TY - JOUR
T1 - Oxytocin neurons enable social transmission of maternal behaviour
AU - Carcea, Ioana
AU - Caraballo, Naomi López
AU - Marlin, Bianca J.
AU - Ooyama, Rumi
AU - Riceberg, Justin S.
AU - Mendoza Navarro, Joyce M.
AU - Opendak, Maya
AU - Diaz, Veronica E.
AU - Schuster, Luisa
AU - Alvarado Torres, Maria I.
AU - Lethin, Harper
AU - Ramos, Daniel
AU - Minder, Jessica
AU - Mendoza, Sebastian L.
AU - Bair-Marshall, Chloe J.
AU - Samadjopoulos, Grace H.
AU - Hidema, Shizu
AU - Falkner, Annegret
AU - Lin, Dayu
AU - Mar, Adam
AU - Wadghiri, Youssef Z.
AU - Nishimori, Katsuhiko
AU - Kikusui, Takefumi
AU - Mogi, Kazutaka
AU - Sullivan, Regina M.
AU - Froemke, Robert C.
N1 - Funding Information:
S. E. Ross created artwork in Figs. 1a, 3e, 4d, g, j, k, Extended Data Fig. 9e. This work was funded by NICHD (HD088411 to R.C.F. and R.M.S.), NIDCD (DC12557 to R.C.F.), the BRAIN Initiative (NS107616 to R.C.F., A.M., and D.L.), NIMH (K99/R00 MH106744 to I.C.; F32 MH112232 to M.O., and T32 MH019524 to B.J.M.), the Strategic Program for Brain Sciences from Japan (AMED 16K15698 to S.H. and K.N.), a McKnight Scholarship (R.C.F.), a Pew Scholarship (R.C.F.), a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholarship (R.C.F.); and NARSAD Young Investigator awards (I.C. and M.O.). In vivo imaging was performed under the DART Preclinical Imaging Core partially funded by the NYU Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center Support Grant, NIH/NCI P30CA016087. The Center for Advanced Imaging Innovation and Research (CAI2R, www.cai2r. net) at NYU School of Medicine is supported by NIH/NIBIB P41 EB017183.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/8/26
Y1 - 2021/8/26
N2 - Maternal care, including by non-biological parents, is important for offspring survival1–8. Oxytocin1,2,9–15, which is released by the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), is a critical maternal hormone. In mice, oxytocin enables neuroplasticity in the auditory cortex for maternal recognition of pup distress15. However, it is unclear how initial parental experience promotes hypothalamic signalling and cortical plasticity for reliable maternal care. Here we continuously monitored the behaviour of female virgin mice co-housed with an experienced mother and litter. This documentary approach was synchronized with neural recordings from the virgin PVN, including oxytocin neurons. These cells were activated as virgins were enlisted in maternal care by experienced mothers, who shepherded virgins into the nest and demonstrated pup retrieval. Virgins visually observed maternal retrieval, which activated PVN oxytocin neurons and promoted alloparenting. Thus rodents can acquire maternal behaviour by social transmission, providing a mechanism for adapting the brains of adult caregivers to infant needs via endogenous oxytocin.
AB - Maternal care, including by non-biological parents, is important for offspring survival1–8. Oxytocin1,2,9–15, which is released by the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), is a critical maternal hormone. In mice, oxytocin enables neuroplasticity in the auditory cortex for maternal recognition of pup distress15. However, it is unclear how initial parental experience promotes hypothalamic signalling and cortical plasticity for reliable maternal care. Here we continuously monitored the behaviour of female virgin mice co-housed with an experienced mother and litter. This documentary approach was synchronized with neural recordings from the virgin PVN, including oxytocin neurons. These cells were activated as virgins were enlisted in maternal care by experienced mothers, who shepherded virgins into the nest and demonstrated pup retrieval. Virgins visually observed maternal retrieval, which activated PVN oxytocin neurons and promoted alloparenting. Thus rodents can acquire maternal behaviour by social transmission, providing a mechanism for adapting the brains of adult caregivers to infant needs via endogenous oxytocin.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41586-021-03814-7
DO - 10.1038/s41586-021-03814-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 34381215
AN - SCOPUS:85112330408
SN - 0028-0836
VL - 596
SP - 553
EP - 557
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
IS - 7873
ER -