Ensuring infants鈥� well-being is necessary for the survival of many species. It turns out that this act, often selfless and demanding, may be influenced by a network of reward systems hardwired in all of us. Such maternal instincts are a major focus for 黑料吃瓜资源 (CSHL) neuroscientist Katie Day, a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Stephen Shea鈥檚 lab.
At the March edition of CSHL鈥檚 Cocktails & Chromosomes series, Day shared her findings with the crowd at Six Harbors Brewing Company in Huntington. 鈥淢aybe there鈥檚 something intrinsically rewarding about childcare,鈥� Day suggested, showing evidence of upticks in brain activity among mice caring for pups. The data paints a compelling picture. Parents and non-parents alike may follow the same biological imperative when it comes to raising kids.
Day went on to ground her research in the real challenges human moms face. 鈥淏y studying these and the basic biology of how this works in the brain,鈥� Day concludes, 鈥渨e can help with maternal mental health research and hopefully one day reduce the number of postnatal deaths in the U.S.鈥�
Press play for a front-row seat at Day鈥檚 talk. And if you want to find out more about the neuroscience of social behavior, register for our next Cocktails & Chromosomes event. On May 28, CSHL Associate Professor Lucas Cheadle will discuss autism, where it comes from, and why it鈥檚 becoming more common.