepp and Izard. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2015; 2:297-312. [PMID: 19079552 DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6916.2007.00046.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
For almost 5 decades, the scientific study of emotion has been guided by the assumption that categories such as anger, sadness, and fear cut nature at its joints. Barrett (2006a) provided a comprehensive review of the empirical evidence from the study of emotion in humans and concluded that this assumption has outlived its usefulness. Panksepp and Izard have written lengthy papers (published in this issue) containing complementary but largely nonover lapping criticisms of Barrett (2006a). In our response, we address three of their concerns. First, we discuss the value of correlational versus experimental studies for evaluating the natural-kind model of emotion and refute the claim that the evidence offered in Barrett (2006a) was merely correlational. Second, we take up the issue of whether or not there is evidence for "coherently organized neural circuits for natural kinds of emotions in the mammalian brain and counter the claim that Barrett (2006a) ignored crucial evidence for existence of discrete emotions as natural kinds. Third, we address Panksepp and Izard's misconceptions of an alternative view, the conceptual act model of emotion, that was briefly discussed in Barrett (2006a). Finally, we end the article with some thoughts on how to move the scientific study of emotion beyond the debate over whether or not emotions are natural kinds.
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35
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Yang Y, Qin J, Chen W, Sui N, Chen H, Li M. Behavioral and pharmacological investigation of anxiety and maternal responsiveness of postpartum female rats in a pup elevated plus maze. Behav Brain Res 2015; 292:414-27. [PMID: 26159828 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Revised: 06/28/2015] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated the validity of a novel pup-based repeated elevated plus maze task to detect reduced anxiety and increased maternal responsiveness in postpartum female rats and explored the roles of dopamine D2, serotonin transporter and GABA/benzodiazepine receptors in the mediation of these processes. Sprague-Dawley postpartum or nulliparous female rats were tested 4 times every other day on postpartum days 4, 6 and 8 in an elevated plus maze with 4 pups or 4 pup-size erasers placed on each end of the two open arms. When tested with erasers, untreated postpartum mother rats entered the open arms proportionally more than nulliparous rats. They also tended to spend more time in the open arms, indicating reduced anxiety. When tested with pups, postpartum rats retrieved pups into the closed arms, entered the open arms and closed arms more and had a higher moving speed than nulliparous rats, indicating increased maternal responsiveness. Both haloperidol (0.1 or 0.2 mg/kg, sc) and fluoxetine (5 or 10 mg/kg, ip) dose- and time-dependently decreased the percentage of time spent in the open arms and speed, but did not affect the percentage of open arm entries. Diazepam (1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg, ip) did not affect pup retrieval, open arm time/entry in lactating rats. Thus, the percentage of open arm entries appears to be the most sensitive measure of anxiety in postpartum female rats, while speed could be used to index maternal responsiveness to pups, which are likely mediated by the dopamine D2 and serotonin transporter systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jingxue Qin
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Weihai Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Nan Sui
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
| | - Ming Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA.
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36
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Lonstein JS, Lévy F, Fleming AS. Common and divergent psychobiological mechanisms underlying maternal behaviors in non-human and human mammals. Horm Behav 2015; 73:156-85. [PMID: 26122301 PMCID: PMC4546863 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2015] [Revised: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Maternal interactions with young occupy most of the reproductive period for female mammals and are absolutely essential for offspring survival and development. The hormonal, sensory, reward-related, emotional, cognitive and neurobiological regulators of maternal caregiving behaviors have been well studied in numerous subprimate mammalian species, and some of the importance of this body of work is thought to be its relevance for understanding similar controls in humans. We here review many of the important biopsychological influences on maternal behaviors in the two best studied non-human animals, laboratory rats and sheep, and directly examine how the conceptual framework established by some of the major discoveries in these animal "models" do or do not hold for our understanding of human mothering. We also explore some of the limits for extrapolating from non-human animals to humans. We conclude that there are many similarities between non-human and human mothers in the biological and psychological factors influencing their early maternal behavior and that many of the differences are due to species-characteristic features related to the role of hormones, the relative importance of each sensory system, flexibility in what behaviors are exhibited, the presence or absence of language, and the complexity of cortical function influencing caregiving behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph S Lonstein
- Neuroscience Program, 108 Giltner Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Psychology, 108 Giltner Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Frédéric Lévy
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, INRA-CNRS-Université de Tours IFCE, Nouzilly 37380, France.
| | - Alison S Fleming
- Fraser Mustard Institute for Human Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada.
