Neurochemical control of maternal behavior

描述（由申请人提供）：新生儿的适当父母护理是 是大多数哺乳动物成功繁殖的不可或缺的组成部分。 然而，与哺乳动物繁殖所必需的其他行为相比， 相对而言，我们对父母的神经通路知之甚少。 行为 此应用程序通过调查 哺乳期大鼠的神经化学物质调节母性护理。 主要 目的是确定多巴胺能通路的作用， 视前区（mPOA）在这些行为。 mPOA对于某些口腔疾病是必要的 大鼠母性行为的组成部分，如取回幼崽和玩耍 a role作用in the motivation动机to act表现parentally父母. 然而，神经化学物质 mPOA与这些母性行为之间的联系 是完全未知的。 很可能是怀孕的激素和 分娩，以及从幼崽的感觉线索，母鼠收到后， 分娩，影响mPOA中神经化学物质的释放， 促进产妇的表现。 mPOA中的一种神经化学物质 母性行为所必需的是多巴胺 《行动纲领》并不是 以前被认为是多巴胺释放的神经部位， 这是母性行为所必需的，但这可能是一个明显的可能性， 因为mPOA中的多巴胺释放对于其他行为和 大鼠生殖的动机方面。 有人提出多巴胺 mPOA内的释放是必要的母性行为的开始， 分娩以及持续的母性行为的表现， 哺乳期老鼠 具体目标1将使用高性能液体 通过高效液相色谱法（HPLC）检测多巴胺能含量的变化， 在雌性大鼠的mPOA内，在生殖周期和 产后与幼崽的互动 Specific Aim 2将使用逆行 神经解剖示踪结合荧光免疫细胞化学 酪氨酸羟化酶，儿茶酚胺所必需的限速酶 合成，以确定多巴胺能和其他儿茶酚胺能的来源 在处女和哺乳期雌性大鼠中的mPOA通路。 第3章将 检查产前或产后6-羟基多巴胺（6-OHDA）损伤的影响 多巴胺能末梢在mPOA的发病和维持， 哺乳期大鼠的母性行为。 具体目标4将决定 特异性多巴胺受体亚型的药理学拮抗作用 mPOA对哺乳期大鼠产后母性行为的影响。 这些 研究结果将为大脑如何控制营养物质提供急需的见解。 行为，这是一个复杂的社会行为，往往是至关重要的， 许多哺乳动物物种的生存。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Adequate parental care of neonates is an indispensable component of successful reproduction in most mammals. However, compared with other behaviors necessary for mammalian reproduction, relatively little is known about the neural pathways underlying parental behavior. This application addresses this issue by investigating the neurochemical substrates regulating maternal care in lactating rats. The main objective is to determine the role of dopaminergic pathways to the medial preoptic area (mPOA) in these behaviors. The mPOA is necessary for some oral components of maternal behavior in rats, such as retrieval of pups, and plays a role in the motivation to act parentally. However, the neurochemical pathways to and from the mPOA underlying these aspects of maternal behavior are completely unknown. It is probable that the hormones of gestation and parturition, as well as sensory cues from pups that dams receive after parturition, influence neurochemical release in the mPOA in a way that promotes maternal performance. One neurochemical in the mPOA that may be necessary for maternal behavior is dopamine. The mPOA has not been one of the neural sites previously examined as a place where dopamine release is necessary for maternal behavior, but this may be a distinct possibility because dopamine release in the mPOA is necessary for other behavioral and motivational aspects of reproduction in rats. It is proposed that dopamine release within the mPOA is necessary for the onset of maternal behavior at parturition as well as for the performance of ongoing maternal behavior in lactating rats. Specific Aim 1 will use high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to examine changes that occur in dopaminergic content within the mPOA of female rats during the reproductive cycle and during postpartum interactions with pups. Specific Aim 2 will use retrograde neuroanatomical tracing combined with fluorescence immunocytochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme necessary for catecholamine synthesis, to determine the source of dopaminergic and other catecholaminergic pathways to the mPOA in virgin and lactating female rats. Specific Aim 3 will examine the effects of pre- or postpartum 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions of the dopaminergic terminals in the mPOA on the onset and maintenance of maternal behavior in lactating rats. Specific Aim 4 will determine the effects of pharmacological antagonism of specific dopamine receptor subtypes within the mPOA on postpartum maternal behavior in lactating rats. These results will provide much needed insight into how the brain controls nurturant behavior, which is a complex social behavior that is often critical for survival in many mammalian species.