Nursing stimulation is more than tactile sensation: It is a multisensory experience
Open accessAbstract
Novel sensory experiences, particularly those associated with epochal developmental events like nursing alter cortical representation, affecting memory, perception and behavior. Functional MRI was used here to test whether the sensoricortical map of the ventrum is modified during lactation. Three stimuli were used to drive cortical activation in primiparous rats: natural, artificial suckling stimulation and general mechanical rubbing of the skin of the ventrum. These stimuli significantly activated the somatosensory cortex of dams. Of the three stimuli, artificial and pup suckling robustly activated much of the cerebrum, most notably the visual, auditory and olfactory cortices. Surprisingly, activation occurred even in the absence of pups, with artificial suckling. This finding suggests that incoming information from a single modality was sufficient to drive activity of others. Enhanced sensitivity across the cortical mantle during nursing may help the dam to perceive, process, and remember stimuli critical to the care and protection of her young.
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Increased activation of S1 during suckling can be mimicked by artificial suction or nipple rubbing.
“increased activation of S1 during suckling can also be mimicked by artificial suction or nipple rubbing”
From Neuromodulation of maternal circuits by oxytocin (2019) · cites this paper as Febo et al., 2008
Infant stimuli trigger simultaneous responses in different brain areas of mothers.
“Infant stimuli trigger simultaneous responses in different brain areas of mothers (Febo et al., 2008; Lorberbaum et al., 2002; Sander and Scheich, 2005), but it remains to be explored if oxytocin acts simultaneously in different cortical areas to gate these responses; or, alternatively, if oxytocin signaling is restricted to specific regions.”
From Neuromodulation of maternal circuits by oxytocin (2019) · cites this paper as Febo et al., 2008
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Febo, M., Stolberg, T. L., Numan, M., Bridges, R. S., Kulkarni, P., & Ferris, C. F.
- Affiliations
- Northeastern University (US)
- Boston College (US)
- Tufts University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Febo, Marcelo
- Venue
- Hormones and Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-07
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 330-339
- ISSN
- 0018-506X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4915061
- OpenAlex
- W2064804261
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 4.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Hormones and Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01 DA13517, R01DA019946, R01DA013517)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R37HD019789, R37 HD19789)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
- Keywords
- nursing, lactation, multisensory processing, somatosensory cortex, ventral forebrain, cortical activation, sensory integration, maternal behavior, primiparous rats
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Animals, Suckling, Brain, Female, Lactation, Models, Biological, Olfactory Pathways, Physical Stimulation, Sensation, Touch, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Imaging, Three-Dimensional, Rats
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