Food restriction, gonadotropins, and behavior in the lactating rat

• Published in: Physiology & behavior Vol. 58; no. 6; pp. 1243 - 1249
• Main Authors: McGuire, Michelle K., Pachón, Helena, Butler, W.R., Rasmussen, Kathleen M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Elsevier Inc 01.12.1995; New York, NY Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Behavior; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Eating - physiology; Female; Follicle Stimulating Hormone - blood; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gonadotropins; Gonadotropins - metabolism; Hormones and behavior; Lactation; Lactation - physiology; Luteinizing Hormone - blood; Nutrition; Prolactin; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rat; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Gonadotropins; Behavior; Rat; Lactation; Nutrition; Prolactin; Parental behavior; Rodentia; Gonadotropin; Young animal; Feeding; Maternal behavior; Reproduction; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Adenohypophyseal hormone; Food intake; Animal; Female; LH
• ISSN: 0031-9384; 1873-507X
• DOI: 10.1016/0031-9384(95)02018-7

This study sought to quantify effects of undernutrition on behaviors and to relate these to gonadotropin and prolactin concentrations in the lactating dam. Dams were studied in a 2 × 3 factorial design with litter size and food intake as the two factors. Behavioral data were collected from each dam and her litter on day 9, day 14, and day 19 of lactation, and maternal blood samples collected. Plasma was analyzed for luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and prolactin. On day 15 of lactation, percent time nursing, number of pups actively nursing, total number of pups nursing and dam location acted as mediating factors of the effect of diet group on plasma luteinizing hormone concentration. No such relationships were seen for plasma follicle stimulating hormone, and only nest condition score appeared to be a mediator for plasma prolactin concentration. In conclusion, this analysis suggests that food restriction indirectly influences plasma concentration of luteinizing hormone, but not follicle stimulating hormone, by changing maternal and pup behaviors. The relationship among diet, behavior and circulating prolactin was less clear.