title: Primate paternal care: Interactions between biology and social experience.
abstract: This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care".We review recent research on the roles of hormones and social experiences on the development of paternal care in humans and non-human primates. Generally, lower concentrations of testosterone and higher concentrations of oxytocin are associated with greater paternal responsiveness. Hormonal changes prior to the birth appear to be important in preparation for fatherhood and changes after the birth are related to how much time fathers spend with offspring and whether they provide effective care. Prolactin may facilitate approach and the initiation of infant care, and in some biparental non-human primates, it affects body mass regulation. Glucocorticoids may be involved in coordinating reproductive and parental behavior between mates. New research involving intranasal oxytocin and neuropeptide receptor polymorphisms may help us understand individual variation in paternal responsiveness. This area of research, integrating both biological factors and the role of early and adult experience, has the potential to suggest individually designed interventions that can strengthen relationships between fathers and their partners and offspring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9, Canada; Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9, Canada. Electronic address: astorey@mun.ca.
authors.forename: Anne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Storey
authors.affiliation: National Primate Research Center University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA.
authors.forename: Toni E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Ziegler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism; D010332:Paternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D011323:Primates / Q000502:physiology*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism; D012098:Reproduction; D012919:Social Behavior; D013739:Testosterone / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D010121:Oxytocin; D011388:Prolactin
keywords: Humans; Oxytocin; Paternal behavior; Primates; Prolactin vasopressin; Testosterone