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Maternally responsive neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial preoptic area: Putative circuits for regulating anxiety and reward.

Publication ,  Journal Article
McHenry, JA; Rubinow, DR; Stuber, GD
Published in: Frontiers in neuroendocrinology
July 2015

Postpartum neuropsychiatric disorders are a major source of morbidity and mortality and affect at least 10% of childbearing women. Affective dysregulation within this context has been identified in association with changes in reproductive steroids. Steroids promote maternal actions and modulate affect, but can also destabilize mood in some but not all women. Potential brain regions that mediate these effects include the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vBNST). Herein, we review the regulation of neural activity in the mPOA/vBNST by environmental and hormonal concomitants in puerperal females. Such activity may influence maternal anxiety and motivation and have significant implications for postpartum affective disorders. Future directions for research are also explored, including physiological circuit-level approaches to gain insight into the functional connectivity of hormone-responsive maternal circuits that modulate affect.

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Published In

Frontiers in neuroendocrinology

DOI

EISSN

1095-6808

ISSN

0091-3022

Publication Date

July 2015

Volume

38

Start / End Page

65 / 72

Related Subject Headings

  • Septal Nuclei
  • Reward
  • Preoptic Area
  • Neurons
  • Maternal Behavior
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Endocrinology & Metabolism
  • Anxiety
  • Animals
 

Citation

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McHenry, J. A., Rubinow, D. R., & Stuber, G. D. (2015). Maternally responsive neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial preoptic area: Putative circuits for regulating anxiety and reward. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 38, 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2015.04.001
McHenry, Jenna A., David R. Rubinow, and Garret D. Stuber. “Maternally responsive neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial preoptic area: Putative circuits for regulating anxiety and reward.Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology 38 (July 2015): 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2015.04.001.
McHenry, Jenna A., et al. “Maternally responsive neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial preoptic area: Putative circuits for regulating anxiety and reward.Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, vol. 38, July 2015, pp. 65–72. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2015.04.001.
Journal cover image

Published In

Frontiers in neuroendocrinology

DOI

EISSN

1095-6808

ISSN

0091-3022

Publication Date

July 2015

Volume

38

Start / End Page

65 / 72

Related Subject Headings

  • Septal Nuclei
  • Reward
  • Preoptic Area
  • Neurons
  • Maternal Behavior
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Endocrinology & Metabolism
  • Anxiety
  • Animals