Neural basis for behavioral plasticity during the parental life-stage transition in mice

Parental care plays a crucial role in the physical and mental well-being of mammalian offspring. Although sexually naïve male mice, as well as certain strains of female mice, display aggression toward pups, they exhibit heightened parental caregiving behaviors as they approach the time of anticipati...

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Published inFrontiers in neural circuits Vol. 17; p. 1340497
Main Author Miyamichi, Kazunari
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 16.01.2024
Frontiers Media S.A
Subjects
Aggressive behavior
Behavior
Behavioral plasticity
Brain research
estrogen
Estrogens
Females
Hormones
hypothalamus
Infanticide
Males
Neural plasticity
Neurons
Neuroscience
Offspring
Oxytocin
Parental behavior
paternal behaviors
Pregnancy
preoptic area
Sex differences
Sexes
paternal behaviors
estrogen
oxytocin
preoptic area
hypothalamus
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Summary:Parental care plays a crucial role in the physical and mental well-being of mammalian offspring. Although sexually naïve male mice, as well as certain strains of female mice, display aggression toward pups, they exhibit heightened parental caregiving behaviors as they approach the time of anticipating their offspring. In this Mini Review, I provide a concise overview of the current understanding of distinct limbic neural types and their circuits governing both aggressive and caregiving behaviors toward infant mice. Subsequently, I delve into recent advancements in the understanding of the molecular, cellular, and neural circuit mechanisms that regulate behavioral plasticity during the transition to parenthood, with a specific focus on the sex steroid hormone estrogen and neural hormone oxytocin. Additionally, I explore potential sex-related differences and highlight some critical unanswered questions that warrant further investigation.
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Edited by: Hitoshi Sakano, University of Fukui, Japan
Reviewed by: Tomomi Karigo, Kennedy Krieger Institute, United States
ISSN:1662-5110
1662-5110
DOI:10.3389/fncir.2023.1340497