Sanson, Alice and Demarchi, Luisa and Rocaboy, Emma and Bosch, Oliver J. (2025) Increased CRF-R1 transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell facilitates maternal neglect in lactating rats and mediates anxiety-like behaviour in a sex-specific manner. NEUROPHARMACOLOGY, 265: 110256. ISSN 0028-3908, 1873-7064
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
During the transition to motherhood, complex brain adaptations occur to ensure adequate maternal responses to offspring' needs accompanied by reduced anxiety. Among others, the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and oxytocin (OXT) systems have emerged as crucial regulators of these essential postpartum adaptations. Here, we investigated their roles within the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh), a central region of the reward and maternal circuits, in maternal neglect of lactating rats. Furthermore, we assessed the contribution of the local CRF system to anxiety-like behaviour, comparing lactating female, virgin female and male rats to evaluate potential sex- differences. Increasing CRF receptor (CRF-R) 1 transmission via local CRF infusion in the NAcSh led to maternal neglect, reducing nursing and increasing self-directed behaviours. In turn, local CRF-R1 inhibition impaired maternal motivation. Intra-NAcSh Urocortin3 infusion did not promote maternal neglect but increased anxiety-like behaviour in lactating and virgin female rats, whereas CRF infusion had anxiogenic effects only in male rats. Crh-r1 mRNA expression was higher in male and lactating rats compared to virgin females; furthermore, male rats had increased Crh-bp mRNA expression compared to virgin female rats, only. Lastly, pharmacological manipulations of the OXT system did not affect maternal responses. In conclusion, finely balanced CRF-R1 signalling in the NAcSh is required for the proper expression of maternal behaviours. Dampened CRF-R2 signalling prevents the onset of anxiety-like behaviour in female rats, whereas CRF-R1 plays a more prominent role in males, highlighting complex sex-differences of the CRF system's regulation of anxiety within the NAcSh.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | CORTICOTROPIN-RELEASING-FACTOR; PREOPTIC AREA; VENTRAL PALLIDUM; LATERAL SEPTUM; OXYTOCIN; RECEPTOR; STRESS; ACTIVATION; ANTAGONISM; MEMORY; |
| 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: | 10 Mar 2026 07:52 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Mar 2026 07:52 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/63913 |
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