ArticleGenes, brain, and behavior2014
Brain serotonin determines maternal behavior and offspring survival.
Article in Genes, brain, and behavior, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- How Imprinted Genes Shape Nurturing Behaviours and Neural Circuits.Brain, behavior and evolution · 2026Review
- Concerted actions of distinct serotonin neurons orchestrate female pup care behavior.Research square · 2025Article
- Concerted actions of distinct serotonin neurons orchestrate female pup care behavior.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Failure in the mother-young communication in domestic mammals: endocrine and behavioral aspects.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025Review
- Socio-affective communication in Tph2-deficient rat pups: communal nesting aggravates growth retardation despite ameliorating maternal affiliation deficits.Molecular autism · 2024Article
- Neural cell-types and circuits linking thermoregulation and social behavior.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2024Review
- Mother-Young Bonding: Neurobiological Aspects and Maternal Biochemical Signaling in Altricial Domesticated Mammals.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Review
- A protein-coding gene expression atlas from the brain of pregnant and non-pregnant goats.Frontiers in genetics · 2023Article
- Oxytocin interactions with central dopamine and serotonin systems regulate different components of motherhood.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2022Review
- The roles of serotonin in cell adhesion and migration, and cytoskeletal remodeling.Cell adhesion & migration · 2021Review
- Dorsal raphe serotonin neurotransmission is required for the expression of nursing behavior and for pup survival.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Relationship between depression and olfactory sensory function: a review.Chemical senses · 2021Review
- The Prolactin Family of Hormones as Regulators of Maternal Mood and Behavior.Frontiers in global women's health · 2021Review
- Long-Term Overconsumption of Sugar Starting at Adolescence Produces Persistent Hyperactivity and Neurocognitive Deficits in Adulthood.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2021Article
- Maternal Experience Leads to Lasting Gene Expression Changes in Some Regions of the Mouse Brain.G3 (Bethesda, Md.) · 2019Article
- Serotonin and motherhood: From molecules to mood.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2019Review
- Dissociation between hypothermia and neurotoxicity caused by mephedrone and methcathinone in TPH2 knockout mice.Psychopharmacology · 2019Article
- Maternal behaviour in domestic dogs.International journal of veterinary science and medicine · 2019Review
- Identification of Cholecystokinin by Genome-Wide Profiling as Potential Mediator of Serotonin-Dependent Behavioral Effects of Maternal Separation in the Amygdala.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2019Article
- Pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in postpartum depression.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Maternal care is an indispensable component of offspring survival and development in all mammals and necessary for reproductive success. Although brain areas regulating maternal behaviors are innervated by serotonergic afferents, very little is known about the role of this neurotransmitter in these behaviors. To evaluate the contribution of serotonin to maternal care, we used mice with a null mutation in the gene for tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2), which results in a genetic depletion of brain serotonin, and tested them in a wide range of maternal behavior paradigms. We found that litters born to and reared by TPH2(-/-) mothers showed decreased survival, lower weaning weights and increased cannibalization. In addition, TPH2(-/-) mothers performed poorly in pup retrieval, huddling, nest construction and high-arched back nursing. Aggression in TPH2(-/-) dams was not triggered by lactation and was steadily high. Survival and weaning weight deficits of TPH2(-/-) pups were rescued by cross-fostering and in litters of mixed genotype (TPH2(-/-) and TPH2(-/+) ). However, the maternal behaviors of TPH2(-/-) dams did not improve when rearing either TPH2(+/+) pups or mixed-genotype litters. In addition, TPH2(-/-) pups significantly worsened the behavior of TPH2(+/+) dams with respect to cannibalism, weaning weight and latency to attack. Olfactory and auditory functions of TPH2(-/-) females or anxiety-like behaviors did not account for these maternal alterations as they were equal to their TPH2(+/+) counterparts. These findings illustrate a profound influence of brain serotonin on virtually all elements of maternal behavior and establish that TPH2(-/-) pups can engender maladaptive mothering in dams of both genotypes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.