title: Maternal behaviors: central integration or independent parallel circuits? Theoretical comment on Popeski and Woodside (2004).
abstract: N. Popeski and B. Woodside (2004) report that the injection of L-NAME into the 3rd ventricle, which would suppress the synthesis of nitric oxide, disrupts both maternal retrieval of pups and maternal aggression in postpartum rats. These findings are discussed around the question of whether a single central integrative site regulates retrieval and maternal aggression or whether independent neural mechanisms, each dependent upon nitric oxide, regulate the 2 behaviors. A case is made for each point of view. Future research utilizing direct injections of L-NAME into specific neural sites is needed to resolve this important question.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. numan@bc.edu
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Numan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular / Q000379:methods; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester