Study summary · research use only
Neural circuitry for maternal oxytocin release induced by infant cries
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This study used mice to investigate how infant cries trigger maternal oxytocin release. Researchers noted that suckling induces oxytocin release, and that infant cries can raise oxytocin levels in new human mothers, suggesting cries activate hypothalamic oxytocin neurons. Using in vivo electrophysiological recordings and photometry in awake maternal mice exposed to pup calls, the authors found that oxytocin neurons responded to pup vocalizations but not to pure tones, via input from the posterior intralaminar thalamus, and that repeated thalamic stimulation produced lasting disinhibition of these neurons. The authors describe this circuit as gating central oxytocin release and maternal behavior in response to calls, proposing a mechanism for integrating offspring sensory cues into maternal hormonal networks that shape brain state during parenting.
Abstract
Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that is important for maternal physiology and childcare, including parturition and milk ejection during nursing1-6. Suckling triggers the release of oxytocin, but other sensory cues-specifically, infant cries-can increase the levels of oxytocin in new human mothers7, which indicates that cries can activate hypothalamic oxytocin neurons. Here we describe a neural circuit that routes auditory information about infant vocalizations to mouse oxytocin neurons. We performed in vivo electrophysiological recordings and photometry from identified oxytocin neurons in awake maternal mice that were presented with pup calls. We found that oxytocin neurons responded to pup vocalizations, but not to pure tones, through input from the posterior intralaminar thalamus, and that repetitive thalamic stimulation induced lasting disinhibition of oxytocin neurons. This circuit gates central oxytocin release and maternal behaviour in response to calls, providing a mechanism for the integration of sensory cues from the offspring in maternal endocrine networks to ensure modulation of brain state for efficient parenting.
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