Untangling how stress disrupts maternal brain communication and mental health

80% of birth and adoptive mothers will experience some form of anxiety or depression after birth, known as the "baby blues".

We plan to use an animal model of postpartum depression to uncover the impact of stress on the brain circuits that control maternal behavior.

Upon identifying how stress affects these circuits, we will attempt to block the effects of stress by manipulating these brain cells. We will conduct extensive review of these findings to identify how stress impacts a mother’s brain circuitry and how that brain function affects parental behaviors.