Neural control of maternal and paternal behaviors

Abstract

Parental care, including feeding and protection of young, is essential for the survival as well as mental and physical well-being of the offspring. A large variety of parental behaviors has been described across species and sexes, raising fascinating questions about how animals identify the young and how brain circuits drive and modulate parental displays in males and females. Recent studies have begun to uncover a striking antagonistic interplay between brain systems underlying parental care and infant-directed aggression in both males and females, as well as a large range of intrinsic and environmentally driven neural modulation and plasticity. Improved understanding of the neural control of parental interactions in animals should provide novel insights into the complex issue of human parental care in both health and disease.

Prolactin action in the medial preoptic area is necessary for postpartum maternal nursing behavior

“…1 and Fig. S1), all regions that have previously been implicated in the neural circuitry governing parental behavior (4,5). We also detected τGFP-positive fibers throughout the brain, including a number of areas, such as the supramammillary region and ventral tegmental area (VTA), that were devoid of Prlr-expressing cell bodies (12).…”

“…The MPOA has a critical role in linking the multiple regions involved in maternal behavior and in integrating the various hormonal and sensory inputs that influence the behavior (4,5). A number of studies have traced connections from the MPOA to other structures involved in the maternal circuit, and have demonstrated a major output of the system to midbrain effector regions, such as the VTA (and nucleus accumbens) (23,24).…”

“…Seminal work from Rosenblatt (1), published 50 y ago, showed that maternal behavior can be exhibited in ovariectomized, hypophysectomized rats, suggesting an underlying neural basis that was not dependent on hormonal inputs. Subsequent studies have characterized a complex neural circuitry controlling parental interactions (2,3), with distributed sites mediating different components of the behavior (4). While the neural circuit controlling maternal behavior is not thought to be dependent on hormonal inputs, it is clear that pregnancy hormones, particularly rising levels of estradiol, oxytocin, prolactin, and placental lactogen, coupled with an abrupt decrease in progesterone can sensitize the underlying circuitry to induce timely activation of maternal behaviors immediately after parturition (5).…”

A trip down memory lane about sex differences in the brain

“…As discussed, virgin females can respond differently from non-virgin females and certainly differently from females that have become mothers [70,71]. For example, learning was impaired by stress in virgin females, but not in females that had offspring and/or learned to care for offspring at some time in her life-even well after weaning [27,72].…”

Neuronal serotonin in the regulation of maternal behavior in rodents

“…Maternal behavior is probably the most important pro-social behavior of the mammalian mother, ensuring both the physical and mental well-being [1] and development of her offspring [2] .…”