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Study · Not a test of the peptide alone · 2006

5 results

Oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbens facilitate "spontaneous" maternal behavior in adult female prairie voles.

Olazábal DE, Young LJ

Neuroscience24 May 2006Cited by 185 (Europe PMC)

PMID16725274 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.04.017 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-16725274
Publisher pagePubMedAsk about this study
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Summary

The text of this summary is not shown here, because the article license does not allow reuse. Read it at the source (opens in a new tab)

Text rights: Publisher copyright. Results still quote short attributed sentences.

Results from this study5

No result from this study comes from a test of the peptide.

Studies that did not test the peptide alone5

In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. These results are not evidence about taking Oxytocin.

  1. 01AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism

    In virgin female prairie voles, oxytocin receptor density in the nucleus accumbens shell was higher in females that showed maternal behavior than in females that did not.

    In plain wordsIn prairie voles, females that cared for pups had more oxytocin receptors in one brain area than females that did not.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    IncreaseNucleus accumbens oxytocin receptor density in maternal versus non-maternal females
    Study

    prairie volen = 40

    Comparator
    Females that did not show maternal behavior or attacked pups
    Outcome group
    Receptor activity and mechanism · Nervous system and cognition

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Females that showed maternal behavior (lick and groom the pups and hover over them for at least 30 s, n=24) had higher oxytocin receptor density in the nucleus accumbens (shell subregion) (P<0.05) than females that did not show maternal behavior or attacked the pups (n=16).
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    Forty sexually-naive adult females were exposed to pups for the first time and tested for maternal behavior.

    In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.

  2. 02AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism

    In virgin female prairie voles, oxytocin receptor density in the medial preoptic area, septum and prelimbic cortex did not differ between the groups.

    In plain wordsIn prairie voles, oxytocin receptor numbers in three other brain areas did not differ between the groups.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    No significant changeOxytocin receptor density in other brain regions
    Study

    prairie volen = 40

    Comparator
    Females that did not show maternal behavior or attacked pups
    Outcome group
    Receptor activity and mechanism · Nervous system and cognition

    Source sentences

    Summary
    No differences were found in other brain regions (medial preoptic area, septum, prelimbic cortex).
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    Forty sexually-naive adult females were exposed to pups for the first time and tested for maternal behavior.

    In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.

  3. 03AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Efficacy outcome

    In virgin female prairie voles, an oxytocin receptor antagonist infused into the nucleus accumbens blocked maternal behavior (0/10) versus CSF (5/10).

    In plain wordsIn prairie voles, blocking oxytocin receptors in one brain area stopped females from showing maternal behavior, compared with vehicle.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    DecreaseMaternal behavior after oxytocin receptor antagonist in nucleus accumbens
    Study

    prairie volen: not reported in source

    Comparator
    CSF vehicle
    Outcome group
    Social behavior and cognition · Nervous system and cognition

    Source sentences

    Summary
    While five of 10 nucleus accumbens CSF-infused animals showed maternal behavior, none of the nucleus accumbens oxytocin receptor antagonist-infused subjects did (0/10; chi2, P<0.01).
    2 context sentences
    Summary · context
    Ten females were infused bilaterally into the nucleus accumbens or caudate putamen with either 2 ng/0.5 microl of oxytocin receptor antagonist or CSF (vehicle).
    Summary · context
    Forty sexually-naive adult females were exposed to pups for the first time and tested for maternal behavior.

    In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.

  4. 04AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Efficacy outcome

    In virgin female prairie voles, females given the nucleus accumbens oxytocin receptor antagonist recovered the next day and did not differ from controls.

    In plain wordsIn prairie voles, the effect of the receptor blocker wore off the next day compared with vehicle-treated females.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    No significant changeRecovery of maternal behavior after antagonist infusion
    Study

    prairie volen: not reported in source

    Comparator
    CSF vehicle
    Outcome group
    Social behavior and cognition · Nervous system and cognition

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Nucleus accumbens oxytocin receptor antagonist-infused females recovered the next day and were not different from controls.
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    Forty sexually-naive adult females were exposed to pups for the first time and tested for maternal behavior.

    In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.

  5. 05AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Efficacy outcome

    In virgin female prairie voles, infusion of oxytocin receptor antagonist into the caudate putamen did not change maternal behavior compared with CSF (four/10 in both).

    In plain wordsIn prairie voles, blocking oxytocin receptors in a control brain area did not change maternal behavior compared with vehicle.

    Peptide
    Oxytocin
    Outcome
    No significant changeMaternal behavior after antagonist in caudate putamen
    Study

    prairie volen: not reported in source

    Comparator
    CSF vehicle
    Outcome group
    Social behavior and cognition · Nervous system and cognition

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Animals infused with CSF or oxytocin receptor antagonist into the caudate putamen did not differ (four/10, four/10).
    2 context sentences
    Summary · context
    As a control region, oxytocin receptor antagonist was also infused into the caudate putamen.
    Summary · context
    Forty sexually-naive adult females were exposed to pups for the first time and tested for maternal behavior.

    In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

PepBank keeps every version of the data on this study. Status changes from Retraction Watch, Europe PMC and Crossref are listed with their source.

  1. Version 2Current

    11 Oct 2026, 20:03 UTC

    Study results updated

  2. Version 1

    9 Oct 2026, 02:50 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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