scholarly journals Oxytocin Neurons Enable Social Transmission of Maternal Behavior

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana Carcea ◽  
Naomi López Caraballo ◽  
Bianca J. Marlin ◽  
Rumi Ooyama ◽  
Justin S. Riceberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Paraventricular Nucleus ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Cortical Plasticity ◽  
Social Transmission ◽  
Infant Vocalizations ◽  
Biological Parents ◽  
Pup Retrieval ◽  
Molecular Signal

AbstractMaternal care is profoundly important for mammalian survival, and non-biological parents can express it after experience with infants. One critical molecular signal for maternal behavior is oxytocin, a hormone centrally released by hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Oxytocin enables plasticity within the auditory cortex, a necessary step for responding to infant vocalizations. To determine how this change occurs during natural experience, we continuously monitored homecage behavior of female virgin mice co-housed for days with an experienced mother and litter, synchronized with recordings from virgin PVN cells, including from oxytocin neurons. Mothers engaged virgins in maternal care by ensuring their nest presence, and demonstrated maternal behavior in self-generated pup retrieval episodes. These social interactions activated virgin PVN and gated behaviorally-relevant cortical plasticity for pup vocalizations. Thus rodents can acquire maternal behavior by social transmission, and our results describe a mechanism for adapting brains of adult caregivers to infant needs via endogenous oxytocin.One Sentence SummaryMother mice help co-housed virgins become maternal by enacting specific behaviors that activate virgin oxytocin neurons.

scholarly journals Oxytocin neurons enable social transmission of maternal behaviour

Nature ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana Carcea ◽  
Naomi López Caraballo ◽  
Bianca J. Marlin ◽  
Rumi Ooyama ◽  
Justin S. Riceberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Paraventricular Nucleus ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Cortical Plasticity ◽  
Social Transmission ◽  
Maternal Behaviour ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Parental Experience ◽  
Neural Recordings ◽  
Biological Parents ◽  
Pup Retrieval

AbstractMaternal care, including by non-biological parents, is important for offspring survival1–8. Oxytocin1,2,9–15, which is released by the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), is a critical maternal hormone. In mice, oxytocin enables neuroplasticity in the auditory cortex for maternal recognition of pup distress15. However, it is unclear how initial parental experience promotes hypothalamic signalling and cortical plasticity for reliable maternal care. Here we continuously monitored the behaviour of female virgin mice co-housed with an experienced mother and litter. This documentary approach was synchronized with neural recordings from the virgin PVN, including oxytocin neurons. These cells were activated as virgins were enlisted in maternal care by experienced mothers, who shepherded virgins into the nest and demonstrated pup retrieval. Virgins visually observed maternal retrieval, which activated PVN oxytocin neurons and promoted alloparenting. Thus rodents can acquire maternal behaviour by social transmission, providing a mechanism for adapting the brains of adult caregivers to infant needs via endogenous oxytocin.

scholarly journals Maternal behavior and the neonatal HPA axis in the Wistar Audiogenic Rat (WAR) strain: early life implications for a genetic animal model in epilepsy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lívea Dornela Godoy ◽  
Norberto Garcia-Cairasco
Keyword(s):  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Multistage Process ◽  
Corticosterone Concentration ◽  
Genetic Animal Model ◽  
Pup Retrieval ◽  
Maternal Defense ◽  
Hpa Axis Activity

AbstractEpileptogenesis is a multistage process and seizure susceptibility can be influenced by stress early in life. Wistar Audiogenic Rat (WAR) strain is an interesting model to study the association between stress and epilepsy, since it is naturally susceptible to seizures and present changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. All these features are related to the pathogenic mechanisms usually associated to psychiatric comorbidities present in epilepsy. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the neonate HPA axis function and maternal care under control and stress conditions in the WAR strain. Maternal behavior and neonate HPA axis were evaluated in Wistar and WAR strains under rest and after the presence of stressors. We observed that WAR pups present higher plasmatic corticosterone concentration as compared to Wistar pups. Although WAR dams do not show significant altered maternal behavior at rest, there is a higher latency to recover the litter in the pup retrieval test, while some did not recover all the litter. WAR dams presented similar behaviors to Wistar dams to a female intruder and maternal care with the pups in the maternal defense test. Taken together, these findings indicate that the WAR strain could show HPA axis disruption early in life and dams present altered maternal behavior under stressful events. Those alterations make the WAR strain an interesting model to evaluate vulnerability to epilepsy and its associated neuropsychiatric comorbidities.

scholarly journals Precise and pervasive phasic bursting in locus coeruleus during maternal behavior

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman Dvorkin ◽  
Stephen D. Shea
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Locus Coeruleus ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Pup Retrieval ◽  
Subsequent Behavior ◽  
Maternal Interaction ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Global Brain ◽  
Relationship Of

ABSTRACTThe noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) mediates key aspects of arousal, memory, and cognition in structured tasks, but its contribution to natural behavior remains unclear. Neuronal activity in LC is organized into sustained (‘tonic’) firing patterns reflecting global brain states and rapidly fluctuating (‘phasic’) bursts signaling discrete behaviorally significant events. LC’s broad participation in social behavior including maternal behavior is well-established, yet the temporal relationship of its activity to sensory events and behavioral decisions in this context is unknown. Here, we made electrical and optical recordings from LC in female mice during maternal interaction with pups. We find that pup retrieval stably elicits precisely timed and pervasive phasic activation of LC that can’t be attributed to sensory stimuli, motor activity, or reward. Correlation of LC activity with retrieval events shows that phasic events are most closely related to subsequent behavior. We conclude that LC likely drives goal-directed action selection during social behavior with globally-broadcast noradrenaline release.

