Parental Behavior in Rodents

Pereira, Mariana; Smiley, Kristina O.; Lonstein, Joseph S.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-97762-7_1

Cited by 7 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 347 publications

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“…Rodents (order Rodentia), especially rats (Rattus norvegicus) and mice (Mus Musculus) models, are the best-studied mammals to understand the neural underpinnings of parental behavior (Pereira et al, 2022). This is due to a number of practical reasons: they are easy to maintain and breed in captivity, have short gestation times, and produce many offspring per litter.…”

Section: Maternal Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Michael Numan, Dr. Robert R. Bridges, and colleagues, who created a new groundbreaking model in rats for the study of the hormonal regulation of maternal responsiveness (Bridges, 1984;Moltz et al, 1970). In rats, early and mid-pregnancy are characterized by progressive increases in estradiol and progesterone, while late pregnancy is characterized by high levels of estradiol and pituitary prolactin, superimposed with an abrupt decline in progesterone (Pereira et al, 2022). Ovariectomized virgin females treated with an equivalent hormonal regimen of estradiol, progesterone, and prolactin reduced their latency to behave maternally from typical 6-7 days to 35-40 hours (Bridges, 1984;Moltz et al, 1970).…”

Section: Hormones and Maternal Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

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First-time fathers show longitudinal gray matter cortical volume reductions: evidence from two international samples

et al. 2022

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Emerging evidence points to the transition to parenthood as a critical window for adult neural plasticity. Studying fathers offers a unique opportunity to explore how parenting experience can shape the human brain when pregnancy is not directly experienced. Yet very few studies have examined the neuroanatomic adaptations of men transitioning into fatherhood. The present study reports on an international collaboration between two laboratories, one in Spain and the other in California (United States), that have prospectively collected structural neuroimaging data in 20 expectant fathers before and after the birth of their first child. The Spanish sample also included a control group of 17 childless men. We tested whether the transition into fatherhood entailed anatomical changes in brain cortical volume, thickness, and area, and subcortical volumes. We found overlapping trends of cortical volume reductions within the default mode network and visual networks and preservation of subcortical structures across both samples of first-time fathers, which persisted after controlling for fathers’ and children’s age at the postnatal scan. This study provides convergent evidence for cortical structural changes in fathers, supporting the possibility that the transition to fatherhood may represent a meaningful window of experience-induced structural neuroplasticity in males.

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Section: Maternal Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hormones and Maternal Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

First-time fathers show longitudinal gray matter cortical volume reductions: evidence from two international samples

et al. 2022

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“…In rodents, commonly observed maternal behaviours include licking/grooming, huddling, and retrieving pups; nursing, which may involve the arched‐back kyphotic posture; and nest‐building. However, the form and frequency of these behaviours can differ among species and change across the postpartum period 15 …”

Section: Effects Of Parenthood On Behavioural Responses To Pupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adult female rodents typically are not attracted to infants or motivated to nurture them (i.e., maternally responsive) until late in their first pregnancy, 17 and pup‐naïve adult females that are exposed to pups experimentally tend to ignore, avoid or attack them. By contrast, late‐pregnant or parturient females are usually attracted to pups and behave maternally toward them 15 . Thus, the transition into motherhood and the onset of maternal care are associated with plasticity in sensory, motor, and/or integrative systems that transform females' indifference, fearfulness or aggression toward pups into maternal responsiveness.…”

Section: Effects Of Parenthood On Behavioural Responses To Pupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, almost all of the findings on parenthood‐related sensory plasticity in rodents come from a very small number of domesticated species, primarily house mice ( Mus musculus ) and Norway rats ( Rattus norvegicus ). We should not assume that these species are representative of all rodents, which comprise over 2200 species, occupy numerous ecological niches, and exhibit diverse life histories 13–15 . Second, almost all of the findings come from animals housed under laboratory conditions, which can differ dramatically from the natural physical, social, and sensory environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The parental umwelt: Effects of parenthood on sensory processing in rodents

Wilson

Arquilla

Saltzman

2023

J Neuroendocrinology

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An animal's umwelt, comprising its perception of the sensory environment, which is inherently subjective, can change across the lifespan in accordance with major life events. In mammals, the onset of motherhood, in particular, is associated with a neural and sensory plasticity that alters a mother's detection and use of sensory information such as infant‐related sensory stimuli. Although the literature surrounding mammalian mothers is well established, very few studies have addressed the effects of parenthood on sensory plasticity in mammalian fathers. In this review, we summarize the major findings on the effects of parenthood on behavioural and neural responses to sensory stimuli from pups in rodent mothers, with a focus on the olfactory, auditory, and somatosensory systems, as well as multisensory integration. We also review the available literature on sensory plasticity in rodent fathers. Finally, we discuss the importance of sensory plasticity for effective parental care, hormonal modulation of plasticity, and an exploration of temporal, ecological, and life‐history considerations of sensory plasticity associated with parenthood. The changes in processing and/or perception of sensory stimuli associated with the onset of parental care may have both transient and long‐lasting effects on parental behaviour and cognition in both mothers and fathers; as such, several promising areas of study, such as on the molecular/genetic, neurochemical, and experiential underpinnings of parenthood‐related sensory plasticity, as well as determinants of interspecific variation, remain potential avenues for further exploration.

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The parental brain, perinatal mental illness, and treatment: A review of key structural and functional changes

Pawluski

2024

Seminars in Perinatology

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Parental Behavior in Rodents

Cited by 7 publications

References 347 publications

First-time fathers show longitudinal gray matter cortical volume reductions: evidence from two international samples

First-time fathers show longitudinal gray matter cortical volume reductions: evidence from two international samples

The parental umwelt: Effects of parenthood on sensory processing in rodents

The parental brain, perinatal mental illness, and treatment: A review of key structural and functional changes

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