Scientists from New York University Langone found that after the baby is born, a special neuron chain is activated in the brain that triggers the release of breast milk when the sound of crying is heard. The research was published in the journal Nature.
In a new study, biologists examined the activity of brain cells in dozens of female mice. They found that when a baby mouse begins to cry, sound information is transmitted to a region in the mother’s brain called the posterior intralaminar nucleus (PIL) of the thalamus.
The signals then travel from the PIL region to brain cells in another region, the hypothalamus. This area is responsible for the release of the hormone oxytocin, which stimulates the release of breast milk. Interestingly, the release of oxytocin required 30 seconds of sustained crying, and this did not happen in all women, only in those who had given birth.
The same brain circuit also affected the mice’s behavior. Typically, when the young left the nests, the females would quickly retrieve them. But mice that chemically blocked the connection between the PIL region and the hypothalamus stopped caring for their offspring.
“These results suggest that the brain circuits triggered by crying are important not only for breastfeeding, but also for maintaining a mother’s attention over time and providing effective care for her offspring, even when tired,” said senior study author Robert Froemke, a university scientist. Press release.
One limitation of the study was that it measured only the release of hormones that cause it, not breastfeeding itself. Research into how oxytocin works may offer new ways to help mothers who want to breastfeed but have difficulty doing so, the authors say.
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