Aggression neurons have been discovered to activate in female mice during the phase of motherhood, as per a recent research study. Though the neuron is present long before, it gets activated after giving birth and is usually dormant in non-pregnant females. Prolactin and Oxytocin switch this system, enabling maternal defence. Prolactin and Oxytocin are usually involved in controlling the maternal body functioning, such as lactation. The same neuron has been found to drive aggression in males. One of the reasons that research claims for the activation of aggression neurons is survival behaviour by the brain. Therefore, brain flexibility suggests a general principle of how new behaviours are accessed when needed.
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How Did the Research Take Place?
The research took place at Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet, explaining why female mice suddenly develop aggressive behaviour after becoming pregnant or after giving birth. During the research, female mice were analysed before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and after birth in the laboratory. The findings show that a group of neurons that control aggression remain turned off in non-pregnant females.
But they switch to an active state when they become mothers. Thus, the results claim that aggression neurons get triggered by motherhood, also known as maternal defence. This also highlights the brain plasticity in human beings, wherein they can access certain behaviours for their survival.
Researchers’ Perspective
According to the first Author, Stefanos Stagkourakis, “the aggression neurons found in female mice are the same as in male mice, but they lie dormant in females until motherhood”. Professor of neurochemistry Christian Broberger at Stockholm University added that “the study needs to be repeated on humans to understand its transferability, however, the results shed light on the principle of brain plasticity”.
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Further Research
The study has been conducted on animals, and the results need to be further analysed in the human context. However, caution should be taken into consideration. A major question that has to be investigated ahead is how, for a limited duration, an individual develops a behaviour that is outside their repertoire.
