The Role of Oxytocin in Parental Care

Abstract Parental behaviors are essential for offspring survival and shaped by hormonal changes and adaptations in the neural circuits. Oxytocin, a nonapeptide, has been shown to play an important role in promoting parental behaviors. Using cutting-edge tools, studies have recently uncovered how oxytocin mediates parental behaviors through modulation of different neural circuits. We highlight recent advances in identifying neural pathways contributing to the role of oxytocin in parental care, focusing on how infant-related cues activate the oxytocin system and how oxytocin enhances the salience of sensory cues to enable parental behaviors in this review. We also discuss future challenges to further elucidate mechanisms involved.