Oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell are necessary for the onset of maternal behavior

• Published in: Frontiers in neuroscience Vol. 18; p. 1356448
• Main Authors: Witchey, Shannah, Haupt, Alexandra, Caldwell, Heather K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 02.07.2024
• Subjects: adeno-associated virus; Cre recombinase; infanticide; knockouts; Neuroscience; oxytocin receptor; pup abandonment

In rodents, oxytocin (Oxt) contributes to the onset of maternal care by shifting the perception of pups from aversive to attractive. Both Oxt receptor knockout (Oxtr −/−) and forebrain-specific Oxtr knockout (FB/FB) dams abandon their first litters, likely due to a failure of the brain to ‘switch’ t...