Role of OT in Maternal Behavior
Role of OT in Maternal Behavior
Role of OT in Maternal Behavior
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<strong>OT</strong> Animal Variations: Sheep vs.<br />
Rats<br />
• An ewe is able to recognize her own lamb from the<br />
moment it is born, and she feeds it alone.<br />
• This <strong>in</strong>volves an ‘olfactory memory’ <strong>of</strong> the lamb that is<br />
fixed by neural pathways activated at parturition by<br />
centrally released oxytoc<strong>in</strong><br />
• Virg<strong>in</strong> and early pregnant rats typically avoid contact<br />
with newborn pups, but at the end <strong>of</strong> pregnancy, when<br />
the neural circuits regulat<strong>in</strong>g maternal behavior are<br />
established, rats lose this apprehension.
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