creators_name: Noonan, Michael
creators_name: Kristal, Mark B
creators_id: noonan@canisius.edu
creators_id: kristal@buffalo.edu
type: journalp
datestamp: 2008-09-19 13:55:51
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:57:12
metadata_visibility: show
title: Effects of Medial Preoptic Lesions on
Placentophagia and on the Onset of Maternal
Behavior in the Rat
ispublished: pub
subjects: psy-bio
subjects: physio-psy
subjects: behav-neuro-sci
full_text_status: public
keywords: medial preoptic area, hypothalamus, maternal behavior, placentophagia, parturition, lesions
abstract: Lesions of the medial preoptic area (MPO) were produced through permanently indwelling electrodes 24 hr prior to parturition in pregnant rats, or 24 hr prior to donor-placenta presentation in virgin rats determined in a pretest to be placentophages. The lesions had no disruptive effect on placentophagia in the virgin females. However, MPO lesions did delay the onset of placentophagia, pup-retrieval, and nestbuilding in some parturient rats. In others, lesions produced an impairment (in latency and quality) only of nest-building. None showed any impairment of pup-licking, or in the clear tendency to leave excreted waste away from the gathered pups. These results suggest the possibility of at least semi-independent mechanisms for the various components of maternal behavior.
date: 1979
date_type: published
publication: Physiology & Behavior
volume: 22
number: 6
publisher: Pergamon Press and Brain Research Publ.
pagerange: 1197-1202
refereed: TRUE
citation:   Noonan, Michael and Kristal, Dr. Mark B  (1979) Effects of Medial Preoptic Lesions on Placentophagia and on the Onset of Maternal Behavior in the Rat.  [Journal (Paginated)]     
document_url: http://cogprints.org/6213/1/MPO.pdf