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The hormone that stimulates milk production for lactation, also acts in the brain to establish the nurturing link between mother and baby. The researchers found that signalling by the hormone prolactin to its receptors in a specific brain region is essential for mothers to show maternal nurturing behaviour towards their children.
Prolactin is best known for its role in enabling milk production in mammals.
Researchers undertook targeted deletion of prolactin receptors in the preoptic area of the brains of adult female mice.
These mice without prolactin receptors were able to get pregnant and give birth normally, but abandoned their children after birth, this establish a critical role for prolactin for more than milk production.
This shows that prolactin hormone is a literal life saver by establishing normal parental care that ensures offspring survival. Disruptions in the ability of prolactin to communicate in the brain could lead to problems for mothers establishing a bond with their baby.
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