In a wide range of taxa, there is evidence that mothers adaptively shape the development of offspring behaviour by exposing them to steroids. These maternal effects have major implications for fitness because, by shaping early development, they can permanently alter how offspring interact with their environment. However, theory on parent–offspring conflict and recent physiological studies showing that embryos rapidly metabolize maternal steroids have placed doubt on the adaptive significance of these hormone-mediated maternal effects. Reconciling these disparate perspectives requires a mechanistic understanding of the pathways by which maternal steroids can influence neural development. Here, we highlight recent advances in developmental neurobiology and psychiatric pharmacology to show that maternal steroid metabolites can have direct neuro-modulatory effects potentially shaping the development of neural circuitry underlying ecologically relevant behavioural traits. The recognition that maternal steroids can act through a neurosteroid pathway has critical implications for our understanding of the ecology and evolution of steroid-based maternal effects. Overall, compared to the classic view, a neurosteroid mechanism may reduce the evolutionary lability of hormone-mediated maternal effects owing to increased pleiotropic constraints and frequently influence long-term behavioural phenotypes in offspring.

中文翻译：

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母源性激素、神经类固醇和行为的发展

在广泛的分类群中，有证据表明母亲通过将它们暴露于类固醇来适应性地塑造后代行为的发展。这些母体效应对健康有重大影响，因为通过塑造早期发育，它们可以永久地改变后代与环境相互作用的方式。然而，关于亲子冲突的理论和最近的生理学研究表明，胚胎快速代谢母体类固醇，使人们怀疑这些激素介导的母体效应的适应性意义。调和这些不同的观点需要对母体类固醇影响神经发育的途径有一个机械的理解。这里，我们强调了发育神经生物学和精神病药理学的最新进展，以表明母体类固醇代谢物可以具有直接的神经调节作用，可能会影响与生态相关的行为特征相关的神经回路的发育。认识到母体类固醇可以通过神经类固醇途径起作用，这对我们理解基于类固醇的母体效应的生态学和进化具有重要意义。总体而言，与经典观点相比，神经类固醇机制可能会降低激素介导的母体效应的进化不稳定性，因为增加了多效性约束，并经常影响后代的长期行为表型。认识到母体类固醇可以通过神经类固醇途径起作用，这对我们理解基于类固醇的母体效应的生态学和进化具有重要意义。总体而言，与经典观点相比，神经类固醇机制可能会降低激素介导的母体效应的进化不稳定性，因为增加了多效性约束，并经常影响后代的长期行为表型。认识到母体类固醇可以通过神经类固醇途径起作用，这对我们理解基于类固醇的母体效应的生态学和进化具有重要意义。总体而言，与经典观点相比，神经类固醇机制可能会降低激素介导的母体效应的进化不稳定性，因为增加了多效性约束，并经常影响后代的长期行为表型。