Research in the Lonstein Lab aims to understand the neurobiology of postpartum caregiving and affective behaviors in mammals. Non-mothers of most species do not readily care for infants, but a dramatic change in maternal responding occurs after females are pregnant and their infants are born.Â
We are interested in understanding the neurobiology underlying the peripartum change in maternal state, particularly the trade-off between maternal care and emotional reactivity in postpartum laboratory rats. Many female rodents show reduced fear and anxiety after giving birth to offspring, which is important for the mother's ability to display maternal care towards the potentially anxiety-provoking pups. Our research involves studying this question at many levels of analysis. These include detailed observation of maternal caregiving and anxiety-related behaviors, neuroanatomical tracing, measuring expression of neurotransmitter receptors and proteins using PCR, autoradiography and Western blotting, determining levels of neurotransmitter content and release using microdialysis and HPLC, and viral vector manipulation of genes in the brain.
Maternal caregiving is critical for the normal development, if not survival, of offspring. Our work on understanding the maternal brain, therefore, has clear implications for not only non-human development but also the well-being of human mothers and their infants.