Fig. 1: Outline of the protocols followed in the study of maternal aggression behaviour. | Communications Biology

Fig. 1: Outline of the protocols followed in the study of maternal aggression behaviour.

From: Inhibition of the medial amygdala disrupts escalated aggression in lactating female mice after repeated exposure to male intruders

Fig. 1

a In Experiment 1, repeated aggression, females were randomly assigned into two groups: dams (n = 8) and pup-sensitised females (n = 8) (not represented). On postpartum days (PPD) 4–6, both groups of females were exposed to a different intruder male each day. b In Experiment 2, effect of DREADD-inhibition of MeA in aggression, females had stereotaxic injections of DREADD-AAV in the MeA. Then, they were mated and randomly assigned to two groups. After parturition, for behavioural testing, we followed an intragroup design. Group 1 received i.p. injection of CNO in PPD4 and Veh in PPD5, and Group 2 received Veh injection in PPD4 and CNO in PPD5. Then, 30 min after i.p. injections, females were exposed to a different male intruder each day. In parallel, we run two control groups of females, without DREADD injection, and the same drug regime, to discard any effect of CNO treatment (Supplementary information). CNO clozapine N-oxide, Veh vehicle.

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