resolving apparent contradictions concerning the relationships among fear or anxiety and aggression during lactation: theoretical comment on D'Anna, Stevenson, and Gammie (2005).

Pregnancy and lactation involve dramatic changes in behavior and physiology necessary for the successful production and sustenance of offspring. This requires numerous processes to emerge and be coordinated in a finely tuned manner. Reduced corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) receptor activity and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function are thought to be involved in numerous functions during lactation, such as reducing fear and anxiety, which in turn, is proposed to disinhibit aggressive behaviors. K. L. D'Anna, S. A. Stevenson, and S. C. Gammie (2005) reported that central infusion of urocortin 1 and 3, anxiogenic peptides that bind to CRF receptors, reduce maternal aggression in lactating mice and alter neural c-fos expression. However, the relationship between stress hormones and where they act, emotional state, and aggression during lactation is complicated, and our understanding of how these factors influence each other might benefit from a comprehensive reevaluation of these literatures. ((c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved).