The DOI matches its Crossref record; 267 of the 267 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Sex differences in the parental behavior of rodents
Abstract
The reproductive strategy of many mammalian species that give birth to altricial young involves intense and prolonged care of their offspring. In most cases, the mother provides all nurturance, but in some cases fathers, older siblings, or unrelated conspecifics participate in parental care. The display of these behaviors by animals other than mothers is affected by numerous factors, including their sex. We herein review the literature on similarities and/or differences between male and female laboratory rodents (rats, mice, voles, gerbils, and hamsters) in their parental responsiveness and discuss how the parental behavior of males and females is influenced by hormones, developmental processes, and prior social experiences. Understanding the mechanisms that generate sex differences in the parental responsiveness of rodents may indicate how similar sex differences in parental care are generated in other mammals.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Because AVP/OT and the dopaminergic pathways they feed into are heavily influenced by sex steroids across the lifespan (50–59), it is highly plausible that their sexually dimorphic ontogeny and function may be particularly vulnerable to endocrine disruption.”
From Endocrine Disruption of Vasopressin Systems and Related Behaviors (2017) · cites this paper as [53]
In the citing paper
“the father-specific repertoire is marked by high positive arousal, stimulatory contact, and exploratory focus (39,40)”
From Oxytocin administration to parent enhances infant physiological and behavioral readiness for social engagement (2012) · cites this paper as [40]
Citations
Cites
Items 201–267 of 267
Pup contact promotes paternal responsiveness in male meadow voles
Storey, A. E., & Joyce, T. L. (1995) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1016/0003-3472(95)80148-0 · Cited by 35
Prepartum onset of maternal behavior in hamsters and the effects of estrogen and progesterone
Siegel, H. I., & Greenwald, G. S. (1975) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0018-506x(75)90011-2 · Cited by 33
Exposure to early androgen attenuates androgen induced pup-killing in male and female mice
Gandelman, R. J., & Saal, F. V. (1977) · Behavioral Biology · doi:10.1016/s0091-6773(77)90825-2 · Cited by 33
Sex differences in the emotional behaviour of laboratory mice
Archer, J. E. (1977) · British Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1977.tb01567.x · Cited by 33
Neonatal gonadal hormones: Effect on maternal and sexual behavior in the male rat
McCullough, J., Quadagno, D. M., & Goldman, B. D. (1974) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(74)90171-1 · Cited by 32
Broida, J. P., & Svare, B. B. (1982) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(82)90380-8 · Cited by 32
McCarthy, M. M., & Saal, F. S. V. (1986) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.420190313 · Cited by 31
Perrigo, G. H., Bryant, W. C., & Saal, F. S. V. (1989) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(89)90244-8 · Cited by 31
Effects of pre- and postpubertal castration and testosterone on pup-killing behavior in the male rat
Rosenberg, K. M. (1974) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(74)90319-9 · Cited by 31
The synthesis of testosterone and estradiol-17β by the gonads of neonatal rats in vitro
Smeaton, T. C., Arcondoulis, D. E., & Penelope, A. S. (1975) · Steroids · doi:10.1016/s0039-128x(75)80019-5 · Cited by 30
Prolactin modulation of the maternal-like behavior displayed by juvenile rats
Kinsley, C. H. (1988) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0018-506x(88)90030-x · Cited by 29
Experience with younger siblings facilitates maternal responsiveness in pubertal norway rats
Stern, J. M., & Rogers, L. C. (1988) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.420210608 · Cited by 29
Svare, B. B., Bartke, A., & Gandelman, R. J. (1977) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0018-506x(77)90011-3 · Cited by 28
Hormonal correlates of parental behavior in male rats
BROWN, R. (1983) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0018-506x(83)90045-4 · Cited by 28
Gubernick, D. J., & Alberts, J. R. (1987) · Journal of comparative psychology · doi:10.1037/0735-7036.101.4.328 · Cited by 28
Maternal and paternal pheromones in gerbils☆
Gerling, S. A., & Yahr, P. (1982) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(82)90049-x · Cited by 28
Histologic Transformation of the Ovary of the Lactating Hamster
Greenwald, G. S. (1965) · Endocrinology · doi:10.1210/endo-77-4-641 · Cited by 27
Olfactory bulbectomy and gender differences in maternal behaviors of rats
Fleischer, S. F., Kordower, J. H., Kaplan, B. S., Dicker, R., Smerling, R., & Ilgner, J. (1981) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(81)90191-8 · Cited by 27
Pup-killing behavior in mice: Suppression by early androgen exposure
Samuels, O. B., Jason, G., Mann, M. A., & Svare, B. B. (1981) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(81)90176-1 · Cited by 27
Maternal behavior in male rats: Critical times for the suppressive action of androgens
Rosenberg, P. A., & Herrenkohl, L. R. (1976) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(76)90135-9 · Cited by 27
Inhibitory effects of naltrexone on the induction of parental behavior in juvenile rats
Zaias, J. (1996) · Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0091-3057(95)02138-8 · Cited by 26
Pup-killing produced by the administration of testosterone propionate to adult female mice
Davis, P. G., & Gandelman, R. J. (1972) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0018-506x(72)90017-7 · Cited by 26
Pubertal decline in maternal responsiveness in Long-Evans rats: Maturational influences
Stern, J. M. (1987) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(87)90136-3 · Cited by 26
Parental behaviour in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). II. Parental interactions
Waring, A., & Perper, T. (1980) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(80)80041-8 · Cited by 26
Gubernick, D. J., & Laskin, B. (1994) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1006/anbe.1994.1356 · Cited by 25
Maternal behavior in the rat: Aspects of concaveation and neonatal androgen treatment☆
