Cited by 356Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorAnimal Behavior and ReproductionNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Neural mechanisms of mother–infant bonding and pair bonding: Similarities, differences, and broader implications

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Numan, Michael, Young, Larry J.·2016·Hormones and Behavior

Abstract

This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Mother-infant bonding is a characteristic of virtually all mammals. The maternal neural system may have provided the scaffold upon which other types of social bonds in mammals have been built. For example, most mammals exhibit a polygamous mating system, but monogamy and pair bonding between mating partners occur in ~5% of mammalian species. In mammals, it is plausible that the neural mechanisms that promote mother-infant bonding have been modified by natural selection to establish the capacity to develop a selective bond with a mate during the evolution of monogamous mating strategies. Here we compare the details of the neural mechanisms that promote mother-infant bonding in rats and other mammals with those that underpin pair bond formation in the monogamous prairie vole. Although details remain to be resolved, remarkable similarities and a few differences between the mechanisms underlying these two types of bond formation are revealed. For example, amygdala and nucleus accumbens-ventral pallidum (NA-VP) circuits are involved in both types of bond formation, and dopamine and oxytocin actions within NA appear to promote the synaptic plasticity that allows either infant or mating partner stimuli to persistently activate NA-VP attraction circuits, leading to an enduring social attraction and bonding. Further, although the medial preoptic area is essential for maternal behavior, its role in pair bonding remains to be determined. Our review concludes by examining the broader implications of this comparative analysis, and evidence is provided that the maternal care system may have also provided the basic neural foundation for other types of strong social relationships, beyond pair bonding, in mammals, including humans.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.015

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  • Oxytocin is also released somatodendritically to act within the SON and PVN to facilitate synchronous firing and pulsatile release during parturition and nursing.

    “Oxytocin is also released somatodendritically to act within the SON and PVN to facilitate synchronous firing and pulsatile release during parturition and nursing”

    From Oxytocin, Neural Plasticity, and Social Behavior (2021) · cites this paper as Numan & Young 2016

    The ‘Oxytocin, Nucleus Accumbens, and the Mesolimbic Reward System’ section says oxytocin is released in the brain during parturition and nursing. The ‘Brain Circuits Regulating Maternal Motivation in Rats’ section links PVN oxytocin neurons to stimulation associated with birth and suckling. Neither passage establishes somatodendritic release within the SON and PVN or its proposed role in synchronous firing and pulsatile release; no page numbers were provided in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • Animal and human studies indicate that similar neural systems and behavioral patterns underpin the parent-infant and pair bonds.

    “Animal24 and human studies25 indicate that similar neural systems and behavioral patterns underpin the parent-infant and pair bonds and demonstrate that both forms of human attachment are characterized by behavioral synchrony26–28.”
  • Central oxytocin signalling is crucial for the onset of maternal nurturing behaviour in rats.

    “Work in rats has demonstrated that central OT signalling is crucial for the onset of maternal nurturing behaviour (1,2).”
  • In monogamous prairie voles, oxytocin and vasopressin interact with the dopamine system to facilitate pair bond formation between mates.

    “In monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), OT and AVP interact with the dopamine system to facilitate the formation of pair bonds between mates (2,6).”
  • Oxytocin receptor signaling influences several social behaviors in animals, including maternal care and bonding, social reward and gregariousness, social recognition, and pair bonding in monogamous species.

    “OXTR affects a range of social behaviors in animals including maternal nurturing and bonding (1, 2), social reward and gregariousness (3, 4), social recognition (5), and pair bonding in monogamous species (6–8).”

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2 of the 156 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Numan M Fleming AS Levy F 2006 Maternal behavior Neill JD Physiology of Reproduction 2 Academic Press San Diego 1921 1993

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Authors
Numan, M., & Young, L. J.
Affiliations
Emory University (US)
Corresponding author
Numan, Michael
Venue
Hormones and Behavior
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-01
Volume
77
Pages
98-112
ISSN
0018-506X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W625443388
Cited by
355
References
156
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 50 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 38 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 10
FWCI
5.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Hormones and Behavior (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (R01MH096983, 1P50MH100023, OD P51OD11132)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
mother-infant bonding, pair bonding, monogamy, Microtus ochrogaster, rats, amygdala, dopamine, oxytocin, synaptic plasticity, medial preoptic area, maternal behavior
MeSH terms
Animals, Dopamine, Female, Mammals, Maternal Behavior, Mothers, Object Attachment, Oxytocin, Pair Bond, Cerebrum

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