Research
Research
Project 1: Maternal behaviour is the behaviour of the mother ensuring the well-being and development of her offspring. In order to become maternal, the mother’s brain undergoes remarkable physiological and behavioural changes in the peripartum period to meet the demands of the offspring. These adaptations, which start as complex and direct consequences of hormonal signals arising from the foetus, continue in lactation as a result of close interactions between mother and offspring - the maternal behaviour. Our group is interested in the neurobiological regulation of maternal behaviour in rodents by the brain arginine-vasopressin system and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system with special focus on maternal neglect. We apply such techniques as various behavioural tests, micro-/retrodialysis, osmotic minipumps, viral vector-mediated gene transfer, in situ hybridisation, receptor autoradiography, blood sampling.
Project 2: Positive social relationships are vital for mental and physical health; hence, their sudden disruption result in emotional distress quite often leading to symptoms of depression. Using the animal model of the monogamous prairie vole, which forms selective, enduring pair bonds, we study the behavioural, emotional and neuroendocrine consequences of partner loss (in collaboration with Prof. Larry Young, Emory University, Atlanta, USA). Intriguingly, short separation from the pair-bonded female partner, but not from a male sibling, leads to higher basal plasma corticosterone concentration, adrenal hypertrophy and increased passive stress-coping, which is indicative of depressive-like behaviour. The latter is mediated by an increased activity of the brain corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system, which in turn supresses the oxytocin signalling especially in the nucleus accumbens shell. Our studies aim to further investigate the dysregulation/interactions of the oxytocin and CRF system following loss of the partner not only from the male but also from the female perspective. The experiments will range from short-term to long-term separation with or without reunion of the pairs. A wide variety of up-to-date methods will be applied, from behavioural tests to local intracerebral manipulations (viral vector-mediated gene manipulation, microdialysis, acute and chronic application of receptor (ant-)agonist), as well as epigenetic approaches to electrophysiology.
Grants / Awards
DFG grant (BO 1958/9-2) to study the role of TSPO under acute and chronic stress (part of the Research Group FOR 2858)
2019-2022
DFG grant (BO 1958/8-2) to study the role of the brain CRF-BP in the rodent maternal brain
DFG grant (BO 1958/9-1) to study the role of TSPO in animal models of extremes in anxiety (part of the Research Group FOR 2858)
2017-2021
DFG-funded project "Impact of brain neuropeptides on partner loss-induced depressive-like behaviour in monogamous prairie voles" as part of the graduate school GRK 2174/1 "Neurobiology of Emotion Dysfunctions"
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2014-2017
DFG grant (BO 1958/8-1) to study the role of the brain corticotropin releasing factor system in maternal neglect in rodents
2011-2014
DFG grant (BO 1958/6-1) to investigate in depth the role of the brain vasopressin system in mediating maternal care in rodents
2008-2010
DAAD Travel grant for collaboration with Dr. Simone Meddle, University of Edinburgh
2003
Armin Ermisch Memorial Award
2000-2001
PhD-Stipend of the University of Regensburg (Promotionsstipendium)
Profile
Profile
2017? Appointed extraordinary ("au?erplanm??iger") Professor at the Faculty of Biology and Preclinical Medicine at the University of Regensburg
2011? Habilitation in Zoology at the University of Regensburg to achieve the "Dr. habil." and Privatdozent PD? Habilitation thesis: "The neuroendocrine regulation of maternal behaviour and the impact on the offspring in rodents."
2007 to date Senior Scientist
2001-2007 Postdoc in Prof. Inga Neumann’s group at the University of Regensburg with focus on maternal behavior, anxiety and stress coping in a rat model for extremes in anxiety
2001? PhD degree in biology at the University of Regensburg PhD thesis: "Wirtsdüfte und deren Komponenten im Spiegelbild der olfaktorischen Sinneszellen bei der Gelbfiebermücke Aedes aegypti (L.)"
1998-2001 PhD studies in biology at the University of Regensburg with focus on Zoology / Insect physiology
1998? MSc (Diplom) in biology at the University of Regensburg Diploma/Master thesis: "?ber die Attraktivit?t verschiedener Komponenten des menschlichen Hautduftes und die Bedeutung der Struktur von Duftwolken für die Attraktivit?t von Duftstoffen - Messungen an der Gelbfiebermücke Aedes aegypti (L.)"
