Figure 6.

Oxytocin content in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Brains were extracted from behaviorally-naïve SM- and BP-reared adults and analyzed for oxytocin (OT) mRNA expression using in situ hybridization and emulsion dipping. SM-reared animals had a significantly greater number of OT mRNA grain clusters throughout the PVN, particularly in the anterior portion, compared to BP-reared animals (A). Representative, anterior to posterior, coronal, 10× images of the PVN of SM- (B–E) and BP- (F–I) reared females, under dark-field conditions, show grain clusters. OT expression was also analyzed by counting the number of grains per cluster over large nuclei. There were no group differences in grains per cluster (J). (K) and (L) are representative images of PVN clusters over large nuclei at 20× and 40×, respectively. Arrow-heads (L) identify clustered grains and scale bars represent 100 μM (B,K,L). ■, BP-reared adult offspring; □, SM-reared adult offspring. *P < 0.05, ns = not significant.