Scientists often wonder what causes postpartum depression and other changes in a woman's behavior after childbirth. In the article you will learn about the results of a study that was conducted on mice.
Research results
Behavioral changes after childbirth may be linked to stress during adolescence, according to a Nature Communications study. However, the mechanisms of this phenomenon are not clear.
Psychological stress during adolescence in women and other mammals alters neural function in the brain. This leads to changes in social behavior or postpartum depression.
Scientists conducted a study on mice that were socially isolated during adolescence and experienced stress. Behavioral changes associated with this experience were activated only during childbirth or during pregnancy.
The study found that high levels of stress during adolescence, combined with pregnancy and childbirth, caused hypofunction of the glutamatergic pathway, which they mapped from the anterior insular cortex to the prelimbic cortex. Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system.
The decrease in the function of this pathway affected the neurons, which led to changes in the social behavior of the female mouse.
Thus, scientists have come closer to why some women may feel changes in their behavior after childbirth.
