Reduced anxiety in postpartum rats requires recent physical interactions with pups, but is independent of suckling and peripheral sources of hormones

Lonstein, Joseph S.

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2004.11.001

Cited by 121 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 102 publications

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“…In rats, parturition is accompanied by a reduction in anxiety, which may stimulate the display of maternal behaviors (Fleming et al, 1989;Fleming and Luebke, 1981;Neuman et al, 1998a,b). In rats, this reduction in anxiety occurs relatively independent of parturition as it also occurs with artificial delivery (Moltz et al, 1966;Lonstein, 2005). However, an abrupt termination of pregnancy can be anxiogenic (Bitran and Smith, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Role of pregnancy and parturition in induction of maternal behavior in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Hayes

Vries

2007

Hormones and Behavior

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In prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), most virgin females are infanticidal. To determine the onset of maternal responsiveness, female prairie voles were tested for maternal behavior as virgins and at different times throughout pregnancy. Female voles that were infanticidal as virgins by and large remained infanticidal throughout pregnancy. In contrast, about 30% of voles that were maternal as virgins became infanticidal during pregnancy. To test whether events associated with parturition facilitate the onset of maternal behavior, females had their litters delivered by Caesarean section within a day of expected delivery or were allowed to give birth naturally with sham surgery occurring shortly before or after birth. Females that gave birth naturally were fully maternal and did not attack unrelated pups, but females subjected to artificial delivery remained infanticidal. This suggests that events closely related to parturition are crucial for full development of maternal behavior in female prairie voles.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Role of pregnancy and parturition in induction of maternal behavior in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Hayes

Vries

2007

Hormones and Behavior

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“…A significant increase in number and duration of entries into the open arm of the EPM is a reliable indicator of decreased anxiety (Pellow et al, 1985;Lonstein, 2005). In the current study, NP and MP females did not significantly differ in either measure of anxiety, indicating that anxiety-like behavior was not affected by previous reproductive experience.…”

Section: Multiparity Did Not Significantly Alter Anxietymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the current study, NP and MP females did not significantly differ in either measure of anxiety, indicating that anxiety-like behavior was not affected by previous reproductive experience. Previous work utilizing the EPM has indicated that anxiety is decreased during the post-partum period, when mothers are allowed to suckle their pups (Lonstein, 2005), and that reproductive experience earlier in life (less than 6 months old) decreases anxiety on the EPM at 10 and 14 months of age (Love et al, 2005). However, a recent study has indicated that on the EPM prior reproductive experience may be anxiogenic in middle-aged (10-11 month old), but not in young (3-4 month old) females (Byrnes and Bridges, 2006).…”

Section: Multiparity Did Not Significantly Alter Anxietymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parous females have significantly decreased c-fos mRNA expression in the hypothalamus, medial amygdala and lateral septum after restraint stress in comparison to NP females (da Costa et al, 1996;Wartella et al, 2003). Parous females also have decreased anxiety-like behavior as measured in the open field (Wartella et al, 2003) and on the elevated plus maze (Neumann, 2001;Lonstein, 2005). Furthermore, recent work indicates that multiparity continues to decrease anxiety as measured on the elevated plus maze up to 18 months after last weaning (Love et al, 2005), indicating effects on behavior throughout the female's lifespan.…”

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confidence: 97%

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Effects of multiparity on recognition memory, monoaminergic neurotransmitters, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)

Macbeth

Scharfman

MacLusky

et al. 2008

Hormones and Behavior

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Recognition memory and anxiety were examined in nulliparous (NP: 0 litters) and multiparous (MP: 5-6 litters) middle-aged female rats (12 months old) to assess possible enduring effects of multiparity at least 3 months after last litter was weaned. MP females performed significantly better than NP females on the non-spatial memory task, object recognition, and the spatial memory task, object placement. Anxiety as measured on the elevated plus maze did not differ between groups. Monoaminergic activity and levels were measured in prefrontal cortex, CA1 hippocampus, CA3 hippocampus, and olfactory bulb (OB). NP and MP females differed in monoamine concentrations in the OB only, with MP females having significantly greater concentrations of dopamine and metabolite DOPAC, norepinephrine and metabolite MHPG, and the serotonin metabolite 5-HIAA, as compared to NP females. These results indicate a long-term change in OB neurochemistry as a result of multiparity. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was also measured in hippocampus (CA1, CA3, dentate gyrus), and septum. MP females had higher BDNF levels in both CA1 and septum; as these regions are implicated in memory performance, elevated BDNF may underlie the observed memory task differences. Thus, MP females (experiencing multiple bouts of pregnancy, birth, and pup rearing during the first year of life) displayed enhanced memory task performance, but equal anxiety responses, as compared to NP females. These results are consistent with previous studies showing long-term changes in behavioral function in MP, as compared to NP, rats, and suggest that alterations in monoamines and a neurotrophin, BDNF, may contribute to the observed behavioral changes.

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“…Also in other mammals, the eff ects of touching versus relationship improvement cannot be easily separated. For instance, the physical stimulation of suckling and physical contact with their pups produces stress-reducing eff ects in female rats 17,18 . Th e discovery of a positive eff ect of physical contact in a reef fi sh, in addition to providing the fi rst experimental evidence of its health benefi ts in a non-human, would resolve a long-standing paradox described in cleaning mutualism involving cleanerfi sh of the genus Labroides and their reef fi sh ' clients ' .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Tactile stimulation lowers stress in fish

et al. 2011

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In humans, physical stimulation, such as massage therapy, reduces stress and has demonstrable health benefi ts. Grooming in primates may have similar effects but it remains unclear whether the positive effects are due to physical contact or to its social value. Here we show that physical stimulation reduces stress in a coral reef fi sh, the surgeonfi sh Ctenochaetus striatus . These fi sh regularly visit cleaner wrasses Labroides dimidiatus to have ectoparasites removed. The cleanerfi sh infl uences client decisions by physically touching the surgeonfi sh with its pectoral and pelvic fi ns, a behaviour known as tactile stimulation. We simulated this behaviour by exposing surgeonfi sh to mechanically moving cleanerfi sh models. Surgeonfi sh had signifi cantly lower levels of cortisol when stimulated by moving models compared with controls with access to stationary models. Our results show that physical contact alone, without a social aspect, is enough to produce fi tness-enhancing benefi ts, a situation so far only demonstrated in humans.

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Reduced anxiety in postpartum rats requires recent physical interactions with pups, but is independent of suckling and peripheral sources of hormones

Cited by 121 publications

References 102 publications

Role of pregnancy and parturition in induction of maternal behavior in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Role of pregnancy and parturition in induction of maternal behavior in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Effects of multiparity on recognition memory, monoaminergic neurotransmitters, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)

Tactile stimulation lowers stress in fish

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