Although rat maternal behavior (MB) is under multi-sensory control, the role of perioral and oral sensations in the regulation of MB is unclear. Because most maternal activities are oral (e.g., placentophagia, licking, retrieving, nest-building, biting intruders), studies to explore the role of cutaneous snout, lip, and chin afferents (surgical anaptia) and anterior tongue touch and taste (local anesthesia; anterior tongue denervation) on parturition; postpartum and hormonally-initiated MB; discrimination of pups on the basis of thermal and tactile cues; and on induction of MB by cohabitation with pups will be conducted. Sensory cues from both pups and the intruder are important in the regulation of maternal aggression. Specifically, the roles of cutaneous snout and lip afferents, nipple stimulation (e.g. suckling), the Vomeronasal Organ-accessory olfactory system and the main olfactory system, and prior cohabitation with an intruder will be assessed. Local mystacial pad anesthesia or surgical anaptia, thelectomy (nipple-removal), Vomeronasal nerve cuts, and intranasal ZnSO4 anosmia will be employed. Pup odors appear to be attractive to lactating dams and aversive to maternally-naive virgins. These assumptions will be tested directly and linked to possible changes in and control by the centrifugal noradrenergic inputs into the olfactory system. These inputs have been linked to sensory recognition, selective attention, and olfactory """"""""imprinting"""""""" during reproductive behavior interactions. A knowledge of the stimuli which regulate the expression of a given behavior is essential to a full understanding of that behavior. In people as well as rats, what initiates and influences the amount of parent-young contact is determined largely by both parent and offspring characteristics.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH040459-05
Application #
3378671
Study Section
Psychobiology and Behavior Research Review Committee (BBP)
Project Start
1985-05-01
Project End
1991-04-30
Budget Start
1989-05-01
Budget End
1991-04-30
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
1989
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Rutgers University
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
038633251
City
New Brunswick
State
NJ
Country
United States
Zip Code
08901
Stern, Judith M; Yu, Y-L; Crockett, David P (2002) Dorsolateral columns of the spinal cord are necessary for both suckling-induced neuroendocrine reflexes and the kyphotic nursing posture in lactating rats. Brain Res 947:110-21
Salzberg, H C; Lonstein, J S; Stern, J M (2002) GABA(A) receptor regulation of kyphotic nursing and female sexual behavior in the caudal ventrolateral periaqueductal gray of postpartum rats. Neuroscience 114:675-87
Stern, Judith M; Keer, Stephanie E (2002) Acute hunger of rat pups elicits increased kyphotic nursing and shorter intervals between nursing bouts: implications for changes in nursing with time postpartum. J Comp Psychol 116:83-92
Stern, Judith M; Azzara, Anthony V (2002) Thermal control of mother-young contact revisited: hyperthermic rats nurse normally. Physiol Behav 77:11-18
Stern, J M; Protomastro, M (2000) Effects of low dosages of apomorphine on maternal responsiveness in lactating rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 66:353-9
Lonstein, J S; Stern, J M (1999) Effects of unilateral suckling on nursing behavior and c-fos activity in the caudal periaqueductal gray in rats. Dev Psychobiol 35:264-75
Keer, S E; Stern, J M (1999) Dopamine receptor blockade in the nucleus accumbens inhibits maternal retrieval and licking, but enhances nursing behavior in lactating rats. Physiol Behav 67:659-69
Stern, J M; Keer, S E (1999) Maternal motivation of lactating rats is disrupted by low dosages of haloperidol. Behav Brain Res 99:231-9
Lonstein, J S; Simmons, D A; Stern, J M (1998) Functions of the caudal periaqueductal gray in lactating rats: kyphosis, lordosis, maternal aggression, and fearfulness. Behav Neurosci 112:1502-18
Lonstein, J S; Simmons, D A; Swann, J M et al. (1998) Forebrain expression of c-fos due to active maternal behaviour in lactating rats. Neuroscience 82:267-81

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