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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Trends Neurosci. 2019 Jun 26;42(8):552–562. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2019.05.008

Figure 3. Avoidance and Defense Circuit in Response to Pup Cues.

Figure 3

Circuit drawn in the sagittal orientation of a rodent brain, based on our synthesis of [7,16–18,76]. Virgin females detect pup cues, which then activates brain circuits which subserve avoidance and defense behaviors. A central circuit in this context is drawn from the OB, to the MeA, to the AHN and finally to the PAG. GABAergic projections from the NAcc to the VP also subserve avoidance and defense behaviors. Abbreviations: AHN = anterior hypothalamic nucleus; AP = anterior pituitary; BLA = basolateral amygdala; BMA = basomedial amygdala; MeA = medial amygdala; MPOA = medial preoptic area; NAcc = nucleus accumbens; OB = olfactory bulb; PAG = periaqueductal gray; PFC = prefrontal cortex; PP = posterior pituitary; PVN = paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus; SON = supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus; vBST = ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; VP = ventral pallidum; VTA = ventral tegmental area