This article is part of a Special Issue “Parental Care”. Mother–infant bonding is a
characteristic of virtually all mammals. The maternal neural system may have provided the …

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a major component of the systems that
respond to stress, by coordinating the neuroendocrine and autonomic responses. Tightly …

Animal behaviours that are superficially similar can express different intents in different
contexts, but how this flexibility is achieved at the level of neural circuits is not understood …

Mice display robust, stereotyped behaviours towards pups: virgin males typically attack
pups, whereas virgin females and sexually experienced males and females display parental …

The distribution of cells that express mRNA encoding the androgen (AR) and estrogen (ER)
receptors was examined in adult male and female rats by using in situ hybridization. Specific …

Hormonal and chemosensory signals regulate social behaviors in a wide variety of
mammals. In the male Syrian hamster, these signals are integrated in nuclei of the medial …

Aggression is costly and requires tight regulation. Here we identify the projection from
estrogen receptor alpha-expressing cells in the caudal part of the medial preoptic area …

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 …

Sexual, parental, and aggressive behaviors are central to the reproductive success of
individuals and species survival and thus are supported by hardwired neural circuits. The …

The tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) is the major source of histaminergic innervation of the
mammalian brain and is thought to play a major role in regulating wake–sleep states. We …