Neuroendocrine Regulation of Mammalian Pregnancy and Lactation

Dr. Paula J. Brunton is currently a Senior Lecturer based at the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Physiology in 1998 and her PhD in Neuroendocrinology in 2002, both from the University of Edinburgh. Her expertise lies in the area of stress neurobiology, neuroendocrinology and behaviour. Her key research themes are focused on understanding the impact of maternal stress exposure during pregnancy on the mother, the pregnancy, her offspring and on subsequent generations, with a particular emphasis on unearthing the underlying central mechanisms involved and how the effects can be prevented or reversed. Her research has revealed the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying altered stress responsivity in pregnancy and has also demonstrated that maternal exposure to stress during pregnancy is linked with adverse consequences for the offspring, some of which persist to the next generation. She has published over60 peer-reviewed research articles, invited reviews and book chapters, in the fields of neuroendocrinology and neuroscience. She has been a Senior Editor for the Journal of Neuroendocrinology, since 2017 and was elected to the Board of Trustees of the British Society for Neuroendocrinology in 2020. She organised the 4th International Parental Brain Conference in 2010 and continues to serve on the scientific advisory committee for this meeting. She is also actively involved in delivering taught undergraduate degree programmes in Biomedical Sciences at both the University of Edinburgh and Zhejiang University, China on topics within the fields of endocrinology and neuroendocrinology.Prof. David R. Grattan is a Professor in the Department of Anatomy and was Director of the Centre for Neuroendocrinology at the University of Otago (2018-2023).  He obtained a Ph.D. in Physiology in 1991 from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand), then held a Post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD, USA), before returning to New Zealand to take up a Lecturer position in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Otago in 1995.  He was promoted to full Professor in 2009, and served as the Head of this Department from 2011-2014. He has published over 150 research articles, invited reviews and book chapters, in the fields of Neuroendocrinology, Endocrinology and Neuroscience, with a particular focus on the pituitary hormone prolactin and its role in the maternal brain during pregnancy and lactation. From 2009-2014 he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuroendocrinology, and is currently an Associate Editor for Endocrinology.  He also chaired the organising committee for the 8th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology in Sydney, Australia, 2014. Dave has a strong interest in promoting the field of neuroendocrinology, the fascinating nexus between endocrinology and neuroscience.

• Chapter 1. Maternal Recognition of Pregnancy.- Chapter 2. The Placenta as a Neuroendocrine Organ.- Chapter 3. Adaptations of the Maternal Brain to Meet the Increased Energy Demands of Pregnancy and Lactation.- Chapter 4. Regulation of the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in Pregnancy and Lactation.- Chapter 5. Neuropeptide Pathways Controlling the Timing of Birth.- Chapter 6. Oxytocin in Lactation and Parturition.- Chapter 7. Lactation and the Control of the Prolactin Secretion.- Chapter 8. Neuroendocrine Control of Maternal Behavior.- Chapter 9. Cognition and Neuroplasticity during Pregnancy and Postpartum.- Chapter 10. Neuroendocrinology of Perinatal Mental Illness.