催产素是一种和哺乳以及母性行为有关的哺乳动物激素，它通常在母子联系中扮演着主要的决定因素。Oliver Bosch 和Inga Neumann如今报告说，催产素的化学近亲——加压素是母性行为更好的调控者，而阻断这种神经肽的效果可以减少已经存在的母性关怀。这组科学家发现，用一种拮抗剂阻断加压素V1a受体可以显著降低大鼠的几个本能层次的母性行为，诸如弓背看护行为以及与子女的直接接触。此外，他们证明了与催产素相比，长期在脑内给予加压素能增加弓背看护行为。来自母亲的母性关怀的减少导致成年情绪性的增加，并削弱了雄性后代的社会相互作用。
这组作者把培养成为高度焦虑的大鼠（它们拥有由遗传决定的高水平的加压素活动）的V1a受体阻断，因此也就让它们的高水平的母性关怀减少，从而验证了他们的发现。这组作者说，这些发现提供了直接的证据表明，加压素在调控雌性的一种重要的社会行为方面扮演着一个至关重要的角色。相关论文发表在美国《国家科学院院刊》（PNAS）上。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
PNAS，doi: 10.1073/pnas.0807412105，Oliver J. Bosch，Inga D. Neumann
Brain vasopressin is an important regulator of maternal behavior independent of dams' trait anxiety
Oliver J. Bosch1 and Inga D. Neumann
Department of Behavioural Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Zoology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany
Abstract
The neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) is arguably among the most potent regulators of social behaviors in mammals identified to date. However, only the related neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) has been shown to promote maternal behavior. Here, we assess the role of AVP in maternal care, in particular in arched back nursing, pup retrieval, and pup contact by using complementary pharmacological and genetic approaches. Also, experiments were performed in rat dams with differences in trait anxiety, i.e., rats bred for either high (HAB) or low (LAB) anxiety-related behavior as well as nonselected (NAB) dams. Viral vector-mediated up-regulation of AVP V1a receptors (AVP-Rs) within the medial preoptic area of lactating NAB rats and chronic central AVP treatment of NAB and LAB dams improved, whereas local blockade of AVP-R expression by means of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides or central AVP-R antagonism impaired, maternal care in NAB dams. Also, in HAB rats with a genetically determined elevated brain AVP activity, intrinsically high levels of maternal care were reversed by blockade of AVP-R actions. Treatment-induced impairment of AVP-mediated maternal behavior increased adult emotionality and impaired social interactions in male offspring of NAB dams. These findings provide direct evidence for an essential and highly potent role of brain AVP in promoting maternal behavior, which seems to be independent of the dam's trait anxiety.
