Contributions of changes in neuroendocrine pathways to ingestive and maternal behavior in rats

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Pregnancy and lactation present female mammals with a large array of both metabolic and behavioral challenges. The female's ability to meet these challenges will determine how well her young survive and develop.  Not surprising there are quite dramatic changes in some brain areas that facilitate the females' ability to cope with  the demands of motherhood, A major goal of this research program is to use an animal model to identify the critical hormonal and experiential variables that induce changes in the brains of pregnant and lactating females. Our studies also investigate the functional significance of such changes.  These studies are important in two ways: 1) there is sufficient overlap between species that  the results from studies in rats may be applicable across a number of species, including humans 2) these studies allow us to understand how malleable the brain is and the pathways through which neural plasticity can be induced.