Cited by 689Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorAttachment and Relationship DynamicsHuman-Animal Interaction Studies

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Brain substrates of infant-mother attachment: contributions of opioids, oxytocin, and norepinephrine.

Nelson, Eric E, Panksepp, Jaak·1998·Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to review recent work concerning the psychobiological substrates of social bonding, focusing on the literature attributed to opioids, oxytocin and norepinephrine in rats. Existing evidence and thinking about the biological foundations of attachment in young mammalian species and the neurobiology of several other affiliative behaviors including maternal behavior, sexual behavior and social memory is reviewed. We postulate the existence of social motivation circuitry which is common to all mammals and consistent across development. Oxytocin, vasopressin, endogenous opioids and catecholamines appear to participate in a wide variety of affiliative behaviors and are likely to be important components in this circuitry. It is proposed that these same neurochemical and neuroanatomical patterns will emerge as key substrates in the neurobiology of infant attachments to their caregivers.

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“Oxytocin is thought to play a central role in mediating affiliative behaviors, and is an important substrate thought to facilitate attachment between infant and caregiver (Eapen et al., 2014; Nelson and Panksepp, 1998).”
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“Indeed, distress vocalisations are reliably reduced by the administration of oxytocin and opiates (Nelson & Panksepp, 1998; Panksepp et al., 1978).”
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“This disinhibition results in ampli®cation of the olfactory signal, which in turn induces long-term changes in the olfactory neural network not unlike those attributed to long-term potentiation'' (Nelson and Panksepp, 1998, p. 445).”
BackgroundInfluential
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“2011), as well as oxytocin-opioid reward pathways associated with positive social contact (Nelson and Panksepp 1998; Odendaal and Meintjes 2003; Nagasawa et al. 2009; Beetz et al. 2012).”
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Effect of β-casomorphines on mother-oriented (“Child’s”) behavior of white rats
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“For instance, since social loss is one of the most robust precipitants of depression (Nelson and Panksepp, 1998) and oxytocin administration reduces PANIC/GRIEF, we could anticipate that oxytocinergic facilitators should be effective treatments for sadness and depression.”
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Social partnering alters sleep in fear-conditioned Wistar rats
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“There is, for example, an association in rats but not in mice (Carter, 1998; Insel, 2000; Kendrick, 2000; Nelson & Panksepp, 1998).”
Background
Specific Reaction Patterns to Distinct Positive Emotional Cues Related to Incentive Motivation in Dependence of the Taq1A-Polymorphism: Molecular Genetic Associations of Early and Late Event-Related Potentials
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“…is correct, it raises the question whether mother-infant bonding in fact piggybacked on this more fundamental affective tie mechanism, assisted by pregnancy hormones and opioids to provide a jumpstart for attachment with the fetal allograft (see Nelson and Panksepp 1998, Douglas and Russell 2001).”
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“The hormone oxytocin (OT) has been implicated as one key mediator between (affective) social support and these stress-regulating effects, potentially by acting as a neuromodulator on stress-related physiological (Kiyokawa and Hennessy, 2018) and behaviour systems (Nelson and Panksepp, 1998).”
Background
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“…which are maintained by the rewarding nature of these affiliative experiences, promote bonding, provide a foundation for the transfer of regulatory responsibility to the developing child, and contribute to the formation of secure attachments (Nelson & Panksepp, 1998; Waller & Wagner, 2019).”
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Postpartum Gray Matter Changes in the Auditory Cortex
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“Animal studies have provided insights into possible underlying mechanisms by pointing to the effect of hormones in the framework of infant-mother attachment [5].”
Background
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Autism and autism spectrum disorders
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Authors: Nelson, E. E., & Panksepp, J.
Affiliations: Indiana University Bloomington (US)
Bowling Green State University (US)
Corresponding author: Nelson, Eric E
ORCID: Nelson, Eric E
Venue: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 1998-05
Volume: 22
Issue: 3
Pages: 437-452
ISSN: 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/s0149-7634(97)00052-3
OpenAlex: W1981657115
Cited by: 688
References: 207
Citations by year: 2026: 9 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 47 · 2012: 29
FWCI: 3.25
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
Keywords: infant-mother attachment, social bonding, oxytocin, endogenous opioids, norepinephrine, vasopressin, catecholamines, maternal behavior, affiliative behavior, social memory, sexual behavior, neurobiology of attachment, rats
MeSH terms: Animals, Brain, Brain Chemistry, Humans, Mother-Child Relations, Norepinephrine, Oxytocin, Opioid Peptides, Rats

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Brain substrates of infant-mother attachment: contributions of opioids, oxytocin, and norepinephrine.

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