Effects of C-Section Birth on Vasopressin 1a Receptors in the Prairie Vole Brain

Abstract

The goal of this study was to understand how the brain might change depending on the birth experience: a vaginal birth or a cesarean section. C-sections have been associated with an increased risk of obesity and other behavioral and metabolic health conditions that are related to the function of hypothalamic hormones in the brain1. Vasopressin is one neuropeptide hormone that is produced in the hypothalamus and influences a variety of metabolic functions and behaviors, including water balance and social pair bonding2. This study used prairie voles to assess the effect of birth experience on the brain because of their human relatedness in thermoregulation, adult social behavior, and neurohormones. This study examined whether birth mode changed the densities of the receptors for vasopressin in the vole brain