Postpartum repeated separation from pups affects the behavior and neuroendocrine parameters of mandarin vole fathers

Kong, Lingzhe; Wu, Ruiyong; Wang, Lu; Feng, Weige; Cao, Yan; Tai, Fadao

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.11.017

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In monogamous and biparental California mice (Peromyscus californicus), adult males with reproductive experience consistently care for any pup to which they are exposed, while virgin males may attack, ignore, or care for other encountered pups [3,5]. In monogamous mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), some virgin males instinctively care for or lick strange pups, while other individuals kill these pups [6]. These monogamous rodents are ideal animal models for revealing the mechanism underlying the paternal response to young offspring.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Involvement of Serotonergic Projections from the Dorsal Raphe to the Medial Preoptic Area in the Regulation of the Pup-Directed Paternal Response of Male Mandarin Voles

et al. 2023

IJMS

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Male mammals display different paternal responses to pups, either attacking or killing the young offspring, or contrastingly, caring for them. The neural circuit mechanism underlying the between-individual variation in the pup-directed responsiveness of male mammals remains unclear. Monogamous mandarin voles were used to complete the present study. The male individuals were identified as paternal and infanticidal voles, according their behavioral responses to pups. It was found that the serotonin release in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), as well as the serotonergic neuron activity, significantly increased upon licking the pups, but showed no changes after attacking the pups, as revealed by the in vivo fiber photometry of the fluorescence signal from the 5-HT 1.0 sensor and the calcium imaging indicator, respectively. It was verified that the 5-HTergic neural projections to the MPOA originated mainly from the ventral part of the dorsal raphe (vDR). Furthermore, the chemogenetic inhibition of serotonergic projections from the vDR to the MPOA decreased the paternal behaviors and shortened the latency to attack the pups. In contrast, the activation of serotonergic neurons via optogenetics extended the licking duration and inhibited infanticide. Collectively, these results elucidate that the serotonergic projections from the vDR to the MPOA, a previously unrecognized pathway, regulate the paternal responses of virgin male mandarin voles to pups.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%