Fos mapping of brain activation induced by the mammary pheromone in the newborn rabbit

The female European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, displays a surprising maternal behaviour. Indeed, she comes into the nest only once per day and for a very brief period (3-4 minutes), almost exclusively to nurse. A pheromonal signal identified as the 2-methylbut-2-enal and named the mammary pheromone (MP) is emitted in milk by all lactating rabbit females. This chemosensory cue induces typical head-searching and oral-seizing movements in newborn rabbits usually involved in the localisation of the nipples. The MP therefore appears as a biological signal important for sucking, survival and growth in pups. To date, only few data are available regarding the neuronal substrate which sustains t…