Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 25, Issue 1, Pages 149-156Publisher
SOC NEUROSCIENCE
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3156-04.2005
Keywords
accumbens; cocaine; magnetic; maternal; motivation; nigrostriatal; prefrontal; substantia nigra; suckling
Categories
Funding
- NIDA NIH HHS [R01 DA13517, R01 DA013517] Funding Source: Medline
- NIMH NIH HHS [R01 MH052280, R01 MH 52280] Funding Source: Medline
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Nursing has reciprocal benefits for both mother and infant, helping to promote maternal behavior and bonding. To test the rewarding nature of nursing, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to map brain activity in lactating dams exposed to their suckling pups versus cocaine. Suckling stimulation in lactating dams and cocaine exposure in virgin females activated the dopamine reward system. In contrast, lactating dams exposed to cocaine instead of pups showed a suppression of brain activity in the reward system. These data support the notion that pup stimulation is more reinforcing than cocaine, underscoring the importance of pup seeking over other rewarding stimuli during lactation.
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