Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Fang YY
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5890946 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Fang Yi-Ya YY Yamaguchi Takashi T Song Soomin C SC Tritsch Nicolas X NX Lin Dayu D
Neuron 20180401 1
Maternal behaviors are essential for the survival of the young. Previous studies implicated the medial preoptic area (MPOA) as an important region for maternal behaviors, but details of the maternal circuit remain incompletely understood. Here we identify estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1)-expressing cells in the MPOA as key mediators of pup approach and retrieval. Reversible inactivation of MPOA<sup>Esr1+</sup> cells impairs those behaviors, whereas optogenetic activation induces immediate pup retr ...[more]