Citation

Lubin DA, Elliott JC, Black MC, Johns JM. Behav. Neurosci. 2003; 117(2): 195-201.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599, USA. debbie.lubin@rtp.ppdi.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, American Psychological Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12708515

PMCID

PMC3109068

Abstract

Decreased oxytocin levels in the amygdalas of rat dams following chronic gestational cocaine exposure have been correlated with heightened maternal aggressive behavior. In this experiment, drug-naive dams were implanted with bilateral cannulas into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CNA) or control area and infused with 1,000 or 500 ng of an oxytocin antagonist (OTA) or buffer, 4 hr before testing. Behavior was compared among dams infused with OTA into target areas just outside the CNA and cocaine-treated dams (infused with buffer). Dams infused with 1,000 ng OTA attacked intruders significantly more often than buffer-infused dams. OTA did not affect other behaviors, suggesting that disruption of oxytocin activity in the CNA may be sufficient to selectively alter maternal aggressive behavior.

Language: en