This review consolidates current knowledge on mammalian parental care, focusing on its neural mechanisms, evolutionary origins, and derivatives. Neurobiological studies have identified specific neurons in the medial preoptic area as crucial for parental care. Unexpectedly, these neurons are characterized by the expression of molecules signaling satiety, such as calcitonin receptor and BRS3, and overlap with neurons involved in the reproductive behaviors of males but not females. A synthesis of comparative ecology and paleontology suggests an evolutionary scenario for mammalian parental care, possibly stemming from male-biased guarding of offspring in basal vertebrates. The terrestrial transition of tetrapods led to prolonged egg retention in females and the emergence of amniotes, skewing care toward females. The nocturnal adaptation of Mesozoic mammalian ancestors reinforced maternal care for lactation and thermal regulation via endothermy, potentially introducing metabolic gate control in parenting neurons. The established maternal care may have served as the precursor for paternal and cooperative care in mammals and also fostered the development of group living, which may have further contributed to the emergence of empathy and altruism. These evolution-informed working hypotheses require empirical validation, yet they offer promising avenues to investigate the neural underpinnings of mammalian social behaviors.

中文翻译：

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亲代大脑的历史：哺乳动物养育神经回路的起源和发展

这篇综述整合了当前关于哺乳动物亲代护理的知识，重点关注其神经机制、进化起源和衍生物。神经生物学研究已确定内侧视前区的特定神经元对于父母照顾至关重要。出乎意料的是，这些神经元的特征是表达饱腹感信号分子，例如降钙素受体和BRS3，并且与参与雄性而非雌性生殖行为的神经元重叠。比较生态学和古生物学的综合表明，哺乳动物亲代照顾的进化情景可能源于基础脊椎动物对后代的雄性偏见保护。四足动物的陆地转变导致雌性卵子的保留时间延长以及羊膜动物的出现，从而使护理工作向雌性倾斜。中生代哺乳动物祖先的夜间适应通过吸热强化了母体对哺乳和热调节的照顾，可能在亲代神经元中引入代谢门控。已建立的母性护理可能是哺乳动物中父性和合作性护理的先驱，也促进了群体生活的发展，这可能进一步促进了同理心和利他主义的出现。这些基于进化的工作假设需要实证验证，但它们为研究哺乳动物社会行为的神经基础提供了有希望的途径。