Oxytocin modulates unconditioned fear response in lactating dams: An fMRI study
Open accessAbstract
Oxytocinergic neurotransmission during lactation contributes to reduction of anxiety levels and fear. However, our knowledge of where oxytocin acts in the brain to achieve this effect, particularly to an unconditioned fear stimulus, is incomplete. We used blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI to test whether central administration of oxytocin 45-60 min before fMRI scanning alters maternal brain activation in response to a predator scent (TMT, trimethylthiazoline). Comparison behavioral experiments that examined maternal responses to this unconditioned fear-inducing odor were carried out in a separate cohort of lactating rats given similar treatments. Behavioral experiments confirmed the effectiveness of oxytocin at reducing freezing behavior as compared to vehicle controls. Our fMRI findings indicate that oxytocin modulated both positive and negative BOLD responses across several olfactory and forebrain nuclei. Significantly greater percent increases in BOLD signal in response to TMT were observed in the anterior cingulate, bed nucleus of stria terminalis and perirhinal area of oxytocin pretreated rats. These animals also showed significantly larger percent decreases in BOLD in mammillary bodies, secondary motor cortex, gustatory cortex, prelimbic prefrontal cortex, orbital cortex, and the anterior olfactory nucleus. The observed pattern of brain activity suggests that oxytocin enhances neural processing in emotion and cognition driven brain areas such as the cingulate cortex, while dramatically reducing activity in areas also controlling autonomic, visceromotor and skeletomotor responses. The present data contribute to the growing literature suggesting the oxytocin modulate the integration of emotional and cognitive information through myriad brain regions to facilitate decreases in anxiety (even to an unconditioned stimulus) while potentially promoting pair-bonding, social memory and parental care.
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Exogenous OT administration decreases fear behaviours of lactating rats, at the same time as increasing brain activity in emotion and cognition regulation regions, such as the anterior cingulate, and decreasing brain activity in autonomic, visceromotor and skeletomotor areas.
“Furthermore, exogenous OT administration decreases fear behaviours of lactating rats, at the same time as increasing brain activity in emotion and cognition regulation regions, such as the anterior cingulate, and decreasing brain activity in autonomic, visceromotor and skeletomotor areas enhances neural processing in (and also modulates) emotion regulation brain circuits (28).”
From Neuroendocrinology of Parental Response to Baby‐Cry (2011) · cites this paper as [28]
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“A number of recent neuroimaging studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have evaluated the neurological effects of exposure to predator odor in lab rats (e.g., Chen et al., 2007; Febo et al., 2009; Huang et al., 2011).”
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- Authors
- Febo, M., Shields, J., Ferris, C. F., & King, J. A.
- Affiliations
- Northeastern University (US)
- University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (US)
- Corresponding author
- King, Jean A.
- Venue
- Brain Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-11
- Volume
- 1302
- Pages
- 183-193
- ISSN
- 0006-8993 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3968865
- OpenAlex
- W2044350295
- Cited by
- 47
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 7.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Brain Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship@UMassChan (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- NIMH (MH067096)
- NIDA (DA019946, DA13517)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Keywords
- oxytocin, lactation, maternal behavior, anxiety reduction, predator scent, olfactory processing, anterior cingulate cortex, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, perirhinal cortex, anterior olfactory nucleus, freezing behavior, parental care
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Anxiety, Autonomic Nervous System, Behavior, Animal, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cerebrovascular Circulation, Cognition, Emotions, Fear, Lactation, Limbic System, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Odorants, Olfactory Pathways, Oxytocin, Predatory Behavior, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Smell, Social Behavior, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Rats
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