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37
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Palgi S, Klein E, Shamay-Tsoory SG. Intranasal administration of oxytocin increases compassion toward women. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2015; 10:311-7. [PMID: 24711542 PMCID: PMC4350475 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2013] [Revised: 01/19/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that the degree of compassion-the feeling of warmth, understanding and kindness that motivates the desire to help others, is modulated by observers' views regarding the target's vulnerability and suffering. This study tested the hypothesis that as compassion developed to protect vulnerable kinships, hormones such as oxytocin, which have been suggested as playing a key role in 'tend-and-befriend' behaviors among women, will enhance compassion toward women but not toward men. Thirty subjects participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject study. Following administration of oxytocin/placebo, participants listened to recordings of different female/male protagonists describing distressful emotional conflicts and were then asked to provide compassionate advice to the protagonist. The participants' responses were coded according to various components of compassion by two clinical psychologists who were blind to the treatment. The results showed that in women and men participants oxytocin enhanced compassion toward women, but did not affect compassion toward men. These findings indicate that the oxytocinergic system differentially mediates compassion toward women and toward men, emphasizing an evolutionary perspective that views compassion as a caregiving behavior designed to help vulnerable individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Palgi
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel and Department of Psychiatry, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel and Department of Psychiatry, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ehud Klein
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel and Department of Psychiatry, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Simone G Shamay-Tsoory
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel and Department of Psychiatry, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
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Affective, Cognitive, and Motivational Processes of Maternal Care. PERINATAL PROGRAMMING OF NEURODEVELOPMENT 2015; 10:199-217. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1372-5_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Falkner AL, Lin D. Recent advances in understanding the role of the hypothalamic circuit during aggression. Front Syst Neurosci 2014; 8:168. [PMID: 25309351 PMCID: PMC4174750 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothalamus was first implicated in the classic “fight or flight” response nearly a century ago, and since then, many important strides have been made in understanding both the circuitry and the neural dynamics underlying the generation of these behaviors. In this review, we will focus on the role of the hypothalamus in aggression, paying particular attention to recent advances in the field that have allowed for functional identification of relevant hypothalamic subnuclei. Recent progress in this field has been aided by the development of new techniques for functional manipulation including optogenetics and pharmacogenetics, as well as advances in technology used for chronic in vivo recordings during complex social behaviors. We will examine the role of the hypothalamus through the complimentary lenses of (1) loss of function studies, including pharmacology and pharmacogenetics; (2) gain of function studies, including specific comparisons between results from classic electrical stimulation studies and more recent work using optogenetics; and (3) neural activity, including both immediate early gene and awake-behaving recordings. Lastly, we will outline current approaches to identifying the precise role of the hypothalamus in promoting aggressive motivation and aggressive action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annegret L Falkner
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine New York, NY, USA
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine New York, NY, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine New York, NY, USA
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40
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Abstract
