@misc{cogprints6213,
volume = {22},
number = {6},
author = {Michael Noonan and Dr. Mark B Kristal},
title = {Effects of Medial Preoptic Lesions on
Placentophagia and on the Onset of Maternal
Behavior in the Rat},
publisher = {Pergamon Press and Brain Research Publ.},
journal = {Physiology \& Behavior},
pages = {1197--1202},
year = {1979},
keywords = {medial preoptic area, hypothalamus, maternal behavior, placentophagia, parturition, lesions},
url = {http://cogprints.org/6213/},
abstract = {Lesions of the medial preoptic area (MPO) were produced through permanently indwelling electrodes 24 hr prior to parturition in pregnant rats, or 24 hr prior to donor-placenta presentation in virgin rats determined in a pretest to be placentophages. The lesions had no disruptive effect on placentophagia in the virgin females. However, MPO lesions did delay the onset of placentophagia, pup-retrieval, and nestbuilding in some parturient rats. In others, lesions produced an impairment (in latency and quality) only of nest-building. None showed any impairment of pup-licking, or in the clear tendency to leave excreted waste away from the gathered pups. These results suggest the possibility of at least semi-independent mechanisms for the various components of maternal behavior.}
}