Prior research reported decreased oxytocin levels in specific brain regions correlated with
disruptions in maternal care following gestational cocaine treatment in rats. Similarly,
prenatal exposure to cocaine impaired subsequent maternal behavior in adulthood, but
behavioral alterations were not associated with decreases in oxytocin levels in the same
brain regions as were found in their cocaine-treated rat dams. To determine if other aspects
of the oxytocin system are disrupted by cocaine treatment or prenatal exposure to cocaine …