Vasopressin: not just for males

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe The authors measured the effects of manipulating the AVP and OXT systems on specific aspects of maternal behaviour in rats, including

arched-back nursing and the time spent in direct contact with pups. They found that repeated intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of antagonists to the AVP-V1a receptor (AVPR) or of

antagonists to the OXT receptor (OXTR) reduced the frequency of arched-back nursing, whereas chronic infusion of AVP, but not OXT, increased it. To pinpoint the site of action of the AVP

effects, the authors focused on the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the hypothalamus, which is involved in regulating maternal behaviour. Indeed, levels of AVPR were increased in the MPOA of

lactating rats compared with virgin rats. Reducing AVPR levels in the MPOA using AVPR antisense oligonucleotides decreased the frequency of arched-back nursing and pup-contact time, whereas

upregulating receptor levels with an AVPR adenoviral vector increased arched-back nursing. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access

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Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional

subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER * Bosch, O. J. & Neumann, I. D. Brain vasopressin is an important regulator of maternal behavior

independent of dams' trait anxiety. _Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA_ 105, 17139–17144 (2008) Article  CAS  Google Scholar  Download references Authors * Leonie Welberg View author

publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Welberg, L. Vasopressin: not

just for males. _Nat Rev Neurosci_ 9, 890–891 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2543 Download citation * Issue Date: December 2008 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2543 SHARE THIS ARTICLE

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