Oxytocin helps mice moms give parenting training to others

Shreyas bhat, DY Patil School of biotechnology and bioinformatics

Observing other mouse moms gathering their nest of mice together trains other virgin female mice in parenting and in performing similar parenting tasks, as shown by a recent study published in the journal Nature titled “Oxytocin neurons enable social transmission of maternal behavior”. Furthermore, this study shows that observing the same also results in the production of oxytocin in virgin female mice. This released oxytocin helps to change or improve the maternal behavior of virgin mice even before giving birth.

The Role of Oxytocin

The study in the discussion was carried out by a group of researchers at Grossman School of Medicine this experiment involved the filming of female mice 24*7 to observe their behavior with newborn mice and with virgin mice. The experiments carried out also involved electrical readings of various areas of the brain which were known to produce oxytocin or respond to the hormone. Thus, this study showed that the so-called pleasure hormone oxytocin was not just required for the onset of nursing but also necessary to bring about other parental behavior.

It was the first time that this sort of behavior was observed by researchers during which a new mother mouse would gather the virgin female mice along with its pups into the nest. This behavioral pattern was adapted by the virgin mice just within 24hrs irrespective of mother moms’ presence the virgin mice would gather pups into the nest. This pattern of behavior of retrieving the pups was adopted without any physical contact with adult mouse moms. This paternal behavioral change was achieved by the virgin mice by just observing the adult mouse moms by a plastic window.

Key to becoming a good mouse mom

During this study researchers also calculated the brain electrical activity of the virgin mice during the process of gathering the pups into the nest. According to the researchers, the simplest way of becoming a good mother is by observing and learning from experienced mothers. researchers also suggest that a similar pattern of parenting works in human parents.

These findings of parental behavior in rodents suggest that observation can be a great advantage in humans as well. Their next goal is to identify if there is any sort of mechanism in mouse dads as well which can be adapted by the virgin male mice.

This study has also redefined the work of oxytocin in brain function and has expanded the role of oxytocin in complex social networking activities which forces the brain to alert and respond and adapt to its surroundings whether it is responding to pups cry or happiness.

Significance of the Study

Researchers have analyzed more than 6 months of video footage of various mother mice while they are interacting with pups and virgin mice. It was observed that the sense of sight and sound of the crying pups resulted in the release of oxytocin in a specific region of the brain- the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). This resulted in blocking visual and auditory nerve pathways, preventing the virgin mice from learning and taking care of the pups. Thus, the role of oxytocin in controlling maternal behavior is still being studied. This study also helps us to better understand the behavioral science of parenting not only in rodents or animals but also in humans.

Also read: RISDIPLAM: New development in treatment for SMA infants

References:

1. Carcea, I., Caraballo, N. L., Marlin, B. J., Ooyama, R., Riceberg, J. S., Mendoza Navarro, J. M., Opendak, M., Diaz, V. E., Schuster, L., Alvarado Torres, M. I., Lethin, H., Ramos, D., Minder, J., Mendoza, S. L., Bair-Marshall, C. J., Samadjopoulos, G. H., Hidema, S., Falkner, A., Lin, D., … Froemke, R. C. (2021). Oxytocin neurons enable social transmission of maternal behaviour. Nature, 596(7873), 553–557. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03814-7

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Author info:

Shreyas bhat currently pursuing an MSc in Biotechnology from DY Patil School of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics. My area of interest includes quantum physics, astronomy, biosciences which do not match with my qualification but science, in general, has a greater pull and is always open to exploring various branches of science.