Changes in the intensity of maternal aggression and central oxytocin and vasopressin V1a receptors across the peripartum period in the rat
Abstract
Maternal aggressive behaviour, which protects the offspring from harm, is one component of maternal behaviour. Not only maternal aggression, but also maternal care and social behaviour in general, is regulated by the brain oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (AVP) systems. In the present study, we quantified the intensity of maternal aggression using the maternal defence test at key time points throughout pregnancy, parturition and lactation. Furthermore, we quantified changes in central OXT and arginine AVP V1a receptor (V1a-R) binding in brain regions known to be important in regulating maternal aggression, aiming to investigate whether central changes coincide with the intensity of this behaviour. The intensity of aggression was found to dramatically change over the peripartum period, with its first appearance on the day before parturition. Aggression intensity fell immediately after parturition, although it increased during days 4-7 of lactation, before almost disappearing at weaning. OXT receptor (OTR) and V1a-R binding also showed changes through the peripartum period. OTR binding was highest at parturition within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial preoptic area and on days 4-7 of lactation in the lateral septum (LS) compared to any other time point during the peripartum period. OTR binding positively correlated with the peak of maternal aggression, suggesting that OXT may act in the LS to facilitate the expression of aggressive behaviour. At parturition, V1a-R binding was at its highest levels in the paraventricular nucleus and central amygdala (CeA) and, in the LS, V1a-R binding positively correlated with aggressive behaviour. V1a-R mRNA expression was also increased within the CeA at parturition. Taken together, the observed fluctuations in OTR and V1a-R binding in the neural circuitry important for regulating maternal behaviour may ensure that maternal aggression is expressed at the correct time during the peripartum period.
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V1AR binding density in the lateral septum correlated positively with maternal aggression in rats.
“V1AR binding density in the LS correlated positively with maternal aggression in rats (Caughey et al., 2011)”
From Quantitative mapping reveals age and sex differences in vasopressin, but not oxytocin, immunoreactivity in the rat social behavior neural network (2017) · cites this paper as Caughey et al., 2011
Higher concentration of oxytocin receptors within the lateral septum is associated with higher levels of aggression in rats.
“Higher concentration of oxytocin receptors within the lateral septum is associated with higher levels of aggression in rats (Caughey et al., 2011).”
From Oxytocin, motivation and the role of dopamine (2014) · cites this paper as Caughey et al., 2011
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- Authors
- Caughey, S. D., Klampfl, S. M., Bishop, V. R., Pfoertsch, J., Neumann, I. D., Bosch, O. J., & Meddle, S. L.
- Affiliations
- Roslin Institute (GB)
- University of Regensburg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Bosch, O. J.
- Meddle, S. L.
- Venue
- Journal of Neuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-10-18
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1113-1124
- ISSN
- 0953-8194 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2826
- OpenAlex
- W2129932692
- Cited by
- 107
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 16.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Neuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/C516428/1)
- 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
- maternal aggression, oxytocin receptor, vasopressin V1a receptor, transition period, childbirth, lactation, maternal behavior, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial preoptic area, lateral septum, central amygdala, paraventricular nucleus, receptor binding, receptor mRNA expression
- MeSH terms
- Aggression, Animals, Autoradiography, Behavior, Animal, Female, Oxytocin, Pregnancy, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, In Situ Hybridization, Receptors, Vasopressin, Postpartum Period, Rats
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