Neural basis for parental behavioral transitions in mice

Parental care is fundamental to the physical and mental well-being of mammalian offspring. Females undergo pregnancy, parturition, and lactation, with hormones pivotal to these processes—such as estrogen, prolactin, and oxytocin—also playing essential roles in mediating infant-directed caregiving behaviors. Although the extent of paternal involvement varies widely across species, the same hormones that regulate maternal transitions may be utilized to facilitate paternal behavioral adaptations. Recent advances in single-cell transcriptomics and cell-type-specific genetic manipulations have elucidated the mechanisms through which hormones interact with discrete cell types to drive structural and physiological plasticity within key regions of the brain governing parental behaviors. Furthermore, parental care serves as a valuable model for studying naturally occurring motivated behavioral learning, wherein higher-order cognitive regions and monoaminergic systems play an integrative role. This review highlights recent progress in this field, with a brief discussion on the potential sexually dimorphic engagement of specific hormonal systems.