Is Language Necessary for the Social Transmission of Lithic Technology?

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dor Shilton
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Lithic Technology ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Social Transmission ◽  
Specific Function ◽  
Group Activities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Theory Of Language

AbstractRecently, a growing number of studies have considered the role of language in the social transmission of tool-making skill during human evolution. In this article, I address this question in light of a new theory of language and its evolution, and review evidence from anthropology and experimental archaeology related to it. I argue that the specific function of language—the instruction of imagination—is not necessary for the social transmission of tool-making skill. Evidence from hunter-gatherer ethnographies suggests that social learning relies mainly on observation, participation, play, and experimentation. Ethnographies of traditional stone cultures likewise describe group activities with simple, context-bound interactions embedded in the here and now. Experiments comparing gestural and verbal teaching of tool-making skills also demonstrate that language is not necessary for that process. I conclude that there is no convincing evidence that language played an important role in the social transmission of lithic technology, although the possibility that linguistic instruction was involved as part of the social interactions accompanying tool-making cannot be excluded.

scholarly journals Oxytocin Receptor Gene Polymorphism in Lactating Dogs

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3099
Author(s):  
Asahi Ogi ◽  
Valentina Naef ◽  
Filippo Maria Santorelli ◽  
Chiara Mariti ◽  
Angelo Gazzano
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽  
Receptor Gene Polymorphism ◽  
Polymorphic Variants ◽  
Evolution Of Mammals

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.

scholarly journals Vitamin D is crucial for maternal care and offspring social behaviour in rats

2018 ◽  
Vol 237 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathanael J Yates ◽  
Dijana Tesic ◽  
Kirk W Feindel ◽  
Jeremy T Smith ◽  
Michael W Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin D Deficiency ◽  
Maternal Care ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Brain Morphology ◽  
Male Adult ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Pup Retrieval

Early life vitamin D plays a prominent role in neurodevelopment and subsequent brain function, including schizophrenic-like outcomes and increasing evidence for an association with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we investigate how early life vitamin D deficiency during rat pregnancy and lactation alters maternal care and influences neurodevelopment and affective, cognitive and social behaviours in male adult offspring. Sprague–Dawley rats were placed on either a vitamin D control (2195 IU/kg) or deficient diet (0 IU/kg) for five weeks before timed mating, and diet exposure was maintained until weaning of offspring on postnatal day (PND) 23. MRI scans were conducted to assess brain morphology, and plasma corticosterone levels and neural expression of genes associated with language, dopamine and glucocorticoid exposure were characterised at PND1, PND12 and 4 months of age. Compared to controls, vitamin D-deficient dams exhibited decreased licking and grooming of their pups but no differences in pup retrieval. Offspring neurodevelopmental markers were unaltered, but vitamin D-deficient pup ultrasonic vocalisations were atypical. As adults, males that had been exposed to vitamin D deficiency in early life exhibited decreased social behaviour, impaired learning and memory outcomes and increased grooming behaviour, but unaltered affective behaviours. Accompanying these behavioural changes was an increase in lateral ventricle volume, decreased cortical FOXP2 (a protein implicated in language and communication) and altered neural expression of genes involved in dopamine and glucocorticoid-related pathways. These data highlight that early life levels of vitamin D are an important consideration for maternal behavioural adaptations as well as offspring neuropsychiatry.

scholarly journals An acute dose of intranasal oxytocin rapidly increases maternal communication and maintains maternal care in primiparous postpartum California mice

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0244033
Author(s):  
Caleigh D. Guoynes ◽  
Catherine A. Marler
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Care ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Wire Mesh ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Testing Chamber ◽  
Pup Retrieval ◽  
Normal Increase ◽  
Physical Access ◽  
California Mice ◽  
Separation Test

Maternal-offspring communication and care are essential for offspring survival. Oxytocin (OXT) is known for its role in initiation of maternal care, but whether OXT can rapidly influence maternal behavior or ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs; above 50 kHz) has not been examined. To test for rapid effects of OXT, California mouse mothers were administered an acute intranasal (IN) dose of OXT (0.8 IU/kg) or saline followed by a separation test with three phases: habituation with pups in a new testing chamber, separation via a wire mesh, and finally reunion with pups. We measured maternal care, maternal USVs, and pup USVs. In mothers, we primarily observed simple sweep USVs, a short downward sweeping call around 50 kHz, and in pups we only observed pup whines, a long call with multiple harmonics ranging from 20 kHz to 50 kHz. We found that IN OXT rapidly and selectively enhanced the normal increase in maternal simple sweep USVs when mothers had physical access to pups (habituation and reunion), but not when mothers were physically separated from pups. Frequency of mothers’ and pups’ USVs were correlated upon reunion, but IN OXT did not influence this correlation. Finally, mothers given IN OXT showed more efficient pup retrieval/carrying and greater total maternal care upon reunion. Behavioral changes were specific to maternal behaviors (e.g. retrievals) as mothers given IN OXT did not differ from controls in stress-related behaviors (e.g. freezing). Overall, these findings highlight the rapid effects and context-dependent effect a single treatment with IN OXT has on both maternal USV production and offspring care.

scholarly journals Maternal Care and Attachment Security in Preschool Children

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.

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

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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