Maternal Motivation: Exploring the Roles of Prolactin and Pup Stimuli

Salais-López, Hugo; Abellán-Álvaro, María; Bellés, María; Lanuza, Enrique; Agustín-Pavón, Carmen; Martı́nez-Garcı́a, Fernando

doi:10.1159/000510038

Cited by 21 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…The enormous investment of time and energy that these behaviors require may explain why females only exhibit fully motivated maternal behavior during peripartum (for a review see Kohl et al, 2017;Salais-López et al, 2020). Although maternal behaviors are normally expressed after delivery, when pups are present, they are already facilitated during pregnancy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnancy Changes the Response of the Vomeronasal and Olfactory Systems to Pups in Mice

Navarro-Moreno

Sánchez-Catalán

Barneo-Muñoz

et al. 2020

Front. Cell. Neurosci.

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Motherhood entails changes in behavior with increased motivation for pups, induced in part by pregnancy hormones acting upon the brain. This work explores whether this alters sensory processing of pup-derived chemosignals. To do so, we analyse the expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) in the vomeronasal organ (VNO; Egr1) and centers of the olfactory and vomeronasal brain pathways (cFos) in virgin and late-pregnant females exposed to pups, as compared to buttons (socially neutral control). In pup-exposed females, we quantified diverse behaviors including pup retrieval, sniffing, pup-directed attack, nest building and time in nest or on nest, as well as time off nest. Pups induce Egr1 expression in the VNO of females, irrespective of their physiological condition, thus suggesting the existence of VNO-detected pup chemosignals. A similar situation is found in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) and posteromedial part of the medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTMPM). By contrast, in the medial amygdala and posteromedial cortical amygdala (PMCo), responses to pups-vs-buttons are different in virgin and late-pregnant females, thus suggesting altered sensory processing during late pregnancy. The olfactory system also shows changes in sensory processing with pregnancy. In the main olfactory bulbs, as well as the anterior and posterior piriform cortex, buttons activate cFos expression in virgins more than in pregnant females. By contrast, in the anterior and especially posterior piriform cortex, pregnant females show more activation by pups than buttons. Correlation between IEGs expression and behavior suggests the existence of two vomeronasal subsystems: one associated to pup care (with PMCo as its main center) and another related to pup-directed aggression observed in some pregnant females (with the BSTMPM as the main nucleus). Our data also suggest a coactivation of the olfactory and vomeronasal systems during interaction with pups in pregnant females.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnancy Changes the Response of the Vomeronasal and Olfactory Systems to Pups in Mice

Navarro-Moreno

Sánchez-Catalán

Barneo-Muñoz

et al. 2020

Front. Cell. Neurosci.

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“…In addition, maternal aggression might require a certain degree of motivation to attack as well as a learning process, e.g., the first encounter with an intruder approaching the nest would not result in immediate, effective attacks. In fact, recent results from our lab show that, whereas virgin females co-housed with dams are as quick as dams in classic pup retrieval tests 9 , they are significantly slower in learning to retrieve pups in a "motivated pup retrieval test" in which they need to climb a barrier to access pups 16 . Thus, one could hypothesise a similar situation for maternal aggression, i.e., pup-sensitized virgins co-housed with dams could develop aggressive responses after repeated confrontations with intruders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Thus, one could hypothesise a similar situation for maternal aggression, i.e., pup-sensitized virgins co-housed with dams could develop aggressive responses after repeated confrontations with intruders. By contrast, CD1 virgin females that are not co-housed with dams, but only to pups for two hours per day, needed three days to achieve a performance comparable to that of dams in a classical pup-retrieval test 9 and did not perform any retrieval in the "motivated pup retrieval test" 16 . Thus, in the present study we first characterized how repeated exposure towards an intruder male could affect the onset and features of social and aggressive behaviours of dams and their pair-housed pup-sensitized virgins.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Inhibition of the medial amygdala disrupts escalated aggression in lactating female mice after repeated exposure to male intruders

