HORMONAL AND EXPERIENTIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING PARENTAL BEHAVIOR IN MALE RODENTS - AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH

Parental behaviour in rodents has traditionally been modelled on studies of maternal behaviour in the female rat. Female parental behaviour is initiated by hormonal changes during pregnancy and parturition and by pup stimuli. Models of parental behaviour based on the neuroendocrine control of maternal behaviour are not appropriate for understanding male parental care. This paper examines seven factors which influence the initiation and maintenance of paternal behaviour in male rodents: (1) the mating system of the species; (2) the ecological conditions under which the animals live; (3) the male's social experience; (4) sexual experience and female stimuli; (5) pup stimuli; (6) hormonal changes in adult males in response to female and pup stimuli; and (7) neonatal hormone levels. The role of stimuli from the female and pups in activating the neuroendocrine changes which may facilitate the onset and maintenance of paternal behaviour is also described. The aim of the paper is to provide an integrative approach to the study of male parental care and to stimulate research on the hormonal and experiential factors underlying paternal behaviour in male rodents.