Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PregnantBrain (Neural adaptations during pregnancy)
Período documentado: 2021-06-01 hasta 2022-11-30
• Aim 1: Profiling infant-directed behaviours of test animals before, during and after pregnancy, we have identified which behavioural parameters are affected by pregnancy, and when this occurs. Importantly, we have used several control groups to segregate hormonal from experiential factors.
• Aim 2: Via ex vivo MRI imaging from brains of females at different stages of pregnancy and brain-wide mapping of pregnancy hormone receptors, we have identified several brain areas that undergo volumetric remodelling in late pregnancy. In particular, we have found that the medial preoptic area, an area critical for parental behaviour, is a promising target. We now also have a complete dataset of pregnancy hormone expression across the brain.
• Aim 3: We have fully established cellular resolution calcium imaging in behaving mice, and have used this technique to record pregnancy-induced functional changes of MPOA neurons.
• Aim 4: Using in vitro whole-cell recordings from individual neurons in the medial preoptic area across pregnancy, we have shown that genetically specified neurons in this brain region undergo pregnancy-induced physiological and morphological changes. We have also discovered that estrogen- and progesterone receptor expression is necessary for these pregnancy-induced adaptations.
• Aim 4: We have used transgenic mouse lines with conditional deletion alleles of ovarian pregnancy hormone receptors to demonstrate that hormone-sensitivity of specific MPOA neurons is necessary for the pregnancy-induced onset of parental behaviour.
The comprehensive datasets generated in this first phase of the project will now also allow us to address pregnancy-associated functional changes to other circuits, e.g. those mediating feeding and aggression. We are also currently investigating whether, and if yes, how other parts of parenting circuits are affected by pregnancy, and whether hormonal and experience-dependent changes have equivalent effects in these circuits. We expect to submit 2-3 more manuscripts on these topics before the end of this grant's lifetime. Altogether, these investigations will allow us to obtain a comprehensive picture of key neural effects of pregnancy.