Abellán-Álvaro

Martı́nez-Garcı́a

Lanuza

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Virgin female laboratory mice readily express maternal care when co-housed with dams and pups. However, pup-sensitized virgins fail to express maternal aggression on a single session of testing. To study whether repeated testing would affect the onset and dynamics of maternal aggression we tested dams and their accompanying virgins from postpartum day 4 to 6. Repeated testing led to escalated aggression towards male intruders in dams, but virgins never developed aggression. In dams, inhibition of the medial amygdala using DREADD (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs) vectors carrying the hM4Di receptor blocked the expected increase in maternal aggression on the second testing day. Our data support that the onset of maternal aggression is linked to physiological changes occurring during motherhood, and that medial amygdala, a key centre integrating vomeronasal, olfactory and hormonal information, enables the expression of escalated aggression induced by repeated testing.

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“…Studies that specifically focus on the role of lactogenic hormones in maternal motivation have recently started to emerge. A first study reported correlational findings of a link between high maternal motivation in a barrier climbing test and increased Prlr signaling (as measured by pSTAT5 immunoreactivity) in several brain regions, including the MPOA, MeA, PVN, and posterior intralaminar thalamic nucleus (PIL) ( 47 ). Increased pSTAT5 immunoreactivity was also found in the MPOA and PIL of pup-experienced virgins that showed increased maternal motivation in this test ( 47 ).…”

Section: Offspring-directed Behaviors (Retrieval Licking Nursing and Grooming)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A first study reported correlational findings of a link between high maternal motivation in a barrier climbing test and increased Prlr signaling (as measured by pSTAT5 immunoreactivity) in several brain regions, including the MPOA, MeA, PVN, and posterior intralaminar thalamic nucleus (PIL) ( 47 ). Increased pSTAT5 immunoreactivity was also found in the MPOA and PIL of pup-experienced virgins that showed increased maternal motivation in this test ( 47 ). Recently we have shown a causal relationship between lactogenic action in the brain and maternal motivation.…”

Section: Offspring-directed Behaviors (Retrieval Licking Nursing and Grooming)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Prolactin Family of Hormones as Regulators of Maternal Mood and Behavior

Georgescu

Swart

Grattan

et al. 2021

Front. Glob. Womens Health

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Transition into motherhood involves profound physiological and behavioral adaptations that ensure the healthy development of offspring while maintaining maternal health. Dynamic fluctuations in key hormones during pregnancy and lactation induce these maternal adaptations by acting on neural circuits in the brain. Amongst these hormonal changes, lactogenic hormones (e.g., prolactin and its pregnancy-specific homolog, placental lactogen) are important regulators of these processes, and their receptors are located in key brain regions controlling emotional behaviors and maternal responses. With pregnancy and lactation also being associated with a marked elevation in the risk of developing mood disorders, it is important to understand how hormones are normally regulating mood and behavior during this time. It seems likely that pathological changes in mood could result from aberrant expression of these hormone-induced behavioral responses. Maternal mental health problems during pregnancy and the postpartum period represent a major barrier in developing healthy mother-infant interactions which are crucial for the child's development. In this review, we will examine the role lactogenic hormones play in driving a range of specific maternal behaviors, including motivation, protectiveness, and mother-pup interactions. Understanding how these hormones collectively act in a mother's brain to promote nurturing behaviors toward offspring will ultimately assist in treatment development and contribute to safeguarding a successful pregnancy.

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Maternal Motivation: Exploring the Roles of Prolactin and Pup Stimuli

Cited by 21 publications

References 77 publications

Pregnancy Changes the Response of the Vomeronasal and Olfactory Systems to Pups in Mice

Pregnancy Changes the Response of the Vomeronasal and Olfactory Systems to Pups in Mice

Inhibition of the medial amygdala disrupts escalated aggression in lactating female mice after repeated exposure to male intruders

The Prolactin Family of Hormones as Regulators of Maternal Mood and Behavior

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