| Budget Amount *help |
¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000)
Fiscal Year 1987: ¥300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥300,000)
Fiscal Year 1986: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The present study was conducted to establish an animal model for studying psychiatric disorder in women and to invesigate drug effects thereon. Although lactating animals of a variety of species are known to vigorously attack intruders, environmental and psychological factors in mediating meternal aggression remain incompletely understood. We found that there was a significant difference in the incidence of attack bite by females that were housed together with the mating partner and solitary housed counterparts. Because paired females rarely showed aggressive behavior even during the early lactation period, housing conditions during pregnancy play an essential role in the manifestation of maternal aggression in mice. In addition to this, we also demonstrated that the nature of the mating partner affected the manifestation of maternal aggression. The benzodiazepine anxiolytics chlordiazepoxide and diazepam significantly increased the frequency of attack bite by females. By contrast, the nonbenzodiazepine znxiolytics suriclone, zopiclone, CL 218,872, suppressed maternal aggression. Maternal aggression in mice was also altered by administration of antidepressants imipramine, indalpine, clomipramine. Haloperidol and ginseng saposins could suppress maternal aggression in a dose-dependent manner. Although it has been generally accepted that maternal aggression toward an intruder serves to protect the young, it is possible that the manifestation of postpartum aggression is brought about by a more complex motivational state.
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