Abstract
The levels of reproduction-associated hormones in females, such as estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, and oxytocin, change dramatically during pregnancy and postpartum. Reproduction-associated hormones can affect adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), thereby regulating mothers' behavior after delivery. In this review, we first briefly introduce the overall functional significance of AHN and the methods commonly used to explore this front. Then, we attempt to reconcile the changes of reproduction-associated hormones during pregnancy. We further update the findings on how reproduction-related hormones influence adult hippocampal neurogenesis. This review is aimed at emphasizing a potential role of AHN in reproduction-related brain plasticity and its neurobiological relevance to motherhood behavior.
Highlights
During pregnancy, the levels of reproduction-related hormones, including human chorionic gonadotropin, estrogen, progesterone, relaxin, prolactin (PRL), and oxytocin (OT), exhibit sharp variations [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12] (Figure 1)
Adult neurogenesis is considered to occur principally in the subventricular zone (SVZ) in the wall of the lateral ventricle and subgranular zone (SGZ) in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation [20, 21], which has been known to play an essential role in olfactory and spatial learning and memory
Hippocampal adult neurogenesis has recently been demonstrated to occur in the adult brain, and it has been proposed to participate in a myriad of behavioral responses, both in physiological states and in the context of neuropsychiatric disorders
Summary
The levels of reproduction-related hormones, including human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), estrogen, progesterone, relaxin, prolactin (PRL), and oxytocin (OT), exhibit sharp variations [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12] (Figure 1). Striking changes in cognition and behavior occur during pregnancy and postpartum, involving multiple neuropsychological aspects such as learning, memory, mood, and childcare. Studies in animal models such as rats, mice, and sheep have shown that hormonal changes during pregnancy and postpartum may significantly modulate the process of neuroplasticity, including adult neurogenesis, in many brain regions such as the hypothalamus and hippocampal formation [13,14,15,16,17]. Adult neurogenesis is considered to occur principally in the subventricular zone (SVZ) in the wall of the lateral ventricle and subgranular zone (SGZ) in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation [20, 21], which has been known to play an essential role in olfactory and spatial learning and memory. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) appears important for other cognitive functions, mood regulation, and behavioral processes in normal conditions. Impairment of AHN is related to the pathogenesis of many psychiatric disorders and neurological diseases affecting different age groups [22,23,24]
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