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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

The effects of paraventricular hypothalamic lesions on maternal behavior in rats.

The present study was undertaken to determine whether the disruptive effects of knife cuts which sever the lateral connections of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) on maternal behavior are mediated by interfering with the output of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN). Postpartum rats received one of the following: Knife cuts severing the lateral connections of the MPOA; knife cuts severing the lateral connections of the PVN; radiofrequency lesions of the PVN; sham lesions or knife cuts. Only females that received knife cuts severing the lateral connections of the MPOA showed severe deficits in maternal behavior. These results indicate that the influence of the MPOA on maternal behavior is not mediated by the output of the PVN. Since the PVN is the major source of oxytocin input to other brain regions, these results also suggest that oxytocinergic neural pathways are not critical for postpartum maternal behavior. Another important finding was that females with MPOA knife cuts that did not retrieve their young were capable of hoarding candy, suggesting that the retrieval deficit was not the result of a general oral motor deficit.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

The transition from sitting on eggs to sitting on young in ring doves, Streptopelia risoria: squab-egg preferences during the normal cycle.

Ring doves of both sexes sit on young squabs after hatching in much the same manner as they sit on eggs before hatching, but this study demonstrates that the preferred stimulus varies with the state of the animal. A simultaneous squab--egg choice test was given on days 1, 4, 10, and 13 of incubation and on the day following hatching in normal reproductive cycles of experienced and naïve male and female ring doves. Naïve doves were more likely than experienced doves to choose eggs throughout the cycle (P less than 0-005) and, overall, eggs were more likely to be chosen during early incubation and squabs posthatching (P less than 0-005).

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Dorsolateral connections of the medial preoptic area and maternal behavior in rats.

The lateral connections of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) are essential for maternal behavior in rats. The purpose of this study was to more exactly specify the nature of this pathway. Experiment 1 found that knife cuts that severed the dorsolateral connections of the MPOA were as effective as complete cuts in disrupting maternal behavior, whereas knife cuts that severed the ventrolateral MPOA connections were ineffective. These results suggest that MPOA efferents and afferents critical for maternal behavior leave or enter the MPOA dorsolaterally. Experiment 2 located possible sources of critical afferent input. Lactating rats received MPOA lateral cuts with a horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-coated wire knife. Full lateral cuts and dorsolateral cuts disrupted maternal behavior and labeled more cells with HRP in the nucleus of the solitary tract and the locus coeruleus than did ventrolateral cuts, which did not disrupt maternal behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

The habenular complex mediates hormonal stimulation of maternal behavior in rats.

The role of the habenular complex (Hbc) in the hormonal onset and nonhormonal maintenance of maternal behavior in rats was examined. In Experiment 1, bilateral lesions were produced in the Hbc on Gestational Day (GD) 12. On GD 16, animals were hysterectomized-ovariectomized and given estradiol benzoate (EB); they were then tested for maternal behavior 48 hr later. Hbc lesions delayed the appearance of all components of maternal behavior for several days. In Experiment 2, large Hbc lesions that were produced on Postpartum Day 4 caused only 1- or 2-day deficits in maternal behavior. These data suggest that the Hbc mediates the hormonal onset of maternal behavior. During the postpartum period, however, the importance of the Hbc for maternal behavior diminishes as the hormones of pregnancy become less important.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Another hamster paradox: more males carry pups and fewer kill and cannibalize young than do females.

The response of virgin male and female golden hamsters to young was studied. In contrast to most species, males are more likely to carry pups than are females. All males carried pups, but approximately 50% of females cannibalized the young. The females that did not cannibalize the pups carried them with less hesitation and after shorter latencies than did the males. The response of females to young was not correlated with the aggressiveness displayed toward adult males during separate tests. Tests with gonadectomized females indicated that the maintenance of pup-killing behavior is not dependent on concurrent gonadal hormones. Progesterone injections did not significantly increase pup killing in males that had previously carried young. Speculations on the adaptive significance of the male and female hamster's response to pups are presented.

Aggression↗