title: Evidence that the medial amygdala projects to the anterior/ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei to inhibit maternal behavior in rats.
abstract: The maternal behaviors shown by a rat that has given birth are not shown by a virgin female rat when she is first presented with young. This absence of maternal behavior in virgins has been attributed to the activity of a neural circuit that inhibits maternal behavior in nulliparae. The medial amygdala and regions of the medial hypothalamus such as the anterior and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei have previously been shown to inhibit maternal behavior, in that lesions to these regions promote maternal responding. Furthermore, we have recently shown that these and other regions, such as the principal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the ventral lateral septum, and the dorsal premammillary nucleus, show higher pup-induced Fos-immunoreactivity in non-maternal rats exposed to pups than during the performance of maternal behavior, indicating that they too could be involved in preventing maternal responsiveness. The current study tested whether the medial amygdala projects to the anterior/ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei in a neural circuit that inhibits maternal behavior, as well as to see what other brain regions could participate in this circuit. Bilateral excitotoxic lesions of the medial amygdala, or of the anterior/ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei, promoted maternal behavior. Unilateral medial amygdala lesions caused a reduction of pup-induced Fos-immunoreactivity in the anterior/ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei in non-maternal rats ipsilateral to the lesion, as well as in the principal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, ventral lateral septum, and dorsal premammillary nucleus. Finally, unilateral medial amygdala lesions paired with contralateral anterior/ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei lesions promoted maternal behavior, although ipsilateral lesion placements were also effective.Together, these results indicate that the medial amygdala projects to the anterior/ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei in a neural circuit that inhibits maternal behavior, and that the principal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, ventral lateral septum, and dorsal premammillary nucleus could also be involved in this circuit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. teige.sheehan@yale.edu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sheehan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Numan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Numan
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology; D007025:Anterior Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D003714:Denervation; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014697:Ventromedial Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009498:Neurotoxins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos