Introduction * Hormonal and Nonhormonal Basis of Maternal Behavior * Experiential Factors Influencing Maternal Behavior * Motivational Models of the Onset and Maintenance of Maternal Behavior and Maternal Agression * Neuroanatomy of Maternal Behavior * Neurochemistry and Molecular Biology of Maternal Behavior * Paternal Behavior * Neural Basis of Parental Behavior Revisited * Human Implications

The Neurobiology of Parental Behavior

Structure and function of the vomeronasal system: an update

Mice display robust, stereotyped behaviours towards pups: virgin males typically attack pups, whereas virgin females and sexually experienced males and females display parental care. Here we show that virgin males genetically impaired in vomeronasal sensing do not attack pups and are parental. Furthermore, we uncover a subset of galanin-expressing neurons in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) that are specifically activated during male and female parenting, and a different subpopulation that is activated during mating. Genetic ablation of MPOA galanin neurons results in marked impairment of parental responses in males and females and affects male mating. Optogenetic activation of these neurons in virgin males suppresses inter-male and pup-directed aggression and induces pup grooming. Thus, MPOA galanin neurons emerge as an essential regulatory node of male and female parenting behaviour and other social responses. These results provide an entry point to a circuit-level dissection of parental behaviour and its modulation by social experience.

/pdf/galanin-neurons-in-the-medial-preoptic-area-govern-parental-4n3fksxvjs.pdf

Galanin neurons in the medial preoptic area govern parental behaviour

Parenting behavior critically shapes human infants' current and future behavior. The parent-infant relationship provides infants with their first social experiences, forming templates of what they can expect from others and how to best meet others' expectations. In this review, we focus on the neurobiology of parenting behavior, including our own functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain imaging experiments of parents. We begin with a discussion of background, perspectives and caveats for considering the neurobiology of parent-infant relationships. Then, we discuss aspects of the psychology of parenting that are significantly motivating some of the more basic neuroscience research. Following that, we discuss some of the neurohormones that are important for the regulation of social bonding, and the dysregulation of parenting with cocaine abuse. Then, we review the brain circuitry underlying parenting, proceeding from relevant rodent and nonhuman primate research to human work. Finally, we focus on a study-by-study review of functional neuroimaging studies in humans. Taken together, this research suggests that networks of highly conserved hypothalamic-midbrain-limbic-paralimbic-cortical circuits act in concert to support aspects of parent response to infants, including the emotion, attention, motivation, empathy, decision-making and other thinking that are required to navigate the complexities of parenting. Specifically, infant stimuli activate basal forebrain regions, which regulate brain circuits that handle specific nurturing and caregiving responses and activate the brain's more general circuitry for handling emotions, motivation, attention, and empathy--all of which are crucial for effective parenting. We argue that an integrated understanding of the brain basis of parenting has profound implications for mental health.

Brain basis of early parent-infant interactions: psychology, physiology, and in vivo functional neuroimaging studies

There is general agreement that the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) receives projections from widespread regions of the brain, although there are significant discrepancies in the literature with regard to certain specific inputs. Therefore, we have reexamined the inputs to this nucleus with both retrograde and anterograde axonal transport techniques. First, injections of the retrograde tracers true blue, SITS, or wheat germ agglutinin were made into the region of the MPN and the distribution of retrogradely labeled cells was charted. Then, autoradiographic material was used to confirm the results of the retrograde studies, to identify the route taken by fibers projecting to the MPN, and to describe the distribution of projections with respect to the three cytoarchitectonic subdivisions of the nucleus. The results indicate that the MPN receives inputs from widely distributed areas in both the forebrain and brainstem, and that these inputs appear to be distributed topographically within the three cytoarchitectonic subdivisions of the nucleus. Direct inputs to the MPN arise from all major areas of the hypothalamus (except for the median and magnocellular preoptic nuclei, the supraoptic and suprachiasmatic nuclei, and the medial and lateral mammillary nuclei). Projections from nuclei within the periventricular zone of the hypothalamus end primarily in the medial part of the MPN, while inputs from the lateral zone are mainly confined to the lateral part of the nucleus, as are projections from the nuclei within the medial zone, except for those from the anterior and ventromedial nuclei, which appear to be more widespread. The MPN receives major inputs from limbic regions including the amygdala, ventral subiculum, and ventral lateral septal nucleus, all of which end preferentially in the lateral part of the MPN. In contrast, the projection from the encapsulated part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis appears to end preferentially in the central part of the MPN and in immediately adjacent regions of the medial subdivision. In addition, the MPN may receive relatively sparse inputs from infralimbic and insular cortical areas, the nucleus accumbens, and the substantia innominata. Finally, ascending serotoninergic projections from the raphe nuclei appear to terminate principally in the lateral part of the MPN, whereas inputs from regions containing noradrenergic cell groups are chiefly distributed to the central and medial parts of the nucleus. Other brainstem regions that appear to provide modest inputs include the ventral tegmental area, central tegmental field, periaqueductal gray, pedunculopontine nucleus, and the peripeduncular nucleus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The organization of neural inputs to the medial preoptic nucleus of the rat

The onset of maternal responsiveness by virgin female rats to foster pups was observed after (i) complete vomeronasal nerve cuts, (ii) partial olfactory bulb cuts, or (iii) the combined procedures. Although both vomeronasal nerve cuts and olfactory bulb cuts resulted in a more rapid onset of maternal care, relative to control animals with sham operations, animals sustaining the loss of both sources of olfactory input exhibited the shortest response latency. These findings are discussed in terms of the probable distinct functions of the two olfactory systems in the control of maternal behavior in the rat.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/203/4378/372.full.pdf

Vomeronasal and olfactory system modulation of maternal behavior in the rat

Sexual behaviour and its olfactory control in the desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida lepida)

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Vomeronasal and olfactory system modulation of maternal behavior in the rat

Sexual behaviour and its olfactory control in the desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida lepida)