The Role of the Brain Serotonergic System in the Origin and Transmission of Adaptive and Maladaptive Variations in Maternal Behavior in Rhesus Macaques

Maestripieri, Dario

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-374285-8.00011-1

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…The low CSF levels of HVA reported in lactating female rhesus macaques are likely the result of suckling’s inhibitory effect on the brain dopaminergic system and its failure to respond to stimulation from high prolactin levels [60]. The role of monoamine neurotransmitters in the regulation of maternal behavior is generally understudied in rodents [50], while studies of nonhuman primates have mostly reported correlations between the serotonin metabolite 5-HIAA and some aspects of maternal behavior [68]. In this study, maternal rejection was positively correlated with CSF 5-HIAA levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mother–infant interactions in free-ranging rhesus macaques: Relationships between physiological and behavioral variables

Maestripieri

Hoffman

Anderson

et al. 2009

Physiology & Behavior

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141

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Studies of mother–infant relationships in nonhuman primates have increasingly attempted to understand the neuroendocrine bases of interindividual variation in mothering styles and the mechanisms through which early exposure to variable mothering styles affects infant behavioral development. In this study of free-ranging rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, we aimed to: 1) compare lactating and nonlactating females to investigate whether lactation is associated with changes in plasma cortisol, prolactin and oxytocin, as well as changes in CSF levels of serotonin and dopamine metabolites (5-HIAA and HVA); 2) examine the extent to which interindividual variation in maternal physiology is associated with variation in maternal behavior; 3) examine the extent to which interindividual variation in infant physiology and behavior is accounted for by variation in maternal physiology and behavior. Lactating females had higher plasma concentrations of cortisol, prolactin, and oxytocin but lower CSF concentrations of HVA than nonlactating females. Variation in maternal rejection behavior was positively correlated with variation in maternal plasma cortisol levels and in CSF 5-HIAA levels while variation in the time spent nursing and grooming was associated with maternal plasma oxytocin levels. Infants who were protected more by their mothers had higher cortisol levels than those who were protected less, while infants who were rejected more had lower CSF 5-HIAA than infants who were rejected less. Since exposure to high levels of maternal protectiveness and rejection is known to affect the offspring’s behavior and responsiveness to the environment later in life, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that these effects are mediated by long-term changes in the activity of the offspring’s HPA axis and brain serotonergic system.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mother–infant interactions in free-ranging rhesus macaques: Relationships between physiological and behavioral variables

Maestripieri

Hoffman

Anderson

et al. 2009

Physiology & Behavior

Self Cite

141

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“…Deficiencies in serotonin transmission should therefore lead to failure to terminate parental precautionary behaviors and feelings of anxiety. Indeed, in primates, low serotonin has been correlated with greater maternal protectiveness and vigilance (Fairbanks et al, 1998; Lindell et al, 1997; for a review, see Maestripieri, 2008). In humans, low serotonin levels have been implicated in pathological levels of parental precaution.…”

Section: Satiety Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental precaution: Neurobiological means and adaptive ends

Hahn‐Holbrook

Holbrook

Haselton

2011

Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

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Humans invest precious reproductive resources in just a few offspring, who remain vulnerable for an extended period of their lifetimes relative to other primates. Therefore, it is likely that humans evolved a rich precautionary psychology that assists in the formidable task of protecting offspring. In this review, we integrate precautionary behaviors during pregnancy and postpartum with the adaptive functions they may serve and what is known of their biological mediators, particularly brain systems motivating security and attachment. We highlight the role of reproductive hormones in (i) priming parental affiliation with young to incentivize offspring protection, (ii) focusing parental attention on cues of potential threat, and (iii) facilitating maternal defense against potentially dangerous conspecifics and predators. Throughout, we center discussion on adaptive responses to threats of disease, accident and assault as common causes of child mortality in the ancestral past.

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“…The brain serotonergic system plays an important role in impulse control and in reducing the probability that risky, dangerous, or aggressive behaviors will be expressed in response to internal or external stimuli (e.g. Higley, 2003; Maestripieri, 2008a). Although serotonin is an obvious candidate neurotransmitter for the regulation of maternal care, surprisingly few studies have addressed its relationship to maternal behavior in rodents or other mammals (Numan and Insel, 2003).…”

Section: Serotoninmentioning

confidence: 99%

The neuroendocrinology of primate maternal behavior

Saltzman

Maestripieri

2011

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry

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118

112

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In nonhuman primates and humans, similar to other mammals, hormones are not strictly necessary for the expression of maternal behavior, but nevertheless influence variation in maternal responsiveness and parental behavior both within and between individuals. A growing number of correlational and experimental studies have indicated that high circulating estrogen concentrations during pregnancy increase maternal motivation and responsiveness to infant stimuli, while effects of prepartum or postpartum estrogens and progestogens on maternal behavior are less clear. Prolactin is thought to play a role in promoting paternal and alloparental care in primates, but little is known about the relationship between this hormone and maternal behavior. High circulating cortisol levels appear to enhance arousal and responsiveness to infant stimuli in young, relatively inexperienced female primates, but interfere with the expression of maternal behavior in older and more experienced mothers. Among neuropeptides and neurotransmitters, preliminary evidence indicates that oxytocin and endogenous opioids affect maternal attachment to infants, including maintenance of contact, grooming, and responses to separation. Brain serotonin affects anxiety and impulsivity, which in turn may affect maternal behaviors such as infant retrieval or rejection of infants' attempts to make contact with the mother. Although our understanding of the neuroendocrine correlates of primate maternal behavior has grown substantially in the last two decades, very little is known about the mechanisms underlying these effects, e.g., the extent to which these mechanisms may involve changes in perception, emotion, or cognition.

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The Role of the Brain Serotonergic System in the Origin and Transmission of Adaptive and Maladaptive Variations in Maternal Behavior in Rhesus Macaques

Cited by 5 publications

References 90 publications

Mother–infant interactions in free-ranging rhesus macaques: Relationships between physiological and behavioral variables

Mother–infant interactions in free-ranging rhesus macaques: Relationships between physiological and behavioral variables

Parental precaution: Neurobiological means and adaptive ends

The neuroendocrinology of primate maternal behavior

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