Neural and Hormonal Basis of Maternal Behavior in the Rat

The Physiological Mechanisms of Motivation

“…One qualification to such an interpretation is the possibility that the anterior knife cuts severed some of the connections between the medial preoptic area and the septal nuclei. Septal lesions have been shown to disorganize the performance of maternal behavior in rats, although they do not abolish it (Slotnick, 1975;Fleischer & Slotnick, 1978). It is therefore possible that medial preoptic area to septum connections are critical for maternal behavior, although the multiple effects of the anterior knife cuts prohibit us from concluding yet that this is so.…”

“…This phenomenon, known as sensitization or concaveation, was first described by Wiesner and Sheard in 1933. It is an extremely robust effect with a latency of 5-10 days, and it is exhibited by nearly all rats (Slotnick, 1975). Sensitized animals retrieve pups with the care of a natural mother, lick them, and even crouch over them in the nursing posture, though of course they do not lactate.…”

“…Lesions of many brain areas-for example, the neocortex, dorsal hippocampus, and septum -have been shown to impair the performance of maternal behavior in the rat (Beach, 1937(Beach, , 1938Fleischer & Slotnick, 1978; see reviews in Slotnick, 1975;Numan, in press). The broad effects of such lesions make interpretation of the role of these areas in maternal behavior nearly impossible at this time.…”