Parental care, including feeding and protection of young, is essential for the survival as well as mental and physical well-being of the offspring. A large variety of parental behaviors has been described across species and sexes, raising fascinating questions about how animals identify the young and how brain circuits drive and modulate parental displays in males and females. Recent studies have begun to uncover a striking antagonistic interplay between brain systems underlying parental care and infant-directed aggression in both males and females, as well as a large range of intrinsic and environmentally driven neural modulation and plasticity. Improved understanding of the neural control of parental interactions in animals should provide novel insights into the complex issue of human parental care in both health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Dulac
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Lauren A O'Connell
- FAS Center for System Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Zheng Wu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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41
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Caffrey MK, Febo M. Cocaine-associated odor cue re-exposure increases blood oxygenation level dependent signal in memory and reward regions of the maternal rat brain. Drug Alcohol Depend 2014; 134:167-177. [PMID: 24183499 PMCID: PMC3908547 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2013] [Revised: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cue triggered relapse during the postpartum period can negatively impact maternal care. Given the high reward value of pups in maternal rats, we designed an fMRI experiment to test whether offspring presence reduces the neural response to a cocaine associated olfactory cue. METHODS Cocaine conditioned place preference was carried out before pregnancy in the presence of two distinct odors that were paired with cocaine or saline (+Cue and -Cue). The BOLD response to +Cue and -Cue was measured in dams on postpartum days 2-4. Odor cues were delivered to dams in the absence and then the presence of pups. RESULTS Our data indicate that several limbic and cognitive regions of the maternal rat brain show a greater BOLD signal response to a +Cue versus -Cue. These include dorsal striatum, prelimbic cortex, parietal cortex, habenula, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, lateral septum and the mediodorsal and the anterior thalamic nucleus. Of the aforementioned brain regions, only the parietal cortex of cocaine treated dams showed a significant modulatory effect of pup presence. In this area of the cortex, cocaine exposed maternal rats showed a greater BOLD activation in response to the +Cue in the presence than in the absence of pups. CONCLUSIONS Specific regions of the cocaine exposed maternal rat brain are strongly reactive to drug associated cues. The regions implicated in cue reactivity have been previously reported in clinical imaging work, and previous work supports their role in various motivational and cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha K. Caffrey
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA USA 02115
| | - Marcelo Febo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
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42
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Henschen CW, Palmiter RD, Darvas M. Restoration of dopamine signaling to the dorsal striatum is sufficient for aspects of active maternal behavior in female mice. Endocrinology 2013; 154:4316-27. [PMID: 23959937 PMCID: PMC5398593 DOI: 10.1210/en.2013-1257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Striatal dopamine (DA) is important for motivated behaviors, including maternal behavior. Recent evidence linking the dorsal striatum with goal-directed behavior suggests that DA signaling in the dorsal striatum, not just the nucleus accumbens, could be involved in maternal behavior. To investigate this question, we tested the maternal behavior of mice with DA genetically restricted to the dorsal striatum. These mice had a mild deficit in pup retrieval but had normal licking/grooming and nursing behavior; consequently, pups were weaned successfully. We also tested a separate group of mice with severely depleted DA in all striatal areas. They had severe deficits in pup retrieval and licking/grooming behavior, whereas nursing behavior was left intact; again, pups survived to weaning at normal rates. We conclude that DA signaling in the striatum is a part of the circuitry mediating maternal behavior and is specifically relevant for active, but not passive, maternal behaviors. In addition, DA in the dorsal striatum is sufficient to allow for active maternal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles W Henschen
- Department of Biochemistry, 1959 Northeast Pacific Street, Box 357370, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.
