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The Neurobiology of Parental Behavior

  • Book
  • © 2003

Overview

Authors:
  1. Michael Numan

    1. Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, USA

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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Thomas R. Insel

    1. Department of Psychology, National Institut of Mental Health, Bethesda, USA

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    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Part of the book series: Hormones, Brain, and Behavior (HBBS, volume 1)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
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  2. Introduction

    Pages 1-7

  3. Hormonal and Nonhormonal Basis of Maternal Behavior

    Pages 8-41

  4. Experiential Factors Influencing Maternal Behavior

    Pages 42-68

  5. Motivational Models of the Onset and Maintenance of Maternal Behavior and Maternal Aggression

    Pages 69-106

  6. Neuroanatomy of Maternal Behavior

    Pages 107-189

  7. Neurochemistry and Molecular Biology of Maternal Behavior

    Pages 190-245

  8. Paternal Behavior

    Pages 246-267

  9. Neural Basis of Parental Behavior Revisited

    Pages 268-315

  10. Human Implications

    Pages 316-352

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 343-418
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Keywords

About this book

In addition to filling a need within the field of parental behavior, this book contributes importantly to the growing area of emotional and motivational neuroscience. A major part of neuroscience research at the whole organism level has been focused on cognitive neuroscience, with an emphasis on the neurobiology of learning and memory, but there has been a recent upsurge in research which is attempting to define the neural basis of basic motivational and emotional systems which regulate such behaviors as food intake, aggression, reproduction, reward-seeking behaviors, and anxiety-related behaviors. In this book the emphasis is on the research findings obtained from rodents, sheep and primates. The authors' goal, of course, was to provide a foundation that may help us understand the neurobiology of human parental behavior. Indeed, the last chapter attempts to integrate the non-human research data with some human data in order to make some inroads toward an understanding of postpartum depression, child abuse, and child neglect. Clearly, motivational and emotional neuroscience has close ties to psychiatry, and this connection will be very evident in the final chapter. By understanding the neurobiology of parental behavior we are also delving into neurobiological factors which may have an impact on core human characteristics involved in sociality, social attachment, nurturing behavior, and love. In this very violent world, it is hard to conceive of a group of characteristics that are more worthy of study.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"What Numan and Insel have produced is a clearly-written text explaining how maternal motivation and behaviour are regulated by neurobiological systems, and how these systems are themselves regulated by genes and environments that differ between females and therefore yield variation in maternal behaviour and offspring development. … The study of behavioural causation is fascinating and vitally important, and reading this book should inspire many a PhD student, including in primatology, to want to conduct their doctoral research in this field." (Christopher Pryce, Primate Eye, June, 2005)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, USA

    Michael Numan

  • Department of Psychology, National Institut of Mental Health, Bethesda, USA

    Thomas R. Insel

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Neurobiology of Parental Behavior

  • Authors: Michael Numan, Thomas R. Insel

  • Series Title: Hormones, Brain, and Behavior

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/b97533

  • Publisher: Springer New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media New York 2003

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-387-00498-3Published: 11 June 2003

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4419-1827-7Published: 12 December 2011

  • eBook ISBN: 978-0-387-21799-4Published: 17 May 2006

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 418

  • Number of Illustrations: 37 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Neurobiology, Neurosciences, Behavioral Sciences

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