Journal
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
Volume 152, Issue 1, Pages 89-95Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2003.09.036
Keywords
maternal behavior; rabbit; accessory olfactory bulb; estrogen; neural control; tonic inhibition; olfaction
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Virgin rabbits exposed to foster pups for 14 days did not show maternal responsiveness. However, surgical removal of the accessory olfactory bulbs (AOB) activated maternal responsiveness (crouching over the litter inside the nest box for about 3 min, which is the normal duration of a nursing bout) in 37% of virgin rabbits (P < 0.007). This behavior appeared abruptly and was first observed between days 3 and 13 of pup exposure. This variation in the latency to respond maternally was not related with the number of sniffings or entrances into the nest box displayed by a female on the days that preceded crouching over the litter. Maternal responsiveness was not observed in any AOB-lesioned animals that were also ovariectomized (P < 0.02 versus AOB-lesioned with ovaries). These results indicate a tonic inhibitory action of the AOB over the expression of maternal behavior in virgin rabbits and a stimulation of maternal responsiveness by ovarian hormones following AOB lesions. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available