Quadagno, D. M., DEBOLD, J., Gorzalka, B. B., & Whalen, R. E. (1974) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(74)90157-7 · Cited by 25
Induction of maternal behavior in nulliparous golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)
Swanson, L. J., & Campbell, C. S. (1979) · Behavioral and Neural Biology · doi:10.1016/s0163-1047(79)91344-x · Cited by 24
Steroidal influences on pup-killing behavior in mice
Svare, B. B. (1979) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0018-506x(79)90054-0 · Cited by 24
Early experience and maternal behavior in rats
Brunelli, S. A., Shindledecker, R. D., & Hofer, M. A. (1989) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.420220308 · Cited by 23
Effect of prenatal androgen treatment on maternal behavior in the female rat
Ichikawa, S., & Fujii, Y. (1982) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0018-506x(82)90021-6 · Cited by 23
Infanticide by Male and Female Mongolian Gerbils: Ontogeny, Causation, and Function
Hausfater, G., & Hrdy, S. B. (2017) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203788608-32 · Cited by 23
Testosterone induced pup-killing behavior in the ovariectomized female rat
Rosenberg, K. M., & Sherman, G. F. (1974) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(74)90243-1 · Cited by 22
Peterson, G., Mason, G., Barakat, A. S., & Pedersen, C. A. (1991) · Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.1037//0735-7044.105.3.470 · Cited by 21
Wellman, J., Carr, D., Graham, A., Jones, H. E., Humm, J., Ruscio, M., Billack, B., & Kinsley, C. H. (1997) · Brain Research Bulletin · doi:10.1016/s0361-9230(97)00111-1 · Cited by 20
Are Chemical Cues as Effective as Pup Contact for Inducing Paternal Behaviour in Meadow Voles?
Storey, A. E., & Walsh, C. J. (1994) · Behaviour · doi:10.1163/156853994x00406 · Cited by 20
The influence of the male on maternal behaviour in the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus)
Ahroon, J. K., & Fidura, F. G. (1976) · Animal Behaviour · doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(76)80045-0 · Cited by 19
Changes in maternal behavior during gestation in the mouse
Noirot, É. (1971) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0018-506x(71)90018-3 · Cited by 19
Juvenile male mice: An attempt to accelerate testis function by exposure to adult female stimuli
Svare, B. B., Bartke, A., & Macrides, F. (1978) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(78)90179-8 · Cited by 19
The effects of early rearing environments on maternal behavior in adult female rats
Moretto, D., Paclik, L., & Fleming, A. S. (1986) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.420190609 · Cited by 19
Population Control in Confined Colonies of Golden Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus Waterhouse)
Goldman, L., & Swanson, H. H. (2010) · Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie · doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1975.tb00878.x · Cited by 18
McCarthy, M. M. (1990) · Journal of comparative psychology · doi:10.1037/0735-7036.104.2.195 · Cited by 18
Peterson, G. W., Mason, G., Barakat, A. S., et al. (1991) · Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.1037/0735-7044.105.3.470 · Cited by 18
Gender differences in caring for infant Cebuella pygmaea: The role of infant age and relatedness
Wamboldt, M. Z., Gelhard, R. E., & Insel, T. R. (1988) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.420210207 · Cited by 17
Opioid regulation of parental behavior in juvenile rats
Kinsley, C. H., Wellman, J. C., Carr, D. B., & Graham, A. L. (1993) · Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0091-3057(93)90003-c · Cited by 17
Brunelli, S. A., Shindledecker, R. D., & Hofer, M. A. (1987) · Journal of comparative psychology · doi:10.1037//0735-7036.101.1.47 · Cited by 16
Changes in responsiveness to newborn pups in pregnant, nulliparous golden hamsters
Buntin, J. D., Jaffe, S., & Lisk, R. D. (1984) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(84)90259-2 · Cited by 15
Availability of a food hoard facilitates maternal behaviour in virgin female hamsters
Miceli, M. O., & Malsbury, C. W. (1982) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(82)90204-9 · Cited by 15
Postparturitional reestablishment of pup cannibalism in female gerbils
Elwood, R. W. (1981) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.420140309 · Cited by 15
Brunelli, S. A., Shindledecker, R. D., & Hofer, M. A. (1987) · Journal of comparative psychology · doi:10.1037/0735-7036.101.1.47 · Cited by 15
Kleese, D. A., & Hull, E. M. (1980) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.420130302 · Cited by 14
Gandelman, R. J., & Davis, P. G. (1973) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.420060310 · Cited by 13
Influence of testosterone on pup killing in the rat is modified by prior experience☆
ROSENBERG, K., & SHERMAN, G. (1975) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(75)90117-1 · Cited by 13
The Maternal Behaviour Cycle in Golden Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)
Daly, M. (2010) · Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie · doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1972.tb01770.x · Cited by 13
Response of male and female Siberian hamsters towards pups
Gibber, J. R., Piontkewitz, Y., & Terkel, J. (1984) · Behavioral and Neural Biology · doi:10.1016/s0163-1047(84)91033-1 · Cited by 13
The Aggressive Response of Male Mice (Mus musculus L.) to a Variety of Stimulus Animals
Beilharz, R. G. (1975) · Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie · doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1975.tb00904.x · Cited by 12
Maintenance and decline of the suppression of infanticide in mother rats
Peters, L. C., Sist, T. C., & Kristal, M. B. (1991) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(91)90093-4 · Cited by 11
Gibber, J. R., & Terkel, J. (1985) · Journal of comparative psychology · doi:10.1037/0735-7036.99.4.491 · Cited by 10
Maternal behavior in cyclic and androgenized female rats: Role of ovarian hormones
Gonzalez, D. E., & Deis, R. P. (1986) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(86)90044-2 · Cited by 10
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
Savage, M. O. (1985) · Clinics in Endocrinology and Metabolism · doi:10.1016/s0300-595x(85)80082-7 · Cited by 9
Responses of virgin mice, and of maternal females, to normal and caesarian-section delivered pups.
