The neurobiology of parenting: A neural circuit perspective

Johannes Kohl, Anita E. Autry, Catherine Dulac

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

86 Scopus citations

Abstract

Social interactions are essential for animals to reproduce, defend their territory, and raise their young. The conserved nature of social behaviors across animal species suggests that the neural pathways underlying the motivation for, and the execution of, specific social responses are also maintained. Modern tools of neuroscience have offered new opportunities for dissecting the molecular and neural mechanisms controlling specific social responses. We will review here recent insights into the neural circuits underlying a particularly fascinating and important form of social interaction, that of parental care. We will discuss how these findings open new avenues to deconstruct infant-directed behavioral control in males and females, and to help understand the neural basis of parenting in a variety of animal species, including humans. Please also see the video abstract here.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1-11
Number of pages11
JournalBioEssays
Volume39
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • MPOA
  • hormones
  • hypothalamus
  • infanticide
  • infants
  • neural circuits
  • neuropeptides
  • parenting
  • social behavior

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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