Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Fatherhood affects dendritic spines and vasopressin V1a receptors in the primate prefrontal cortex

Nature Neuroscience volume 9, pages 1094–1095 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Like human fathers, male marmosets help raise their young, yet the ways in which fatherhood influences the brain remain largely unknown. We show that first-time and experienced marmoset fathers have enhanced density of dendritic spines on pyramidal neurons in prefrontal cortex as compared to non-fathers. In parallel, the abundance of vasopressin V1a receptors and the proportion of V1a receptor–labeled dendritic spines increase.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Fatherhood enhances dendritic spine density on prefrontal cortex pyramidal cells.
Figure 2: Fatherhood induces vasopressin V1a receptor changes in the prefrontal cortex.
Figure 3: Vasopressin is observed not only in the hypothalamus but also in the prefrontal cortex.

References

  1. Rylands, A.B. (ed.) Marmosets and Tamarins: Systematics, Behaviour, and Ecology (Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Leibenluft, E., Gobbini, M.I., Harrison, T. & Haxby, J.V. Biol. Psychiatry 56, 225–232 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Nitschke, J.B. et al. Neuroimage 21, 583–592 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Radley, J. et al. Exp. Neurol. 196, 199–203 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kozorovitskiy, Y. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102, 17478–17482 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Wynne-Edwards, K.E. Horm. Behav. 40, 139–145 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Roky, R. et al. Neuroendocrinology 63, 422–429 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Smeltzer, M.D., Curtis, J.T., Aragona, B.J. & Wang, Z. Neurosci. Lett. 394, 146–151 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Peden, J.K. & von Bonin, G. J. Comp. Neurol. 86, 37–63 (1974).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Wang, Z. et al. Brain Res. 768, 147–156 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Son, M.C. & Brinton, R.D. Neurobiol. Learn. Mem. 76, 388–402 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Engert, F. & Bonhoeffer, T. Nature 399, 66–70 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Kritzer, M.F. & Goldman-Rakic, P.S. J. Comp. Neurol. 359, 131–143 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank C. Gross, A. Pavlic, B. Leuner, C. Mirescu, M. McBreen and J. Goodhouse for their help. This work was supported by the US National Institutes of Health and National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, the Mental Health Research Association (E.G.), and a National Research Service Award fellowship (Y.K).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Green Hall, Washington Road, Princeton, 08544, New Jersey, USA

    Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy, Maria Hughes, Kim Lee & Elizabeth Gould

Authors
  1. Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maria Hughes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kim Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Elizabeth Gould
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth Gould.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Table 1

Fatherhood does not affect dendritic spine density, length and branching on occipital cortex pyramidal cells. (PDF 71 kb)

Supplementary Table 2

Fatherhood does not affect dendritic length and branching on prefrontal cortex pyramidal cells. (PDF 67 kb)

Supplementary Table 3

Fatherhood does not affect optical intensity of vasopressin V1a receptors in of the OC or vasopressin V1b, prolactin and oxytocin receptors in the PFC. (PDF 62 kb)

Supplementary Methods (PDF 126 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kozorovitskiy, Y., Hughes, M., Lee, K. et al. Fatherhood affects dendritic spines and vasopressin V1a receptors in the primate prefrontal cortex. Nat Neurosci 9, 1094–1095 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1753

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1753

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing