Exposure to Chronic Reveals Depressed Maternal Care in Rats
E Science Daily reports that female rats that were exposed to chronic stress displayed depressed maternal care, impaired lactation, and increased anxiety, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. After the pups matured and had pups of their own, the second-generation female mothers displayed the same group of symptoms as their mothers, suggesting that postpartum depression might be passed down from one generation to another.
According to the article, researchers placed a different male rat in the cage of the first-generation mothers with their pups. The researchers did this for 15 days in a row for one hour a day. The study revealed that the mothers experienced postpartum depressed, impaired lactation, and more anxiety. Along with postpartum depression and related symptoms, the first-generation and second-generation rats in the study also showed a change in their hormone levels. The rats experienced “an increase in the stress hormone corticosterone, and decreases in oxytocin, prolactin (important to both maternal behavior and lactation) and estradiol.”
Read more: http://esciencenews.com/
About the Author: Samuel Phineas Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media & Technology group. You may contact Phin on his Samuel Phineas Upham website or LinkedIn.
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