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43
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Tobiansky DJ, Roma PG, Hattori T, Will RG, Nutsch VL, Dominguez JM. The medial preoptic area modulates cocaine-induced activity in female rats. Behav Neurosci 2013; 127:293-302. [PMID: 23565937 DOI: 10.1037/a0031949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Drugs of abuse exert their effects by exploiting natural neurobiological reward mechanisms, especially the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system. However, the mesolimbic system does not operate in isolation, and input from other reward-relevant structures may play a role in cocaine's rewarding effects. The medial preoptic area (mPOA) of the hypothalamus is involved in the regulation of two essential and naturally rewarding behaviors: sexual and maternal behaviors. It also makes strong neuroanatomical connections with areas of the mesolimbic system, particularly the ventral tegmental area (VTA). As such, the mPOA is a logical candidate for a neuroanatomical locus modulating activity in the mesolimbic system and emergent behavioral expressions of drug reward, yet the role of this structure is largely unexplored. Here, using a female rat model, we show that the mPOA innervates the VTA in a region-specific manner, that lesions of the mPOA augment cocaine-induced Fos expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and cocaine-induced conditioned place preference. We also show that approximately 68% of mPOA-VTA efferents release γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), over 75% are sensitive to DA as evidenced by colocalization with DA receptors, and nearly 60% of these contain both DA receptors and GABA, which suggests a novel key role for the mPOA in the inhibition of the mesolimbic DA circuit. Combined, these results reveal the mPOA as a critical modulating structure in cocaine-induced mesolimbic activity and behavioral manifestation of reward, at least in part, via GABAergic output that is sensitive to DA input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Tobiansky
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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44
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Silveira PP, Benetti CDS, Portella AK, Diehl LA, Molle RD, Lucion AB, Dalmaz C. Brief daily postpartum separations from the litter alter dam response to psychostimulants and to stress. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL AND BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH = REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PESQUISAS MEDICAS E BIOLOGICAS 2013. [PMID: 23739746 DOI: 10.1590/1414-431×20132784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Neonatal handling induces several behavioral and neurochemical alterations in pups, including decreased responses to stress and reduced fear in new environments. However, there are few reports in the literature concerning the behavioral effects of this neonatal intervention on the dams during the postpartum period. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine if brief postpartum separation from pups has a persistent impact on the dam's stress response and behavior. Litters were divided into two neonatal groups: 1) non-handled and 2) handled [10 min/day, from postnatal day (PND) 1 to 10]. Weaning occurred at PND 21 when behavioral tasks started to be applied to the dams, including sweet food ingestion (PND 21), forced swimming test (PND 28), and locomotor response to a psychostimulant (PND 28). On postpartum day 40, plasma was collected at baseline for leptin assays and after 1 h of restraint for corticosterone assay. Regarding sweet food consumption, behavior during the forced swimming test or plasma leptin levels did not differ between dams briefly separated and non-separated from their pups during the postpartum period. On the other hand, both increased locomotion in response to diethylpropion and increased corticosterone secretion in response to acute stress were detected in dams briefly separated from their pups during the first 10 postnatal days. Taken together, these findings suggest that brief, repeated separations from the pups during the neonatal period persistently impact the behavior and induce signs of dopaminergic sensitization in the dam.
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Affiliation(s)
- P P Silveira
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
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Silveira PP, Benetti CDS, Portella AK, Diehl LA, Molle RD, Lucion AB, Dalmaz C. Brief daily postpartum separations from the litter alter dam response to psychostimulants and to stress. Braz J Med Biol Res 2013; 46:426-32. [PMID: 23739746 PMCID: PMC3854400 DOI: 10.1590/1414-431x20132784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2012] [Accepted: 03/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neonatal handling induces several behavioral and neurochemical alterations in pups, including decreased responses to stress and reduced fear in new environments. However, there are few reports in the literature concerning the behavioral effects of this neonatal intervention on the dams during the postpartum period. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine if brief postpartum separation from pups has a persistent impact on the dam's stress response and behavior. Litters were divided into two neonatal groups: 1) non-handled and 2) handled [10 min/day, from postnatal day (PND) 1 to 10]. Weaning occurred at PND 21 when behavioral tasks started to be applied to the dams, including sweet food ingestion (PND 21), forced swimming test (PND 28), and locomotor response to a psychostimulant (PND 28). On postpartum day 40, plasma was collected at baseline for leptin assays and after 1 h of restraint for corticosterone assay. Regarding sweet food consumption, behavior during the forced swimming test or plasma leptin levels did not differ between dams briefly separated and non-separated from their pups during the postpartum period. On the other hand, both increased locomotion in response to diethylpropion and increased corticosterone secretion in response to acute stress were detected in dams briefly separated from their pups during the first 10 postnatal days. Taken together, these findings suggest that brief, repeated separations from the pups during the neonatal period persistently impact the behavior and induce signs of dopaminergic sensitization in the dam.
