nitiation of maternal behaviour at parturition
Maternal behaviours
For obvious reasons, most of our knowledge about the biological bases of maternal behaviour has come from studies of animals. For example, it would be unethical to artificially manipulate hormone levels in women in order to investigate the role of hormones in their behaviour. Nevertheless it is possible that the principles governing such an important behaviour that emerge from studies of animals may be echoed in the behaviour of our own species.
This section of the lecture will outline some of the hormonal factors that regulate maternal behavior in the rat.
Studies of maternal behaviour in rats have been concerned with
understanding how the behaviour is 'switched on' or initiated at the end of pregnancy and
how the behaviour is maintained during lactation.
Maternal behavior is thought to be influenced by hormonal conditions that exist during pregnancy but sensory stimuli provided by the offspring are also important in initiation and maintenance. The idea that maternal behavior is "switched on" and maintained by hormones and sensory factors and maintained by sensory stimulation is central to this lecture.
Maternal behaviour is an attractive behaviour to study because it consists of a number of clear-cut behaviours
that are easy to observe and record under laboratory conditions.
Maternal behavior in rats and mice consists of the following elements:
retrieving
nest building
nursing
licking pups
maternal aggression
In this photograph the dam is shown on her back suckling pups. Normally mothers crouch over pups in the 'nursing posture'. This picture shows an anaesthetized mother, and was taken during a research programme into the role of sensory cues in suckling behaviour .