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Research has suggested that complex animal and human behaviors can be influenced strongly by particular neurons and neurochemistry (NEJM JW Gen Med Jul 29 2005). A new study backs up this hypothesis.
Male mice that have never mated behave aggressively toward newborn mice, sometimes attacking and killing them. In contrast, male mice that have mated and female mice engage in parenting behavior. Through a series of complex experiments, a research team appears to have discovered the basis of this behavior. They identified a group of neurons in one region of the brain that expresses the neuropeptide galanin. Stimulation of these neurons eliminates aggressive behavior toward newborn mice in virgin males. Conversely, destruction of these neurons pr…