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Affiliation(s)
- P P Silveira
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
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Distal pup cues evoke dopamine responses in hormonally primed rats in the absence of pup experience or ongoing maternal behavior. J Neurosci 2013; 33:2305-12. [PMID: 23392661 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2081-12.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
During the early postpartum period or following estrogen/progesterone administration, pups elicit maternal behavior accompanied by a robust dopamine (DA) response in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) of female rats (Afonso et al., 2009). To determine whether DA responds to ostensibly "salient" stimuli in the absence of consummatory behaviors, we examined NAC shell DA responses during restricted (stimuli placed in a perforated box), and unrestricted access to pup and food stimuli. Microdialysis samples were collected from female rats that were either cycling and postpartum (Experiment 1), or after ovariectomy and treated with empty and hormone-filled capsules (Experiment 2). Relative to nonprimed controls, hormonally primed females had suppressed basal DA concentrations and facilitated pup-evoked DA responses, regardless of stimulus access condition. In contrast, food-evoked DA responses were unchanged by hormonal priming and were greater when females consumed food compared with distal (restricted) exposure to food. During pup and food restriction conditions, the lack of any "appetitive" behavioral differences, even in pup experienced postpartum females, was surprising. In Experiment 3, we confirmed that postpartum dams allocated time equivalently to restricted pup and food stimuli, even after pup deprivation. This was in sharp contrast to the effects of deprivation during the unrestricted access phase. Together, our data demonstrated that, in hormonally primed females, distal pup cues could evoke DA responses without prior stimulus experience, ongoing maternal (behavioral) responses, or clear evidence of robust pup saliency. The results suggest that NAC DA response reflects a state of responsiveness related to basal DA suppression in the hormonally primed female rat.
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Effects of noradrenergic alpha-2 receptor antagonism or noradrenergic lesions in the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial preoptic area on maternal care in female rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 224:263-76. [PMID: 22644129 PMCID: PMC3652389 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2749-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Accepted: 05/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Maternal behavior in laboratory rats requires a network of brain structures including the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTv) and medial preoptic area (mPOA). Neurotransmitter systems in the BSTv and mPOA influencing maternal behaviors are not well understood, although norepinephrine is an excellent candidate because the BSTv contains the densest noradrenergic fiber plexus in the forebrain and norepinephrine in the mPOA is known to influence other female reproductive functions. OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that downregulated noradrenergic activity in the BSTv and mPOA is necessary for mothering. METHODS Postpartum mother-litter interactions were observed after BSTv infusion of yohimbine (an α2 autoreceptor antagonist that increases norepinephrine release), and after BSTv or mPOA infusion of the more selective α2 autoreceptor antagonist idazoxan. Lastly, noradrenergic input to the BSTv/mPOA was selectively lesioned in nulliparous rats with anti-DBH-saporin to determine if this would facilitate mothering. RESULTS BSTv yohimbine almost abolished retrieval of pups but did not significantly affect dams' ability to initiate contact, lick, or nurse them. BSTv idazoxan disrupted retrieval somewhat less than yohimbine, but significantly reduced nursing. mPOA idazoxan impaired retrieval more severely than that found after BSTv infusion. Anti-DBH-saporin almost eliminated noradrenergic terminals in the BSTv and reduced them by over 60% in the mPOA, but did not promote maternal responding. It also did not affect females' anxiety-related behavior. CONCLUSIONS Downregulated noradrenergic activity in the BSTv and mPOA is necessary for postpartum maternal behavior in rats, but eliminating this system alone is insufficient to promote maternal behaviors in nulliparous females.
