Premium
The neurobiology of parenting: A neural circuit perspective
Author(s) -
Kohl Johannes,
Autry Anita E.,
Dulac Catherine
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.201600159
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , neuroscience , social neuroscience , biological neural network , variety (cybernetics) , neural system , social behavior , psychology , neural activity , cognitive science , biology , developmental psychology , social cognition , computer science , cognition , artificial intelligence
Social interactions are essential for animals to reproduce, defend their territory, and raise their young. The conserved nature of social behaviors across animal species suggests that the neural pathways underlying the motivation for, and the execution of, specific social responses are also maintained. Modern tools of neuroscience have offered new opportunities for dissecting the molecular and neural mechanisms controlling specific social responses. We will review here recent insights into the neural circuits underlying a particularly fascinating and important form of social interaction, that of parental care. We will discuss how these findings open new avenues to deconstruct infant‐directed behavioral control in males and females, and to help understand the neural basis of parenting in a variety of animal species, including humans. Please also see the video abstract here .