Our research in the lab is centered on unraveling the intricate relationship between astrocytes, the predominant glial cells in the brain, and neuronal activity in both normal and pathological conditions. My project specifically focuses on identifying a neuroglial circuit that governs oxytocin-based maternal care. Affiliative behavior is known to rely on complex neuroendocrine neuronal circuits, with dynamic neuroglial interactions playing a crucial role in shaping synaptic networks.
In our study, we delved into the potential regulation of maternal behavior by astrocytes. Our findings suggest that female mice, experiencing elevated oxytocin levels and structural plasticity following social interaction with pups, exhibit a downregulation of astroglial connexin 30 in the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus. The connexin 30 is exclusively expressed in astrocytes in the CNS and this protein is known to play a role in structural remodeling. Notably, the impairment of astroglial connexin 30 expression was associated with changes in the structural properties of astrocytes, leading to a reduction in their volume and coverage of oxytocinergic synapses in the supraoptic nucleus of female mice.
This functional alteration in astrocytes has significant repercussions, influencing plasma oxytocin levels and maternal behavior. Importantly, we observed an exacerbation of maternal care in virgin, pup‐naïve female mice deficient in astroglial connexin 30. These findings underscore the pivotal role of astrocytes in modulating maternal behavior and offer valuable insights into the neuroglial mechanisms governing affiliative behavior.