A corticohypothalamic circuit that mediates maternal awakening to pup cries

From the report

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 21 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02458-yTang, Wu et al. identify a brain circuit that enables mother mice to wake selectively to pup cries. Motherhood strengthens this pathway through increased dopamine receptor D1 expression, helping mothers to be responsive to offspring during sleep.