RGD Reference Report - Oxytocin receptor activity in the ventrocaudal periaqueductal gray modulates anxiety-related behavior in postpartum rats. - Rat Genome Database

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Oxytocin receptor activity in the ventrocaudal periaqueductal gray modulates anxiety-related behavior in postpartum rats.

Authors: Figueira, RJ  Peabody, MF  Lonstein, JS 
Citation: Figueira RJ, etal., Behav Neurosci. 2008 Jun;122(3):618-28.
RGD ID: 2304107
Pubmed: PMID:18513132   (View Abstract at PubMed)
DOI: DOI:10.1037/0735-7044.122.3.618   (Journal Full-text)

Postpartum rats are less anxious than diestrous virgin females, a phenomenon requiring that mothers have recent contact with their infants. Oxytocin (OT) is one of many neurochemicals released intracerebrally while mothers interact with infants, and we investigated whether OT receptor activity in the ventrocaudal periaqueductal gray (cPAGv) contributes to mothers' reduced anxiety. Infusion of the highly specific OT receptor antagonist, desGly-NH2,d(CH2)5[D-Tyr2,Thr-sup-4]OVT, into the cPAGv reduced the percentage of time dams spent in the open arms of an elevated plus-maze, but had no effect on the open-arm behavior of diestrous virgins. Conversely, after separating dams from their litters for 4 hr to increase anxiety, a lower (2 ng) but not higher (5 ng) dose of OT infused into each hemisphere of the cPAGv doubled the percentage of time dams spent in open arms, but did not do so in virgins. OTergic manipulations inconsistently affected risk-assessment behaviors (stretch-attend postures, head dips) in both virgins and dams. Therefore, OT receptor activation in the cPAGv is an important consequence of contact with infants that reduces some anxiety-related behaviors in mother rats.

Gene Ontology Annotations    Click to see Annotation Detail View

Biological Process
TermQualifierEvidenceWithReferenceNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
maternal behavior  IDA 2304107 RGD 
maternal behavior  IMP 2304107 RGD 

Objects Annotated

Genes (Rattus norvegicus)
Oxt  (oxytocin/neurophysin I prepropeptide)
Oxtr  (oxytocin receptor)


Additional Information