1995-1997 Graduate studies in biology at the University of Regensburg with focus on Zoology / Insect physiology1992-1995 undergraduate studies in biology at the University of Regensburg
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Societies / Journals
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since 2023 ?Council member of the European Brain and Behaviour EBBS
since 2022 ?Council member of the European Society for Comparative Endocrinology ESCE
since 2019 ?Founding and council member of The Neurobiology of Grief International Network NOGIN
since 2015 Editorial board member of Hormones and Behavior
since 2014 ?Senior editor for? Journal of Neuroendocrinology JNE
Publications
Publications
Pubmed
Google Scholar
2025
Sanson A, Demarchi L, K?ck A, Ebner K, Bosch OJ (2025) Pup defence in lactating rats: The underlying neuropeptide signalling and their interactions in the nucleus accumbens shell. bioRxiv 10.29.620799.?
Sanson A, Demarchi L, Rocaboy E, Bosch OJ (2025) Increased CRF-R1 transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell facilitates maternal neglect in lactating rats and mediates anxiety-like behaviour in a sex-specific manner. Neuropharmacology 265: 110256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110256.
Fischer L, Paschke B, Gareis F, Schumacher M,Liere P, Hiergeist A, Gessner A, Rupprecht R, Neumann ID, Bosch OJ (2025) Thetranslocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) ligand etifoxine in an animal model of anxiety: Line- and sex-dependent effects on emotionality, stress reactivity, spine density, oxytocin receptors, steroids, and microbiome composition. Neuropharmacology 266: 110282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110282.?
2024
Bosch OJ ( 2024) To bond or not to bond: Neuroendocrinology might have the answer. Neuroendocrine Briefings 62.
Demarchi L, Sanson A, Bosch OJ (2024) Neurobiological traces of grief: Examining the impact of offspring loss after birth on rat mothers’ brain and stress-coping behavior in the first week postpartum. Neurosci Appl 104065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nsa.2024.104065.
Sanson A, Krieg P, Schramm MM, Kellner K, Maloumby R, Klampfl SM, Brunton PJ,Bosch OJ (2024) CRF binding protein activity in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus is essential for stress adaptations and normal maternal behaviour in lactating rats. Neurobiol Stress 100631, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100631
Sanson A, Demarchi L, Bosch OJ (2024) Neuroendocrine basis of impaired mothering in rodents.In: Caldwell HK, Albers HE (eds) Neuroendocrinology of Behavior and Emotions. Masterclass in Neuroendocrinology, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51112-7_4
2023
Winter J, Meyer M, Berger I, Royer M, Bianchi M, Kuffner K, Peters S, Stang S, Langgartner D, Hartmann F, Schmidtner AK, Reber SO, Bosch OJ, Bludau A, Slattery DS, van den Burg EH, Jurek B, Neumann ID (2023) Chronic oxytocin-driven alternative splicing of Crfr2α induces anxiety. Mol Psychiatry 28:4742-4755. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01141-x
Gryksa K, Schmidtner AK, Masis-Calvo M, Rodriguez-Villagra OA, Havasi A,Wirobski G, Maloumby R, J?gle H, Bosch OJ, Slattery DA, Neumann ID (2023) Selective breeding of rats for high (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour: A unique model for comorbid depression and social dysfunctions . Neurosci Biobehav Rev 152: 105292
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105292.
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Demarchi L, Sanson A, Bosch OJ (2023) Brief vs long maternal separationin lactating rats: consequences on maternal behavior, emotionality, andbrain oxytocin receptor binding. J Neuronedocrinol e13252 https://doi.org/10.1111/jne.13252
Pawluski JL, Brunton PJ, Bosch OJ (2023) The 7th International Meeting on the Neuroscience of Parenting. J Neuroendocrinol e13321. https://doi.org/10.1111/jne.13321
2022
Sanson A, Bosch OJ (2022) Dysfunctions of brain oxytocin signaling: Implications for poor mothering. Neuropharmacology 211: 109049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109049
2021
Demarchi L, Pawluski JL, Bosch OJ (2021) The brain oxytocin and corticotropin-releasing factor systems in grieving mothers: What we know and what we need to learn. Peptides 143: 170593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peptides.2021.170593
Pohl TT, Jung O, Di Benedetto B, Young LJ Bosch OJ (2021) Microglia react to partner loss in