Dataset on c-Fos expression within components of corticostriatal thalamocortical circuits during the expression of a...

The dataset describes regional brain c-Fos expression and a component of maternal nest building behavior ("straw carrying") in 5 late term pregnant rabbits that had been allowed to interact with straw (a nest building material) for a discrete period (30 min), during which repetitive straw carrying behavior was initiated. Animals were sacrificed for brain c-Fos immunoreactivity 1 h after straw was placed into their cage. Regional brain c-Fos expression: Neuronal c-Fos expression is known to associate with a sustained increase in neuronal excitation above resting levels, primarily due to its induction in response to increased glutamatergic input and corresponding activation of the NMDA receptor. In practice, c-Fos expression is taken to be an indication of an increase in "neuronal activity". Importantly, there is a lag of approximately 20 to 30 min between the onset of the stimulus that caused increased excitation, and the initiation of neuronal c-Fos expression, and c-Fos has a cellular half-life of approximately 1 h. Thus, the pattern of brain c-Fos expression within a brain histological section represents a composite snapshot of "superimposed" regional activations that occurred within approximately 30 min to 2 h prior to sacrifice. Behavioral variables: Behavioral variables included in the present dataset are those that reflect the repetitive nature of straw carrying (straw carrying cycle frequency), as well as individual subcomponents of this behavior (collecting straw, interacting with the nest site), and indicators of the "rigidity" of expression of these subcomponents across all cycle repetitions (standard deviations of time spent collecting straw, time spent interacting with nest site). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with cluster rotation was applied in an exploratory manner in order to clarify correlational relationships between regional c-Fos expression and specific behavioral variables.