The effects of medial preoptic area and amygdala lesions on maternal behavior in the juvenile rat

Oxley, Gina; Fleming, Alison S.

doi:10.1002/1098-2302(2000)37:4<253::aid-dev6>3.0.co;2-q

Cited by 36 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…As noted above, lesions of the amygdala do not produce consistent effects on nesting, although Oxley and Fleming (2000) have shown that lesions facilitate nest building in rats. This finding is consistent with the fact that MeA lesions facilitate other aspects of maternal care in rats, as well (Sheehan et al, 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The most extensive data come from rats, in which the importance of the MPOA has been demonstrated through knife cuts lateral to the MPOA, and both electrolytic and cytotoxic lesions (Terkel et al, 1979; Jacobson et al, 1980; Miceli et al, 1983; Kalinichev et al, 2000; Oxley and Fleming, 2000; Olazabal et al, 2002). These manipulations virtually abolish nesting behavior and concomitantly impair other aspects of maternal behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All of these areas also influence nesting behavior in mammals (Slotnick and Nigrosh, 1975; Numan and Smith, 1984; Flannelly et al, 1986; Oxley and Fleming, 2000; Gonzalez-Mariscal et al, 2005; Moura et al, 2010), although amygdalar lesions have not been restricted to the MeA and have produced inconsistent results (Oxley and Fleming, 2000; Sheehan et al, 2001). In contrast, lesions of the LS consistently abolish nesting (Slotnick and Nigrosh, 1975; Flannelly et al, 1986).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nesting behavior is associated with VIP expression and VIP–Fos colocalization in a network-wide manner

Kingsbury

Jan

Klatt

et al. 2015

Hormones and Behavior

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Many species, including humans, engage in a series of behaviors that are preparatory to the arrival of offspring. Such "nesting behaviors" are of obvious importance, but relevant neuroendocrine mechanisms remain little studied. We here focus on the potential roles of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in the performance of appetitive and consummatory nesting behaviors in male and female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Using combined immunocytochemistry for Fos and in situ hybridization for VIP, we now show that many VIP cell groups show increased transcriptional activity in response to nest building in male and female zebra finches. Particularly strong data come from the preoptic area (medial preoptic area and medial preoptic nucleus), where VIP-Fos co-expression correlates positively with three different measures of nesting behavior, as does the number of VIP-expressing cells. Remarkably, we find that VIP mRNA and/or VIP-Fos co-expression is correlated with nesting behavior in virtually every brain area that we examined, including the medial amygdala (anterior and posterior), medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial preoptic area, medial preoptic nucleus, anterior hypothalamus, ventromedial hypothalamus, periaqueductal gray complex (central gray and nucleus intercollicularis), and ventral tegmental area. Near-significant effects are also obtained in the tuberoinfundibular hypothalamus. Although most correlations are positive, negative correlations are observed for the VIP cell group of the anterior hypothalamus, a population that selectively promotes aggression, and also the periaqueductal gray complex. These data demonstrate a network-wide relationship between peptide production and social behavior that is, to our knowledge, unparalleled by other peptidergic modulators.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nesting behavior is associated with VIP expression and VIP–Fos colocalization in a network-wide manner

Kingsbury

Jan

Klatt

et al. 2015

Hormones and Behavior

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“…In response to infant stimuli, infant cry and smiles activate the amygdala (Barrett et al, 2012; Seifritz et al, 2003; Swain et al, 2008), which has often been interpreted as a sign of emotional salience (Seifritz et al, 2003; Strathearn and Kim, 2013) or positive emotion associated with attachment (Leibenluft et al, 2004). On the other hand, in virgin rats, activation in the medial nucleus of the amygdala was associated with reduced maternal behaviors (Morgan et al, 1999; Oxley and Fleming, 2000). Thus, while increased activation of the amygdala to infant stimuli is interpreted as a more negative response to infants among typical adults (Riem et al, 2011), in mothers, it can be associated with more positive responses to one’s own infant (Barrett et al, 2012).…”

Section: Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underlying Parental Sensitivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans

Kim

Strathearn

Swain

2016

Hormones and Behavior

248

217

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Early mother-infant relationships play important roles in infants’ optimal development. New mothers undergo neurobiological changes that support developing mother-infant relationships regardless of great individual differences in those relationships. In this article, we review the neural plasticity in human mothers’ brains based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. First, we review the neural circuits that are involved in establishing and maintaining mother-infant relationships. Second, we discuss early postpartum factors (e.g., birth and feeding methods, hormones, and parental sensitivity) that are associated with individual differences in maternal brain neuroplasticity. Third, we discuss abnormal changes in the maternal brain related to psychopathology (i.e., postpartum depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse) and potential brain remodeling associated with interventions. Last, we highlight potentially important future research directions to better understand normative changes in the maternal brain and risks for abnormal changes that may disrupt early mother-infant relationships.

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“…Other important regions are general motivational systems, such as the dopaminergic mesolimbic system, which includes the nucleus accumbens (NA), and areas implicated in selective attention and decision-making such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). 3,4 Specifically, several studies have shown that lesions in the mPOA or the vBNST, [5][6][7][8][9] as well as the impairment of the connectivity between the mPOA/vBNST and the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, [10][11][12] abolish the expression of maternal behaviour.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raising overlapping litters: Differential activation of rat maternal neural circuitry after interacting with newborn or juvenile pups

Pose

Zuluaga

Ferreño

et al. 2019

J Neuroendocrinology

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The maternal behaviour of a rat dynamically changes during the postpartum period, adjusting to the characteristics and physiological needs of the pups. This adaptation has been attributed to functional modifications in the maternal circuitry. Maternal behaviour can also flexibly adapt according to different litter compositions. Thus, mothers with two overlapping litters can concurrently take care of neonate and juvenile pups, mostly directing their attention to the newborns. We hypothesised that the maternal circuitry of these mothers would show a differential activation pattern after interacting with pups depending on the developmental stage of their offspring. Thus, we evaluated the activation of several areas of the maternal circuitry in mothers of overlapping litters, using c‐Fos immunoreactivity as a marker of neuronal activation, after interacting with newborns or juveniles. The results showed that mothers with overlapping litters display different behavioural responses towards their newborn and their juvenile pups. Interestingly, these behavioural displays co‐occurred with specific patterns of activation of the maternal neural circuitry. Thus, a similar expression of c‐Fos was observed in some key brain areas of mothers that interacted with newborns or juveniles, such as the medial preoptic area and the nucleus accumbens, whereas a differential activation was quantified in the ventral region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the infralimbic and prelimbic subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex and the basolateral and medial nuclei of the amygdala. We posit that the specific profile of activation of the neural circuitry controlling maternal behaviour in mothers with overlapping litters enables dams to respond adequately to the newborn and the juvenile pups.

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The effects of medial preoptic area and amygdala lesions on maternal behavior in the juvenile rat

Cited by 36 publications

References 39 publications

Nesting behavior is associated with VIP expression and VIP–Fos colocalization in a network-wide manner

Nesting behavior is associated with VIP expression and VIP–Fos colocalization in a network-wide manner

The maternal brain and its plasticity in humans

Raising overlapping litters: Differential activation of rat maternal neural circuitry after interacting with newborn or juvenile pups

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