Maternal aggression driven by the transient mobilisation of a dormant hormone-sensitive circuit

Stefanos Stagkourakis (), Paul Williams, Giada Spigolon, Shreya Khanal, Katharina Ziegler, Laura Heikkinen, Gilberto Fisone and Christian Broberger ()
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Stefanos Stagkourakis: Karolinska Institutet
Paul Williams: Stockholm University
Giada Spigolon: Karolinska Institutet
Shreya Khanal: Karolinska Institutet
Katharina Ziegler: Karolinska Institutet
Laura Heikkinen: Karolinska Institutet
Gilberto Fisone: Karolinska Institutet
Christian Broberger: Karolinska Institutet

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Aggression is a sexually dimorphic behaviour. In some species, including the laboratory mouse, it is robustly expressed in males – while females are not aggressive in the non-puerperal state. However, during nursing, females exhibit maternal aggression, a dramatic yet transient shift in their social behaviour repertoire. This phenotypic change occurring in adulthood presents an opportunity to investigate whether sex-biased behavioural programs depend on mono- or di-morphic neural circuits. While maternal hormones are known to elicit nursing, their role in maternal aggression, particularly regarding target sites and cellular mechanisms, remains unclear. Here, we show that a molecularly defined subset of mouse ventral premammillary (PMvDAT) neurons – with an established role in intermale aggression– transitions from quiescence to a hyperexcitable state during female lactation. The maternal hormones, prolactin and oxytocin, were found to excite these cells through pre- and post-synaptic electrophysiological actions. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments related to PMvDAT neuron activity bidirectionally influence maternal aggression, while PMvDAT neuron activation suppressed the expression of a competing social behaviour. This study identifies a sexually monomorphic neural substrate in mice capable of integrating hormonal cues, providing a likely mechanism that enables the transient access to a dormant behavioural program.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64043-4

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