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Neural control of maternal and paternal behaviors

Catherine Dulac1, Lauren A O'Connell2, Zheng Wu3

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. dulac@fas.harvard.edu.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|August 16, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Animal parental care is vital for offspring survival and well-being. Research reveals brain circuits controlling parental behaviors, including interactions with aggression, offering insights into human parental care.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Ethology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Parental care is crucial for offspring survival and development.
  • Diverse parental behaviors exist across species and sexes.
  • Understanding the neural basis of parental care is key.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore how animals identify young and how brain circuits control parental behaviors.
  • To investigate the interplay between parental care and aggression.
  • To examine neural modulation and plasticity in parental interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent studies on animal parental behavior.
  • Analysis of neural mechanisms underlying parental care and aggression.
  • Exploration of factors influencing neural plasticity in parental circuits.

Main Results:

  • Identification of antagonistic interplay between brain systems for parental care and aggression.
  • Evidence for intrinsic and environmental modulation of neural circuits.
  • Variability in parental displays across species and sexes.

Conclusions:

  • Neural control of parental interactions is complex, involving interplay with aggression.
  • Understanding animal models provides insights into human parental care.
  • Neural plasticity plays a significant role in parental behavior.

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