Rosenson, L. M. (1975) · Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0076411 · Cited by 8
Elwood, R. W., & Ostermeyer, M. C. (1986) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.420190405 · Cited by 8
Responses to novel odors mediate maternal behavior and concaveation in gerbils
Clark, M. M., Spencer, C. A., & Galef, B. G. (1986) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(86)90441-5 · Cited by 8
Effects of differential early experience upon parental behavior in Mus musculus
Bell, R. W., & Little, J. W. (1978) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/dev.420110303 · Cited by 7
Lyons, J. P. (1993) · Journal of comparative psychology · doi:10.1037/0735-7036.107.2.187 · Cited by 6
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
New, M. I., & Levine, L. S. (1984) · PubMed · Cited by 6
Maternal behavior in normal and androgenized female rats: Effect of age and experience
Leboucher, G. (1989) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(89)90133-9 · Cited by 5
Matzke, S. M., & Castro, C. A. (1998) · Developmental Psychobiology · doi:10.1002/(sici)1098-2302(199804)32:3 · Cited by 4
Research works printed but not linked: 10
- Agren, 1976, Social and territorial behaviour in the Mongolia gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) under seminatural conditions, Biol Behav, 1, 267
- Berman, 1991, Children caring for babies: age and sex differences in response to infant signals and to the social context, vol. 1, 300
- Bucknell-Pogue, 2000, Effects of septal injections of vasopressin or vasopressin antagonist on parental behavior in virgin male and female prairie voles, Soc Neurosci Abst
- Dewsbury, 1981, An exercise in the prediction of monogamy in the field from laboratory data on 42 muroid rodents, The Biologist, 63, 138
- Lonstein, 2000, Sex differences in parental behavior of prairie voles are relatively independent of gonadal hormones, Soc Behav Neuroendocrinol Abst
- New, 1984, vol. 26
- Parker, 1998, Development of paternal behavior in the meadow vole, Soc Behav Neuroendocrinol Abst, 72
- Pleck, 1983, Husbands’ paid work and family roles: current research issues, vol. 3
- Quadros, 1999, Progesterone in fetal brain is of maternal origin, Soc Neurosci Abstr, 29, 42
- Trumbo, 1996, Parental care among invertebrates and early vertebrates, vol. 25, 3
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Oxytocin and social affiliation in humans
Feldman, R. (2012) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.01.008 · Cited by 767
Galanin neurons in the medial preoptic area govern parental behaviour
Wu, Z., Autry, A. E., Bergan, J. F., Watabe‐Uchida, M., & Dulac, C. G. (2014) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature13307 · Cited by 610
Sexual selection and animal personality
Schuett, W., Tregenza, T., & Dall, S. R. X. (2009) · Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · doi:10.1111/j.1469-185x.2009.00101.x · Cited by 565
Oxytocin, motivation and the role of dopamine
Love, T. M. (2014) · Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.pbb.2013.06.011 · Cited by 369
Developmental consequences of oxytocin
Carter, C. S. (2003) · Physiology & Behavior · doi:10.1016/s0031-9384(03)00151-3 · Cited by 367
Metadata
- Authors
- Lonstein, J. S., & De Vries, G. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lonstein, Joseph S.
- ORCID
- Lonstein, Joseph S.
- Venue
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2000-08
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 669-686
- ISSN
- 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2035785773
- Cited by
- 226
- References
- 264
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 1.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- U.S. Public Health Service (08392, 47538)
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Keywords
- sex differences, parental care, paternal behavior, rodents, rats, mice, voles, gerbils, hamster, hormones, developmental processes, social experience
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Female, Male, Maternal Behavior, Paternal Behavior, Rodentia, Sex Characteristics
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
