Cited by 457Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorAnimal Behavior and ReproductionNeurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms

Neural control of maternal and paternal behaviors

Open access
Dulac, Catherine, O’Connell, Lauren A., Wu, Zheng·2014·Science

Abstract

Parental care, including feeding and protection of young, is essential for the survival as well as mental and physical well-being of the offspring. A large variety of parental behaviors has been described across species and sexes, raising fascinating questions about how animals identify the young and how brain circuits drive and modulate parental displays in males and females. Recent studies have begun to uncover a striking antagonistic interplay between brain systems underlying parental care and infant-directed aggression in both males and females, as well as a large range of intrinsic and environmentally driven neural modulation and plasticity. Improved understanding of the neural control of parental interactions in animals should provide novel insights into the complex issue of human parental care in both health and disease.

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Crossref · 10.1126/science.1253291

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95 of 95 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Oxytocin in the amygdala might flexibly switch circuit function depending on situational relevance.

    “Thus, rather than just decreasing (or increasing) the tendency to freeze or engage, oxytocin in the amygdala might flexibly switch circuit function depending on situational relevance”

    From Oxytocin, Neural Plasticity, and Social Behavior (2021) · cites this paper as Dulac et al. 2014

    In “Neural circuits underlying parental interactions” (page unavailable), the paper describes opposing parental-care and aversion circuits that change with physiological or environmental conditions, and separately identifies oxytocin as a regulator of parental care. It says the medial amygdala mediates avoidance responses, but does not say that oxytocin acts there to switch circuit function according to situational relevance. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Oxytocin, released by the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), is a critical maternal hormone.

    “Oxytocin1,2,9–15, which is released by the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), is a critical maternal hormone.”
  • In primates, including humans, non-biological parents can learn to care for children after instruction or observation of experienced caretakers and infants.

    “In primates, including humans, non-biological parents can learn to care for children after instruction or observation of experienced caretakers and infants1–8.”
  • Oxytocin mediates physiological and psychosocial events surrounding mammalian birth, including uterine contractions, lactation, and maternal bonding.

    “Oxytocin mediates both physiological and psychosocial events surrounding mammalian birth, including uterine contractions, initiation of lactation, and maternal bonding1,2.”
  • Oxytocin is important for maternal physiology and childcare, including parturition and milk ejection during nursing.

    “Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that is important for maternal physiology and childcare, including parturition and milk ejection during nursing1–6.”

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [83]Lee A Clancy S Fleming AS Behav Brain Res 108 215 231 2000 10701665

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Authors
Dulac, C., O’Connell, L. A., & Wu, Z.
Affiliations
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
Dulac, Catherine
Venue
Science
Published
2014-08-15
Volume
345
Issue
6198
Pages
765-770
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W2160133414
Cited by
457
References
95
Citations by year
2026: 25 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 51 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 5
FWCI
4.64
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (R01DC009019, R01DC013087)
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 › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
Keywords
parental care, maternal behavior, paternal behavior, neural circuits, sex differences, neuroplasticity, offspring recognition
MeSH terms
Aggression, Animals, Brain, Cues, Biological Evolution, Female, Humans, Male, Maternal Behavior, Models, Neurological, Neural Pathways, Neurons, Paternal Behavior, Sensation, Parenting

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