Maternal Aggression Driven by the Transient Mobilisation of a Dormant Hormone-Sensitive Circuit.

ABSTRACT: Aggression, a sexually dimorphic behaviour, is prevalent in males and typically absent in virgin females. Following parturition, however, the transient expression of aggression in adult female mice protects pups from predators and infanticide by male conspecifics. While maternal hormones are known to elicit nursing, their potential role in maternal aggression remains elusive. Here, we show in mice that a molecularly defined subset of ventral premammillary (PMv^DAT) neurons, instrumental for intermale aggression, switch from quiescence to a hyperexcitable state during lactation. We identify that the maternal hormones prolactin and oxytocin excite these cells through actions that include T-type Ca²⁺ channels. Optogenetic manipulation or genetic ablation of PMv^DAT

SUBMITTER: Stagkourakis S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10996482 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature