Opiate regulation of behavioral selection during lactation.

Pharmacol Biochem Behav

Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, "Cidade Universitária" 05508-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Published: October 2007

Treatment of postpartum female rats with morphine inhibits maternal behavior. The same type of treatment stimulates foraging in adult animals. The aim of the present study was to investigate, in lactating rats, the functional role of opioid systems in the choice between caring for pups versus hunting insects. Experiment 1 was designed to test how acute morphine treatment with 3.0 mg/kg interferes with choosing between caring for pups versus predatory behavior. Morphine-treated dams decreased maternal behavior while increasing efficiency in hunting insects. The next step was to test the opioid antagonist naloxone in the same context of maternal versus predatory behavior. Naloxone restored maternal care and reduced hunting in morphine-treated rats. Finally, in order to test the role of endogenous opioidergic stimulation in this scenario, lactating rats were treated with the opioid antagonist naloxone alone. Consistently, naloxone treatment induced a decrease in number of insects captured and an increase in the percentage of animals displaying nursing behavior. These results provide important insight into the role of opioidergic transmission in the regulation of behavioral selection during lactation. The present results suggest that endogenous opioids may stimulate hunting by replacing maternal behavior during lactation.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2007.05.005DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

maternal behavior
12
regulation behavioral
8
behavioral selection
8
selection lactation
8
lactating rats
8
caring pups
8
pups versus
8
hunting insects
8
versus predatory
8
predatory behavior
8

Similar Publications

Unlabelled: Poor consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, micronutrient deficiency, and undernutrition. Fruit and vegetable consumption is generally low worldwide, particularly in rural regions of many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants of zero vegetable or fruit consumption among children aged 6 to 23 months in Kenya using the most recent Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been banned in Taiwan for two decades, epidemiological studies indicated that prenatal PCBs exposure may still affect newborns and their birth outcomes. The study aimed to investigate the association between PCB concentrations in umbilical cord blood and infants' birth outcomes and neurodevelopment. We recruited 100 pairs of mothers and infants, residing in Changhua and Yunlin countries in Taiwan from 2014-2016.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society launched the JEEViKA program in 2007 to improve livelihoods through the Self-Help Group (SHG) platform. Women's SHGs have shown members' health improvements by promoting awareness, practices and access to services. This study investigates whether Health & Nutrition (HN) interventions delivered by JEEViKA Technical Support Program (JTSP) via SHG platforms could improve maternal and newborn health and nutritional behaviors in rural Bihar.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a congenital defect of the spine characterized by meningeal and spinal cord protrusion through open vertebral archs, and its exposure to the amniotic fluid. Given that the progression of neuronal loss begins early in fetal life, an early coverage of the defect is required to improve the neurological outcomes. Several studies have proposed patches as an alternative to full surgical repair, to achieve an early protection of the spine and possibly reduce the rate of complications of current prenatal surgical procedures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of food addiction (FA) among children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and to explore the association between executive function and FA.

Study Design: This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 1,021 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years and their parents participated in this study and completed the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Parent Rating Scale, Yale Food Addiction Scale and Executive Function Behavior Rating Scale.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!