کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
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4315371 | 1613002 | 2007 | 6 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
Maternal behavior is induced in virgin female rabbits (normally unresponsive to foster pups) by removing the accessory olfactory bulbs. To determine if the main olfactory system (MOS) plays a similar inhibitory role in the present work we investigated the effect of lesioning the olfactory epithelium with a ZnSO4 spray on the facilitation of maternal behavior in New Zealand white virgin rabbits. Four days after the chemical lesion 40% of females showed behaviors indistinguishable from those of normal mothers, i.e.: rapid entrance into the nest box containing the pups, adoption of a crouching posture over them, acceptance of suckling, and exit from the nest box after ca. 3 min. The proportion of females showing these behaviors rose to 70% by day 14 post-lesion. Ovariectomized rabbits sprayed with ZnSO4 or animals sprayed with NaCl did not behave maternally. ZnSO4 also provoked a transient reduction in olfactory perception: before the lesion animals from all groups directed significantly more sniffs to a flask containing male urine than to one containing water. This difference was abolished in ZnSO4-sprayed females (intact and ovariectomized) for 3–6 days post-lesion and was re-established by 7–9 days. NaCl did not provoke such transitory hyposmia. ZnSO4 lesions did not provoke malaise in the animals, as determined by food intake and the frequency of scent-marking and ambulation. Results suggest that olfactory cues from the pups are aversive to virgin rabbits and that a transitory reduction in their perception (accompanied by the action of ovarian secretions) is enough to facilitate maternal responsiveness.
Journal: Behavioural Brain Research - Volume 180, Issue 2, 18 June 2007, Pages 127–132