**7.4. AVP and female animal models of depression and anxiety**

Many of the mechanistic studies of AVP and depression and anxiety have focused on males, and there is a need for more detailed studies in both nulliparous and pregnant and maternal females. As mentioned in the maternal behavior section, high anxiety rats and mice have elevated AVP activity in the PVN and display increased anxiety and depression behaviors [31, 176]. However, recent studies on a novel social stress mediated model for postpartum depression suggest that AVP can increase maternal care in animals subjected to the social stress paradigm that attenuates maternal care and aggression and impairs dam and pup growth during lactation [220]. At the present time, much of the available data on AVP and maternal behavior conflicts with the depression data from males, and treatments with V1a/V1b antagonists aimed at decreasing anxiety may have negative effects on maternal care.

## **7.5. AVP and female animal learning and memory**

The little work that has focused on AVP and female memory has predominately used pregnant or maternal females. Female V1b knockout mice do not display the Bruce effect, where a previously mated female will block the implantation of fertilized eggs if exposed to an unfamiliar male after mating [178]. This suggests that the female's long-term social memory is impaired. As noted in the maternal behavior section, a V1a antagonist around parturition impairs the ability of a dam to re-initiate maternal care [68]. In general, the available data on AVP and female memory supports the literature from males concluding that AVP mediates various forms of memory consolidation and retention and has particular relevance to social memory. If the role of AVP in memory is substantial in human females, it is possible that depression and anxiety treatments targeted at antagonizing central AVP may impair memory processes.