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Stolzenberg DS, Stevens JS, Rissman EF. Experience-facilitated improvements in pup retrieval; evidence for an epigenetic effect. Horm Behav 2012; 62:128-35. [PMID: 22687346 PMCID: PMC3474355 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2012] [Revised: 05/28/2012] [Accepted: 05/31/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The quality and quantity of maternal care received during infancy are highly predictive of successful infant development. It has been well established, primarily in rats, that the combination of hormonal and infant stimuli at birth modifies neural circuits that regulate maternal responsiveness. During subsequent interactions, infant stimuli are more likely to elicit rapid maternal responsiveness. Some species, such as humans, can display maternal care in the absence of the endocrine events of pregnancy and birth. Similarly, virgin C57BL/6J female mice, display maternal care toward infants, and experience with infants elicits long-lasting increases in maternal care. We hypothesized that these experience-induced changes in behavior may be mediated by chromatin modifications, which in turn change expression of genes that promote maternal care. One site of action is the medial preoptic area (MPOA). To test our hypothesis we treated virgin female mice with sodium butyrate, a histone deacetylase inhibitor. This treatment potentiated maternal responsiveness as well as the expression of several genes: estrogen receptor β (Esr2), oxytocin (Oxt), and cyclicAMP response element binding protein (CREB) binding protein (Crebbp; a histone acetyltransferase) in the MPOA. These data suggest that experience induces high levels of maternal care via epigenetic modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle S Stolzenberg
- University of Virginia School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, 1340 Jefferson Park Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
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Barrett J, Wonch KE, Gonzalez A, Ali N, Steiner M, Hall GB, Fleming AS. Maternal affect and quality of parenting experiences are related to amygdala response to infant faces. Soc Neurosci 2012; 7:252-68. [DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2011.609907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Specifying the neurobiological basis of human attachment: brain, hormones, and behavior in synchronous and intrusive mothers. Neuropsychopharmacology 2011; 36:2603-15. [PMID: 21881566 PMCID: PMC3230500 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2011.172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 225] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The mother-infant bond provides the foundation for the infant's future mental health and adaptation and depends on the provision of species-typical maternal behaviors that are supported by neuroendocrine and motivation-affective neural systems. Animal research has demonstrated that natural variations in patterns of maternal care chart discrete profiles of maternal brain-behavior relationships that uniquely shape the infant's lifetime capacities for stress regulation and social affiliation. Such patterns of maternal care are mediated by the neuropeptide Oxytocin and by stress- and reward-related neural systems. Human studies have similarly shown that maternal synchrony--the coordination of maternal behavior with infant signals--and intrusiveness--the excessive expression of maternal behavior--describe distinct and stable maternal styles that bear long-term consequences for infant well-being. To integrate brain, hormones, and behavior in the study of maternal-infant bonding, we examined the fMRI responses of synchronous vs intrusive mothers to dynamic, ecologically valid infant videos and their correlations with plasma Oxytocin. In all, 23 mothers were videotaped at home interacting with their infants and plasma OT assayed. Sessions were micro-coded for synchrony and intrusiveness. Mothers were scanned while observing several own and standard infant-related vignettes. Synchronous mothers showed greater activations in the left nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and intrusive mothers exhibited higher activations in the right amygdala. Functional connectivity analysis revealed that among synchronous mothers, left NAcc and right amygdala were functionally correlated with emotion modulation, theory-of-mind, and empathy networks. Among intrusive mothers, left NAcc and right amygdala were functionally correlated with pro-action areas. Sorting points into neighborhood (SPIN) analysis demonstrated that in the synchronous group, left NAcc and right amygdala activations showed clearer organization across time, whereas among intrusive mothers, activations of these nuclei exhibited greater cross-time disorganization. Correlations between Oxytocin with left NAcc and right amygdala activations were found only in the synchronous group. Well-adapted parenting appears to be underlay by reward-related motivational mechanisms, temporal organization, and affiliation hormones, whereas anxious parenting is likely mediated by stress-related mechanisms and greater neural disorganization. Assessing the integration of motivation and social networks into unified neural activity that reflects variations in patterns of parental care may prove useful for the study of optimal vs high-risk parenting.
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