Neuroendocrine Control of Maternal Behavior

Maternal caregiving is an essential component of successful mammalian reproduction. Indeed, almost all mothers exhibit a species-typical repertoire and pattern of care that is sensitive to the needs of their young and essential for healthy offspring development. Although different mammalian mothers show different types of care, the onset of their nurturant behaviors at the time of giving birth involves the same collection of steroid (i.e., estradiol, progesterone, glucocorticoids) and peptide (i.e., prolactin, oxytocin) hormones. These hormones underlie the physiology of pregnancy and lactation, and simultaneously act on the brain to instill motherhood. This chapter provides an overview of the species-specific behaviors and hormonal regulation of maternal caregiving in three representative groups of mammals: (1) laboratory rats and mice, which give birth to many underdeveloped young that need tremendous care, (2) sheep, which give birth to one or two highly developed lamb(s), and (3) humans and some other primates, which care for one or two intermediately developed young. We also briefly discuss the influence of hormones on affective state in human mothers, given that mood and emotion are critical modulators of the relationship between hormones and infant caregiving in our own species.