Michael Numan
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- July 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190848675
- eISBN:
- 9780190848705
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190848675.003.0006
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Development
Chapter 6 explores the neural mechanisms that regulate the decrease in anxiety and increase in maternal aggression that co-occur in postpartum mammals. Too much anxiety antagonizes maternal ...
More
Chapter 6 explores the neural mechanisms that regulate the decrease in anxiety and increase in maternal aggression that co-occur in postpartum mammals. Too much anxiety antagonizes maternal aggression. Therefore, postpartum anxiety reduction promotes maternal aggression. The neural circuitry of maternal aggression includes projections from the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus to the periaqueductal gray and to other brainstem sites. Anxiety-related behaviors are mediated by corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons, and the projection of central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) CRF neurons to the dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis is involved. Neural circuits are described to show how enhanced CRF release can depress maternal aggression. These circuits are typically downregulated in postpartum females, and oxytocin (OT) is involved. OT exerts anxiolytic effects and one mechanism of OT action is to depress the output of CeA.Less
Chapter 6 explores the neural mechanisms that regulate the decrease in anxiety and increase in maternal aggression that co-occur in postpartum mammals. Too much anxiety antagonizes maternal aggression. Therefore, postpartum anxiety reduction promotes maternal aggression. The neural circuitry of maternal aggression includes projections from the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus to the periaqueductal gray and to other brainstem sites. Anxiety-related behaviors are mediated by corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons, and the projection of central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) CRF neurons to the dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis is involved. Neural circuits are described to show how enhanced CRF release can depress maternal aggression. These circuits are typically downregulated in postpartum females, and oxytocin (OT) is involved. OT exerts anxiolytic effects and one mechanism of OT action is to depress the output of CeA.
Michael Numan
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- July 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190848675
- eISBN:
- 9780190848705
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190848675.003.0004
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Development
Chapter 4 examines the roles of oxytocin (OT) and olfaction in the maternal behavior of nonhuman mammals. It also presents an overview of brain anatomy. In concert with pregnancy hormones, the ...
More
Chapter 4 examines the roles of oxytocin (OT) and olfaction in the maternal behavior of nonhuman mammals. It also presents an overview of brain anatomy. In concert with pregnancy hormones, the release of OT into the brain, derived from the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, stimulates the onset of maternal behavior. Although OT is not required for the maintenance of maternal behavior, it does enhance maternal behavior during the postpartum period in challenging environments by decreasing anxiety and increasing maternal motivation. OT, in the absence of pregnancy hormones, may also enhance maternal responsiveness in alloparents. For many postpartum mammals, maternal motivation is under multisensory control, and olfaction is not required, although it is necessary for maternal selectivity in sheep. In contrast, for laboratory mice, olfaction is essential for maternal motivation. For virgin female rats and rabbits, olfactory input from pups inhibits maternal behavior, but this inhibition is eliminated at parturition.Less
Chapter 4 examines the roles of oxytocin (OT) and olfaction in the maternal behavior of nonhuman mammals. It also presents an overview of brain anatomy. In concert with pregnancy hormones, the release of OT into the brain, derived from the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, stimulates the onset of maternal behavior. Although OT is not required for the maintenance of maternal behavior, it does enhance maternal behavior during the postpartum period in challenging environments by decreasing anxiety and increasing maternal motivation. OT, in the absence of pregnancy hormones, may also enhance maternal responsiveness in alloparents. For many postpartum mammals, maternal motivation is under multisensory control, and olfaction is not required, although it is necessary for maternal selectivity in sheep. In contrast, for laboratory mice, olfaction is essential for maternal motivation. For virgin female rats and rabbits, olfactory input from pups inhibits maternal behavior, but this inhibition is eliminated at parturition.
