BLOOD PRESSURE REGULATION, STRESS AND MATERNAL OXYTOCIN RESPONSE

描述（由申请人提供）：本竞争性修订是对通知号no - od -10-032的回应，通知标题：NIH宣布通过NIH基础行为和社会科学机会网络（OppNet）为竞争性修订申请（R01, R03, R15, R21， R21/33和R37）提供恢复法案资金。该修订版专门针对生物学，行为和社会过程之间相互作用的主题下的表观遗传/基因组领域。分娩后的第一年对许多母亲来说是高度紧张的，但“结合激素”催产素（OT）活性的增强可能会降低血压（BP）、交感神经系统（SNS）和下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）活性和应激行为，同时增加母婴接触过程中的积极影响和中枢奖励通路的激活。对于经济资源有限的年轻父母来说，增加一个孩子给家庭带来的部分压力是额外的经济负担。在当前的金融危机中，由于失业或父母一方或双方的收入减少，这种经济压力可能会增加。在父母R01基金的支持下，我们通过血浆、唾液和尿液的OT测量，研究了在分娩后的前3个月内重返全职工作和未重返全职工作的母亲的OT反应。最近，在一系列不相关的研究中，我们的研究小组开始研究新的基因组生物标志物。我们现在建议通过检测与3个系统相关的基因表达标记来修改R01拨款：1)催产素，2)HPA轴和3)SNS。我们拟比较60名婴儿母亲的这些靶向基因表达标记，这些母亲根据母乳喂养和奶瓶喂养的状况分组，母亲是否因过早返回工作岗位而经常经历分离压力，以及家庭环境是否包括高经济压力和低经济压力。本研究将首次检测OT基因在人白细胞中的表达，并首次同时检测生活应激对OT、SNS和HPA基因表达标志物的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Competitive Revision is in response to Notice Number NOT-OD-10-032 with Notice Title: NIH Announces the Availability of Recovery Act Funds for Competitive Revision Applications (R01, R03, R15, R21, R21/33 and R37) through the NIH Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet). The Revision specifically addresses the epigenetic/ genomic area under the topic of interactions between biology, behavior and social processes. The first year after childbirth is highly stressful for many mothers, but enhanced activity of the "bonding hormone" oxytocin (OT) may decrease blood pressure (BP), sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) activity and stress behavior, while increasing positive affect and activation of central reward pathways during mother-infant contact. For young parents with limited financial resources, part of the stress of adding a baby to the family is additional financial burden. This financial strain may have been increased during the current financial crisis by job loss or reduction of income to one or both parents. Supported by the parent R01 grant, we are examining OT responses of mothers who did vs. did not return to full-time work in the first 3 months after delivery, using plasma, saliva and urinary OT measures. Recently, in an unrelated series of studies, our research group has begun to examine novel genomic biomarkers. We now propose to revise this R01 grant by examining gene expression markers related to 3 systems: 1) oxytocinergic, 2) the HPA axis and 3) the SNS. We propose to compare these targeted gene expression markers in 60 mothers of infants grouped according to breast-feeding vs. bottle-feeding status, whether the mother experiences regular separation stress due to early return to work, and whether the family setting includes high vs. low financial stress. This research will be the first to examine OT gene expression on human leukocytes, and the first to examine the influence of life stress on OT, SNS and HPA gene expression markers together. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This Competitive Revision to R01 HL084222 is designed to expand the biobehavioral study of oxytocin's role in cardiovascular benefits for mothers of infants by incorporating novel leukocyte gene expression measures obtained before and after stress in 60 of these mothers. The Revision will examine genes linked to oxytocin activity, sympathetic nervous system activity and HPA axis activity, and it will also provide full-time employment to a black prospective medical student of Haitian descent as well as part-time support for other faculty and staff.