Oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbens facilitate “spontaneous” maternal behavior in adult female prairie voles

• Published in: Neuroscience 2006-01, Vol.141 (2), p.559-568
• Main Authors: Olazábal, D.E., Young, L.J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Arvicolinae - physiology; aversion; Behavior, Animal; Biological and medical sciences; Chi-Square Distribution; crouching; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Iodine Isotopes - pharmacokinetics; Maternal Behavior - drug effects; Maternal Behavior - physiology; Microtus; Microtus ochrogaster; Nucleus Accumbens - drug effects; Nucleus Accumbens - physiology; Protein Binding - physiology; pups; Radioligand Assay - methods; Receptors, Oxytocin - antagonists & inhibitors; Receptors, Oxytocin - physiology; Time Factors; Vasotocin - analogs & derivatives; Vasotocin - pharmacology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.04.017

Oxytocin and the nucleus accumbens have been extensively implicated in the regulation of maternal behavior, and the processing of pup-related stimuli relevant for this behavior. Oxytocin receptor density in the nucleus accumbens is highly variable in virgin female prairie voles, as is their behavioral response to pups, ranging from neglecting and infanticidal to full maternal behavior. We hypothesized that oxytocin receptor in the nucleus accumbens facilitates the expression of “spontaneous” maternal behavior in prairie voles. Forty sexually-naive adult females were exposed to pups for the first time and tested for maternal behavior. Oxytocin receptor binding in the nucleus accumbens and other brain regions was later determined using autoradiography. Females that showed maternal behavior (lick and groom the pups and hover over them for at least 30 s, n=24) had higher oxytocin receptor density in the nucleus accumbens (shell subregion) ( P