Lesions of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus disrupt the initiation of maternal behavior
Abstract
Electrolytic lesions of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus were found to disrupt the initiation but not the maintenance of maternal behavior in primiparous Sprague-Dawley rats. Following lesions performed on Day 15 of gestation, measures of maternal behavior (grouping, crouching, and nest building), pup retrieval, and pup weight gain were all impaired, but only if the lesion included the most rostral and medial aspects of the PVN. Lesions sparing these regions and sham surgery were generally ineffective. In a separate experiment, PVN lesions performed on Day 4 postpartum had relatively little effect on maternal behavior. As females lesioned prepartum showed changes in open-field behavior as well as maternal behavior, the PVN may be important for modulating responses not only to pups but to several kinds of novel stimuli. These results may also further implicate oxytocin, which is synthesized in the PVN, in the initiation of maternal behavior.
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Hypothalamic lesions block the initiation, but not the maintenance, of maternal behaviors in rats.
“For instance, hypothalamic lesions block the initiation, but not the maintenance, of maternal behaviors in rats (18), suggesting that OXT may specifically facilitate the transition from avoidance of pups to caring for them (19,20).”
From Dissecting the Role of Oxytocin in the Formation and Loss of Social Relationships (2016) · cites this paper as [18]
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References 45 · Cited by 250
- Authors
- Insel, T. R., & Harbaugh, C. R.
- Affiliations
- National Institute of Mental Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Insel, Thomas R.
- ORCID
- Insel, Thomas R.
- Venue
- Physiology & Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1989-05
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1033-1041
- ISSN
- 0031-9384 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2088021368
- Cited by
- 250
- References
- 45
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 23.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Physiology & Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Keywords
- paraventricular nucleus, hypothalamus, maternal behavior, electrolytic lesions, oxytocin, nest building, pup retrieval, postpartum behavior, primiparous rats, open field behavior
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Behavior, Animal, Female, Maternal Behavior, Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus, Pregnancy, Rats, Inbred Strains, Time Factors, Postpartum Period, Rats
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