Medial preoptic area and maternal behavior in the female rat.

Abstract

Reports results of 3 experiments with a total of 92 postpartum lactating female Wistar rats. Medial preoptic area lesions severely disrupted maternal behavior, whereas lesions of the stria terminalis and medial cortico-hypothalamic tract knife cuts were without effect. Parasagittal knife cuts that severed the mediolateral connections of the preoptic-anterior hypothalamic continuum also severely disrupted maternal behavior. The lesions and knife cuts which disrupted maternal behavior had no effect on female sexual behavior. It is concluded that the medial preoptic area and its lateral connections are essential for the normal display of maternal behavior in postpartum lactating female rats. Evidence also indicates that independent neural mechanisms for the control of maternal behavior and sexual behavior exist within the hypothalamus of female rats. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)