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Histone deacetylase inhibitor treatment promotes spontaneous caregiving behavior in C57BL/6J male mice

Whereas the majority of mammalian species are uni-parental with the mother solely provisioning care for young conspecifics, fathering behaviors can emerge under certain circumstances. For example, a great deal of individual variation in response to young pups has been reported in multiple inbred strains of laboratory male mice. Further, sexual experience and subsequent cohabitation with a female conspecific can induce caregiving responses in otherwise indifferent, fearful or aggressive males. Thus, a highly conserved parental neural circuit is likely present in both sexes, however the extent to which infants are capable of accessing this circuit may vary. In support of this idea, fearful or indifferent responses toward pups in female mice are linked to greater immediate early gene (IEG) expression in a fear/defensive circuit involving the anterior hypothalamus than in an approach/attraction circuit involving the ventral tegmental area. However, experience with infants, particularly in combination with histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) treatment, can reverse this pattern of neuronal activation and behavior. Thus, HDACi treatment may increase the transcription of primed/poised genes that play a role in the activation and selection of a maternal approach circuit in response to pup stimuli. Here, we asked whether HDACi treatment would impact behavioral response selection and associated IEG expression changes in virgin male mice that are capable of ignoring, attacking or caring for pups. Our results indicate that systemic HDACi treatment induces spontaneous caregiving behavior in non-aggressive male mice and alters the pattern of pup-induced IEG expression across a fear/defensive neural circuit.