Bosch, Oliver J. and Meddle, S. L. and Beiderbeck, Daniela I. and Douglas, A. J. and Neumann, Inga D. (2005) Brain oxytocin correlates with maternal aggression: Link to anxiety. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 25 (29). pp. 6807-6815. ISSN 0270-6474,
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
The oxytocinergic system is critically involved in the regulation of maternal behavior, which includes maternal aggression. Because aggression has been linked to anxiety, we investigated the maternal aggression and the role of brain oxytocin in lactating Wistar rats selectively bred for high anxiety-related behavior (HAB) or low anxiety-related behavior (LAB) during the 10 min maternal defense test. HAB dams displayed more maternal aggression against a virgin intruder compared with LAB dams, resulting in more defensive behavior and higher anxiety of HAB-defeated virgins. The different levels of aggression were accompanied by opposite oxytocin release patterns within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN; HAB, increase; LAB, decrease). Furthermore, oxytocin release was higher within the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) of HAB dams compared with LABs. A direct correlation between the offensive behavior displayed during the maternal defense test and local oxytocin release was found in both the PVN and CeA. Using retrodialysis, blockade of endogenous oxytocin action by infusion of an oxytocin receptor antagonist (des-Gly-NH2, d(CH2)(5)[Tyr(Me)(2), Thr(4)] OVT) into thePVNor CeA reduced maternal aggression of HAB dams, whereas infusion of synthetic oxytocin into the PVN tended to increase aggression toward the intruder in LAB dams. There were no significant differences in oxytocin receptor mRNA expression or oxytocin receptor binding between lactating HAB and LAB dams. Therefore, differences in intracerebral release patterns of oxytocin, rather than differences at the level of oxytocin receptors, are critical for the regulation of maternal aggressive behavior.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | HYPOTHALAMIC PARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUS; PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS; SOCIALLY DEFEATED RATS; CENTRAL AMYGDALA; LACTATING RATS; TRAIT ANXIETY; FEMALE RATS; ADRENOCORTICAL AXIS; MESSENGER-RNA; BEHAVIOR; microdialysis; stress; paraventricular nucleus; central nucleus of the amygdala; receptor; oxytocin |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Tierphysiologie/Neurobiologie (Prof. Dr. Inga Neumann) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 04 May 2021 07:29 |
| Last Modified: | 04 May 2021 07:29 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/35874 |
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