Corticotropin-releasing factor inhibits maternal aggression in mice.
Lactating females that fiercely protect offspring exhibit decreased fear and anxiety. The authors tested whether decreased corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), an activator of fear and anxiety, plays a functional role in maternal aggression. Intracerebroventricular (icv) injections of CRF (1.0 and 0.2 microg, but not 0.02 microg) significantly inhibited maternal aggression but not other maternal behaviors. The CRF antagonist D-Phe-CRF(12-41) had no effect. Maternal aggression and icv CRF (0.2 microg) induced Fos in 11 of the same regions, including the lateral and medial septum, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the medial and central amygdala, the periaqueductal gray, the dorsal raphe, and the locus coeruleus. These findings suggest that decreased CRF is necessary for maternal aggression and may act by altering brain activity in response to an intruder.
Gammie
Stephen C
SC
Neuroscience Training Program, Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA. scgammie@wisc.edu
Negron
Alejandro
A
Newman
Sarah M
SM
Rhodes
Justin S
JS
D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects*; D000378:Agonistic Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D016761:Oncogene Proteins v-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
D016761:Oncogene Proteins v-fos; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone