Maternal care affects the development of maternal behavior in inbred mice

Genetic variations in the oxytocinergic system, known to regulate social behavior throughout the evolution of mammals, are believed to account for differences in mammalian social behavior. Particularly, polymorphic variants of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene have been associated with behavioral variations in both humans and dogs. In this study, we offered evidence of the correlation between levels of salivary oxytocin (sOXT), maternal behavior and a single-nucleotide gene variant in OXTR (rs8679684) in nineteen lactating Labrador Retriever dogs. Carriers of at least one copy of the minor A allele showed higher levels of sOXT and maternal care in comparison with the homozygous T allele carriers. Considering the relevance of mother care in newborn development, these findings could help us to better understand the possible impact of variants in the OXTR gene in selecting dams.

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Maternal Care and Attachment Security in Preschool Children

Psicologia Teoria e Pesquisa ◽

10.1590/0102.3772e3534 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

Author(s):

Magaly Nóblega ◽

Patricia Bárrig ◽

Katherine Fourment

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Maternal Behavior ◽

Maternal Care ◽

Attachment Security ◽

Maternal Sensitivity ◽

Partner Relationship ◽

Child Attachment ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

Abstract This study assessed and compared the relationship between maternal sensitivity and child attachment in two groups of mother-child dyads from Lima, Peru, one group with children 4 years old and older and a second group with younger children. Fifty-six dyads participated in the study. The mothers ages ranged between 22 and 45 years (M = 33.14, SD = 5.50); 82.1% of them had higher education and 73.2% were in a partner relationship. Of the children, 53.6 were boys and 41.1% were an only child. The study used AQS and MBPQS to rate child and maternal behavior respectively. Our results show a high correlation between attachment security and maternal sensitivity in both groups, as well as specific manifestations of these variables in the context studied.

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Ovarian steroids involvement in maternal care in the native Thai hen (Gallus domesticus)

Animal Biology ◽

10.1163/15707563-00002491 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 111-118

Author(s):

Yupaporn Chaiseha ◽

Boonyarit Kamkrathok ◽

Israel Rozenboim

Keyword(s):

Maternal Behavior ◽

Maternal Care ◽

Bird Species ◽

Inhibitory Effect ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Gallus Domesticus ◽

Neuroendocrine Regulation ◽

Ovarian Steroids ◽

Plasma Estradiol ◽

Circulating Levels

Maternal care in birds generally includes incubation, brooding and rearing behavior. The neuroendocrine regulation of such maternal behavior is not fully understood for many bird species. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether changes in the circulating levels of ovarian steroids might be associated with brooding behavior in the female native Thai chicken. Changes in the levels of ovarian steroids of rearing hens were compared with those of non-rearing ones. Plasma estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The results revealed differences in circulating levels of ovarian steroids between hens rearing their chicks and those deprived of their young after hatching. The non-rearing hens had higher circulating estradiol, progesteron, and tertosterone levels than those of the rearing hens. These differences were significant during the first two weeks after hatching. The results of the present study demonstrate the inhibitory effect of brooding behavior on ovarian steroids in the native Thai chickens. Indeed, disruption of brooding behavior by removing the chicks from the hens increased circulating levels of ovarian steroids and reinitiated reproductive and egg laying activities.

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Local administration of bicuculline into the ventrolateral and medial preoptic nuclei modifies sleep and maternal behavior in lactating rats

10.1101/2021.04.08.439015 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Luciana Benedetto ◽

Mayda Rivas ◽

Florencia Peña ◽

Diego Serantes ◽

Annabel Ferreira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Maternal Behavior ◽

Maternal Care ◽

Specific Effect ◽

Sleep Time ◽

Behavior Changes ◽

Nursing Time ◽

Gaba A ◽

Maternal Behaviors ◽

Sleep Drive ◽

Light Sleep

AbstractThe preoptic area (POA) is a brain structure classically involved in a wide variety of animal behavior including sleep and maternal care. In the current study, we evaluate the specific effect of disinhibition of two specific regions of the POA, the medial POA nucleus (mPOA) and the ventrolateral POA area (VLPO) on sleep and maternal behavior in lactating rats. For this purpose, mother rats on postpartum day 1 (PPD1) were implanted for polysomnographic recordings and with bilateral cannulae either in the mPOA or in the VLPO. The rats were tested for sleep and maternal behavior on PPD4-8 after the infusion of the GABA-A antagonist, bicuculline (0, 10 or 30 ng/0.2 µl/side). Infusion of bicuculline into the mPOA augmented retrieving and nest building behaviors and reduced both nursing and milk ejections but had almost no effect on sleep. When bicuculine was microinjected into the VLPO, the rats significantly increase the number of retrievings and mouthings and reduced the nursing time without changes in milk ejections, which was associated with an increase in wakefulness and a reduction in light sleep.Our results show that disinhibition of the mPOA, a key area in the control of maternal behavior, increased active maternal behaviors and reduced nursing without affecting wakefulness or sleep time. In contrast, the enhancement of some active maternal behaviors when the drug was infused into the VLPO, a sleep-promoting area, with a concomitant increase in wakefulness suggests that mother rats devote this additional waking time in the active maternal care of the pups. We hypothesize that maternal behavior changes after bicuculine microinjection into the VLPO is caused by a reduction in the sleep drive, rather than a direct effect on maternal behavior.

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CD-1 Outbred Mice Produce Less Variable Ultrasonic Vocalizations Than FVB Inbred Mice, While Displaying a Similar Developmental Trajectory

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.687060 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew S. Binder ◽

Hannah D. Shi ◽

Angelique Bordey

Keyword(s):

Maternal Care ◽

Inbred Mice ◽

Mean Amplitude ◽

Developmental Trajectory ◽

Ultrasonic Vocalizations ◽

Neurological Deficits ◽

Male And Female ◽

Outbred Mice ◽

Cd1 Mice ◽

Relative Variability

The production of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in neonatal mice is a critical means of communication that is used to elicit maternal care. Alterations in neonatal USV production is also an indicator of neurological deficits. However, USVs have been predominately assessed in inbred animals and are significantly understudied in outbred mice, even though outbred animals better represent the genetic diversity of humans and are used in several neurological disorder models. To determine the reproducibility of USVs across models, we compared male and female CD-1 (outbred) and FVB (inbred) mice on postnatal days (PD) 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20. We found that CD-1 and FVB mice displayed a similar developmental trajectory of USVs. However, CD1 mice emitted more USVs on PD 12 than FVB mice. In addition, FVB mice emitted a longer duration of calls on PD 4 and 8 and a higher overall maximum and minimum frequency of USVs than CD-1 mice. No differences in mean amplitude were found between groups. We also detected numerous significant differences between outbred and inbred mice when comparing each group's call composition. We next assessed the relative variability of mouse vocalizations between groups, finding that outbred mice were less variable than inbred mice. For the spectral and temporal characteristics of the USVs, variability was similar between groups. Altogether, we found that CD-1 outbred mice display a similar, if not lower, degree of variability than FVB inbred mice when assessing neonatal USVs.

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Impaired Maternal Behavior in Usp46 Mutant Mice: A Model for Trans-Generational Transmission of Maternal Care

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0136016 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. e0136016 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Shoya Umemura ◽

Saki Imai ◽

Ayumi Mimura ◽

Mari Fujiwara ◽

Shizufumi Ebihara

Keyword(s):

Maternal Behavior ◽

Maternal Care ◽

Mutant Mice ◽

Generational Transmission

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Early weaning deprives mouse pups of maternal care and decreases their maternal behavior in adulthood

Behavioural Brain Research ◽

10.1016/j.bbr.2005.03.013 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 162 (2) ◽

pp. 200-206 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Takefumi Kikusui ◽

Yukiko Isaka ◽

Yuji Mori

Keyword(s):

Maternal Behavior ◽

Maternal Care ◽

Early Weaning

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Sensory Stimulation of Oxytocin Release Is Associated With Stress Management and Maternal Care

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.588068 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Toku Takahashi

Keyword(s):

Maternal Behavior ◽

Maternal Care ◽

Social Activity ◽

Systemic Circulation ◽

The Body ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Somatosensory Stimulation ◽

Peridural Anesthesia ◽

Cervical Stimulation ◽

Stimulation Of

It has been shown that various types of stress initiate different physiological and neuroendocrine disorders. Oxytocin (OT) is mainly produced in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Hypothalamic OT has antistress effects and attenuates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. One mechanism behind the antistress effects of OT is mediated through the inhibition from GABAA receptors on corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) expression at the PVN. Various manual therapies such as acupuncture, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and massage initiate the stimulation of somatosensory neurons of the body. It is well-known that TENS simulates OT expression, while it inhibits CRF expression at the PVN following chronic stress loading in rodents. Upregulation of OT expression at the hypothalamus is activated by the somatosensory stimulation, which is mediated via the spinothalamic pathway (the connection between the spinal cord and hypothalamus). Thus, somatosensory stimulation is beneficial in treating stress-associated symptoms. Hypothalamic OT is associated with the social behaviors, including maternal care and affiliation. Childhood neglect and/or child abuse are severely responsible for deleterious long-term effects on the cognitive/social activity and behavioral development. At parturition, a profound amount of OT is released into the systemic circulation in response to vaginal and cervical stimulation caused by the body of fetus, which induces the onset of maternal behavior. Peridural anesthesia effectively impairs the sensitivity to vaginal and cervical stimulation at parturition. OT levels in cerebrospinal fluid is significantly reduced following peridural anesthesia. The vaginal delivery mothers had significantly more OT pulses than the caesarian section (CS) mothers. Due to low levels of endogenous OT, maternal behavior could be interrupted by epidural anesthesia and CS at parturition because of the reduction of the usual sensory input from the genitalia.

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