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Using a Comparative Species Approach to Investigate the Neurobiology of Paternal Responses
Published on: September 19, 2011
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Distinct preoptic-BST nuclei dissociate paternal and infanticidal behavior in mice.
Yousuke Tsuneoka1, Kenichi Tokita2, Chihiro Yoshihara2
1Laboratory for Affiliative Social Behavior, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama, Japan Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine Toho University, Tokyo, Japan.
The EMBO Journal
|October 2, 2015
Summary
Male mouse paternal behavior develops through social experience, not instinct. Researchers identified specific brain regions, the medial preoptic area and BST nuclei, crucial for regulating paternal care versus infanticide.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Biology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Paternal behavior in male mammals is learned, not innate, developing after mating and exposure to pups.
- The neural circuits underlying the transition from infanticide to paternal care in male mice remain largely uncharacterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify specific brain regions and neural circuits that mediate social motivations, particularly paternal care and infanticide, in male mice.
- To elucidate the functional roles of the preoptic-BST nuclei in regulating these behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized c-Fos expression patterns to map neuronal activation across four nuclei of the preoptic-bed nuclei of stria terminalis (BST) region.
- Performed lesions in the central medial preoptic area (cMPOA) and BST rhomboid nucleus (BSTrh).
- Employed optogenetic and pharmacogenetic techniques to manipulate neuronal activity in the cMPOA-BST circuit.
Main Results:
- c-Fos expression patterns accurately discriminated between five distinct social behaviors in male mice.
- Neuronal activation in cMPOA and BSTrh predicted paternal and infanticidal motivation with over 95% accuracy.
- Lesions of cMPOA induced infanticide in fathers, while BSTrh lesions reduced infanticide in virgin males. Projections from cMPOA to BSTrh are primarily GABAergic.
Conclusions:
- The preoptic-BST nuclei are critical neural substrates for social motivations in male mice.
- The study reveals a complex circuit involving GABAergic projections from cMPOA to BSTrh that regulates the switch between paternal care and infanticide.
