Mice: Postpartum aggression elicited by the presence of an intruder*1

Gandelman, Ronald

doi:10.1016/0018-506x(72)90003-7

Cited by 127 publications

(84 citation statements)

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“…Lactating female mice attack gonadectomised intruders less than gonadally intact ones, whether males or females (Gandelman, 1972;Rosenson and Asheroff, 1975). These data suggest that at least some of the male and female chemosignals that promote maternal aggression are produced in a way dependent on sexual steroids.…”

Section: Chemosignals Promoting Aggressionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Chemosignals promoting aggressiveness against intruders might arise from the female's pups, thus corresponding with experimental evidence that mother-pup interactions are needed to maintain maternal aggression. On the other hand, intruder-derived chemosignals could be the key stimuli for maternal aggression, thus explaining differential attack intensity towards different types of intruders reported in the literature (Gandelman 1972;Rosenson and Asheroff, 1975;Bean and Wysocki, 1989). …”

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Maternal aggression tests were performed in the females' home cages between PPD 3-5, when the highest level of maternal aggression occurs (Gandelman, 1972;Lonstein and Gammie, 2002), between 0900-1400 and 1500-1700h. Female subjects were brought to the testing room in their home cage and pups were removed prior to the tests (Svare et al, 1981;Lonstein and Gammie, 2002), to avoid any potentially infanticide behaviour by the intruder (Vom Saal and Howard, 1982).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: When pheromones change their behavioural significance

Martín‐Sánchez

McLean

Beynon

et al. 2015

Hormones and Behavior

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From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: When pheromones change their behavioural significance, Hormones and Behavior (2014), doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT2 AbstractThis paper reviews the role of chemosignals in the socio-sexual interactions of female mice, and reports two experiments testing the role of pup-derived chemosignals and the male sexual pheromone darcin in inducing and promoting maternal aggression. Female mice are attracted to urine-borne male pheromones. Volatile and non-volatile urine fractions have been proposed to contain olfactory and vomeronasal pheromones. In particular, the male-specific major urinary protein (MUP) MUP20, darcin, has been shown to be rewarding and attractive to females. Non-urinary male chemosignals, such as the lacrimal protein ESP1, promote lordosis in female mice, but its attractive properties are still to be tested. There is evidence indicating that ESP1 and MUPs are detected by vomeronasal type 2 receptors (V2R).When a female mouse becomes pregnant, she undergoes dramatic changes in her physiology and behaviour. She builds a nest for her pups and takes care of them. Dams also defend the nest against conspecific intruders, attacking especially gonadally intact males. Maternal behaviour is dependent on a functional olfactory system, thus suggesting a role of chemosignals in the development of maternal behaviour. Our first experiment demonstrates, however, that pup chemosignals are not sufficient to induce maternal aggression in virgin females. In addition, it is known that vomeronasal stimuli are needed for maternal aggression.Since MUPs (and other molecules) are able to promote intermale aggression, in our second experiment we test if the attractive MUP darcin also promotes attacks on castrated male intruders by lactating dams. Our findings demonstrate that the same chemosignal, darcin, promotes attraction or aggression according to female reproductive state.

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Section: Chemosignals Promoting Aggressionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Accepted M Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: When pheromones change their behavioural significance

Martín‐Sánchez

McLean

Beynon

et al. 2015

Hormones and Behavior

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“…Presumably, the presence of a litter would have affected the nature of the social interactions between females (cf. Gandleman, 1972). Thus, the equation presented in the preceding paragraph should be expanded so as to include situational variables.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental factors influencing the affiliative behavior of male and female rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Meaney

Stewart

1979

Animal Learning & Behavior

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Three experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of rearing and housing manipulations on the affiliative behavior of male and female rats. Animals were tested in samesex pairs in an open field for time spent in contact and for socially facilitated activity. The results revealed a sex difference in both the degree and the form of affiliative behavior of rats. In general, males were more affiliative and more responsive to a second animal. Males engaged in more rough-and-tumble play, whereas females spent more time in social grooming. Housing conditions of adult animals and rearing conditions were found to influence the degree to which males engaged in male-like affiliative behaviors and females engaged in female-like affiliative behaviors. Social behavior appears to be a function of the interaction between the affiliative repertoire of the animals involved, the nature of the social stimulus, and the features of the environment.Although it is well known that rats establish complex societies and are unquestionably social animals (e.g., Lore & Flannelly, 1977), little is known about the basic features of the social behavior in these animals. That rats are socially organized implies that they should exhibit a degree of social/approach or affiliative behavior necessary for cooperative functioning within a colony. Latane (1974) has found that pairs of male rats observed in a novel environment show a species-specific attraction to conspecifics that results in predominantly "friendly" behavior. Such findings confirm earlier observations made by Barnett (1958), Grant (1963), andSeward (1945), that rats show social/approach tendencies that do not necessarily result in aggression or mating. It is this social/approach and contact or affiliative behavior, seen as a subclass of social behavior, with which this paper is concerned. Affiliative behavior is meant to refer to the behavior that occurs as a result of an animal's social attraction to conspecifics.Recently, we (Meaney & Stewart, Note 2) have reported that there are sex differences in the affiliative behavior of rats. When tested for social interactions in an open field, pairs of male animals were observed to engage in chase and rough-andtumble play behavior to a greater extent than were pairs of female animals, while females were observed to engage in social grooming behavior more frequently than were males. Moreover, males interacted more

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“…Another aim of these studies was to examine whether CDP could prevent decreases in maternal aggression that occur with separation of pups (Gandelman, 1972;Gandelman and Simon, 1980;Stern and Kolunie, 1993;Svare et al, 1981). Because increases in GABAergic neurotransmission is associated with sensory input from offspring (Qureshi et al, 1987), we hypothesized that CDP treatment would prevent decreases in maternal aggression due to separation from pups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GABA enhancement of maternal defense in mice: Possible neural correlates

Lee

Gammie

2007

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

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Previous studies have shown that low doses of GABA A receptor agonists facilitate maternal defense of offspring (maternal aggression), without significantly affecting other maternal behaviors. In addition, it has been demonstrated that endogenous changes in GABAergic neurotransmission occur in association with lactation. This study investigated the effects of GABA A receptor agonist, chlordiazepoxide (CDP), a benzodiazepine (BDZ), on maternal behaviors including aggression, and identified brain regions with altered activity in association with treatment. Another aim of the study was to determine whether CDP injections could prevent decreases in maternal aggression that occur with pup separation. Intraperitoneal injections of 1mg/kg of CDP significantly increased maternal defense without affecting other maternal behaviors, although a trend towards elevated nursing was noted. CDP significantly reduced c-Fos in lateral septum (LS) and caudal periaqueductal gray (cPAG) in behaviorally-experienced mice relative to vehicle-injected controls. In behaviorally-naïve subjects, CDP also decreased c-Fos in LS, but in cPAG this decrease was just above significance (p = 0.051). CDP was not sufficient to "rescue" maternal aggression when pup stimulus was removed. Overall, these studies provide further insights into the role for GABA in maternal behaviors, including aggression, and how and where BDZs may act to modulate behavior.

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Mice: Postpartum aggression elicited by the presence of an intruder*1

Cited by 127 publications

References 10 publications

From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: When pheromones change their behavioural significance

From sexual attraction to maternal aggression: When pheromones change their behavioural significance

Environmental factors influencing the affiliative behavior of male and female rats (Rattus norvegicus)

GABA enhancement of maternal defense in mice: Possible neural correlates

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