Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
Open access
Scollr summary
What this paper is about
This study combined in vivo calcium imaging and intramammary pressure recording to uncover the temporal connections between episodic activity of oxytocin neurons and ME in conscious lactating rats and developed a supervised machine learning framework (ME Decoder) to enable automated analyses of ME.
Full abstract
Read the full abstract
Oxytocin-mediated milk ejection (ME) is pivotal to effective breastfeeding and productive health, yet behaviorally decoding and revealing neural mechanisms of ME remains challenging. Here, we combined in vivo calcium imaging and intramammary pressure recording to uncover the temporal connections between episodic activity of oxytocin neurons and ME in conscious lactating rats. Leveraging the association and behavioral responses in dam and pup, we developed a supervised machine learning framework (ME Decoder) to enable automated analyses of ME. Inspired by its interpretable features, we defined the activity-coupled dam-pup interactions (ADPI), manifested by high kyphosis of the dam followed by pup treading and stretch, as the behavioral signatures of ME. By ME Decoder and ADPI analyses, we detected reduced ME but unaffected activity of oxytocinergic neurons after systemic blockade of oxytocin receptor. Our study uncovers the oxytocinergic and behavioral signatures of ME and provides a generalizable approach for further investigation.
Direct answer
What can I do from this paper page?
Use this page to scan "Decoding the oxytocinergic and behavioral signatures of milk ejection" quickly: start with the summary and abstract, then check the authors, source, topics, and related papers. From here, open Scollr to follow Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior research, save the paper, or map adjacent work.
Research areas
Follow related topics
Citation
BibTeX
@article{Xiao2026Decoding,
title = {Decoding the oxytocinergic and behavioral signatures of milk ejection},
author = {Wei Xiao and Q Zheng and Yang Wang and Ying Yuan and Yuge Chen and Tianxing Zheng and Yuzhu Chen and Gao Y and Bingrui Song and B Y Zhang and Liyao Qiu and L Zeng and Ma Huan and Colin H. Brown and Shumin Duan and Gang Pan and Zhihua Gao},
journal = {bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.64898/2026.07.12.738011},
url = {https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.12.738011}
}FAQ
Using this paper in a discovery workflow
How do I find related work for this paper?
Use the related papers and topic links on this page as starting points. In Scollr, you can also open the paper and build a literature map around its references, citing papers, and related work.
How can I keep up with new Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior research papers?
Follow Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior research in Scollr. New papers from the topic flow into a personalized feed, and you can save useful studies to revisit later.
Can I cite this paper from this page?
This page includes a static BibTeX block for Decoding the oxytocinergic and behavioral signatures of milk ejection. Always verify the DOI, source, and publication details against the publisher record before submitting a manuscript.
Follow this research in Scollr
Follow the topics and authors behind this paper, save useful studies, and build a literature map when you are ready to go deeper.
Get the app