Research article summary (published May 2006):

Maternal licking influences dendritic development of motoneurons in a sexually dimorphic neuromuscular system.

Full Abstract

Maternal licking of pups' perineal regions affects the development of the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB), a sexually dimorphic motor nucleus in the lumbar spinal cord that controls penile reflexes involved with copulation. Maternal licking influences SNB motoneuron number, with reductions in licking resulting in fewer motoneurons. Reduced maternal licking also has functional consequences in adulthood, resulting in increased latency to ejaculation and postejaculatory intromission and longer interintromission intervals. In this experiment, we assessed the potential effect of maternal licking on the development of SNB dendritic morphology. To reduce maternal licking, dams were treated with intranasal application of zinc sulfate during the first two postnatal weeks, which interferes with their ability to detect the pup odors that drive the licking behavior. At either postnatal day (P) 28 (when SNB dendritic length is normally maximal) or P49 (when SNB dendritic morphology is normally mature), SNB motoneurons were retrogradely labeled with cholera toxin-conjugated HRP, and dendritic arbor was reconstructed in three dimensions. At P28, the dendritic arbor of reduced maternal licking pups was not different from controls; however at P49, reduced licking pups showed a 23% reduction in dendritic arbor in the SNB, an effect that was especially pronounced in the rostral end of the nucleus, where reductions reached 48%. These results suggest that reductions in perineal stimulation provided by maternal licking could affect adult male copulatory behavior via alterations in SNB motoneuron morphology, and thus support maternal licking as an important factor in normal neural and behavioral development.

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Author information

Author/s: Lenz, Kathryn M (KM); Sengelaub, Dale R (DR);

Affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Program in Neuroscience, 1101 E. 10th Street, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.

Grants: HD35315 (Agency:NICHD NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Brain research (Brain Res), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-May; vol 1092 (issue 1) : pp 87-99

Dates: Created 2006/06/20; Completed 2006/09/19; Revised 2007/11/15;

PMID: 16674931, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Afferent Pathways - growth & development Animals Animals, Newborn Cell Differentiation - physiology Cholera Toxin Copulation - physiology Dendrites - physiology; ultrastructure Erectile Dysfunction - etiology; physiopathology Female Genitalia, Male - growth & development; innervation Grooming - drug effects; physiology Horseradish Peroxidase

Horseradish Peroxidase Male Maternal Behavior - physiology Motor Neurons - cytology; physiology Physical Stimulation Rats Rats, Sprague-Dawley Sensory Deprivation - physiology Sex Characteristics Spinal Cord - cytology; growth & development Touch - physiology Zinc Sulfate - adverse effects

Associated Chemicals: Zinc Sulfate (7733-02-0) ; Cholera Toxin (9012-63-9) ; Horseradish Peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.-)

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