Motherhood Induces and Maintains Behavioral and Ne

Authors: Craig Howard Kinsley Massimo Bardi Kate Karelina Brandi Rima Lillian Christon Julia Friedenberg Garrett Griffin

Publish Date: 2007/12/11

Volume: 37, Issue: 1, Pages: 43-

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Abstract

Maternal behavior is multidimensional encompassing many facets beyond the direct care of the young Formerly unfamiliar activities are required of the mother These include behaviors such as retrieving grouping crouchingover and licking young and protecting them against predators together with enhancements in other behaviors such as nest building foraging and aggression inter/intraspecies predatory etc When caring for young the mother must strike a seemingly loselose bargain leave the relative safety of the nest and her helpless offspring to forage for food and resources where predators await both mother and her vulnerable young or remain entrenched and safe thereby ensuring a slow and inexorable fate Two predictions thus arise from this maternal costbenefit ratio first there may be enhancements in behaviors on which the female relies for example predation and spatial ability used for acquiring food and resources and for navigating her environment Second there may be reductions in the fear and anxiety inherent to the decision to leave the nest and to forage in an unforgiving environment where encounters with predators or reluctant/resistant prey await There is overwhelming support for both hypotheses with improvements in learning and memory accompanied by a diminution in stress responses and anxiety The current review will examine the background for the phenomenon that is the maternal brain and recent relevant data In sum the data indicate a remarkable set of changes that take place in the maternal and to a lesser extent the paternal brain arguably for the natural simple but singular experience of reproductionThe authors gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the NIH 1R15HD3757801 and NSF BCS0619544 the Beckman Foundation Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the University of Richmond Faculty Graduate and Undergraduate Research Committees and the administration in general for their continued support of our students and their research The authors would also like to thank Dr Yongde Bao and the Biomolecular Research Facility at the University of Virginia for their assistance with running the DNA microarray studies We also thank the MacEldin Trawick Endowment for its support of our ongoing research

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