The DOI matches its Crossref record; 114 of the 115 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Maternal behaviour and lamb survival: from neuroendocrinology to practical application
Open accessAbstract
Parental care promotes offspring survival and, for livestock species, this care is provided solely by the mother. Maternal behaviour in the sheep has been exceptionally well-studied compared with other species and many of the underpinning biological processes leading to the expression of maternal care are known. In this review the current state of play with regard to the biology of maternal care will be reviewed, and its application to provide practical solutions to reduce lamb mortality considered. For maternal care to be elicited at birth the ewe requires elevated circulating oestradiol in late gestation, which stimulates the expression of oxytocin receptors in both peripheral and central areas (particularly the hypothalamic and limbic areas of the brain). At birth stretching of the vaginocervical canal elicits a spinal reflex which triggers the release of oxytocin primarily from neurones within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Oxytocin release causes an increase in the neurotransmitters noradrenaline, acetylcholine, glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the olfactory bulb, and other brain regions important for maternal behaviour. Finally, sensory cues provided by the lamb, in particular the amniotic fluids surrounding it, lead to the expression of maternal behaviours (licking, low-pitched bleats, acceptance of the lamb at the udder and suckling). This allows the expression of the two facets of maternal behaviour in the ewe: nurturance of the young and maternal selectivity, whereby a specific olfactory memory for the ewes own lamb is formed and the expression of maternal care is restricted to this lamb. Variation in the expression of maternal care has been demonstrated in primiparous ewes compared with multiparous, in different sheep genotypes, with undernutrition, stress in pregnancy, following a difficult delivery, and may occur with variation in ewe temperament. An understanding of the importance of the timing of various events in late pregnancy and during parturition, as well as the factors that can disrupt these events, can help to design management activities to minimise risks to the successful onset of maternal behaviour. Management practices that work with the biology of the ewe will be the most successful in ensuring that maternal care is expressed, so improving the welfare of the ewe and lamb, and the profitability of the farm.
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“Discrimination between olfactory cues from offspring versus alien lambs is facilitated by OT within the olfactory bulb, increasing the release of noradrenaline (NA), acetylcholine (ACh), and glutamate [28].”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [28]
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Cites
Epigenetic programming by maternal behavior
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Metadata
- Authors
- Dwyer, C. M.
- Affiliations
- Scotland's Rural College (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Dwyer, C.M.
- ORCID
- Dwyer, C.M.
- Venue
- Animal
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 102-112
- ISSN
- 1751-7311 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2002477858
- Cited by
- 110
- References
- 115
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 8
- FWCI
- 6.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- animal (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Scottish Government
- Scotland’s Rural College
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Reproductive Physiology in Livestock
- Keywords
- maternal behavior, lamb survival, sheep, maternal care, oxytocin, estradiol, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, olfactory memory, amniotic fluid, primiparous ewes, lamb mortality, childbirth, pregnancy stress, ewe nutrition
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Animal Husbandry, Estradiol, Female, Maternal Behavior, Neuroendocrinology, Pregnancy, Selection, Genetic, Sheep, Receptors, Oxytocin, Neurotransmitter Agents
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