Neural Underpinnings of Dopaminergic Development After Cesarean Section

• Ella Gandolfo, Neuroscience, Yale University

• William Kenkel, Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware

Cesarean section (CS) rates have increased in recent years, now accounting for ~32% of all live births in the United States as of 2023. CS offspring have shown altered dopamine (DA)-related neurobehavioral outcomes in preclinical studies as well as an increased risk of obesity later in life. Prior work in prairie voles found that CS-born offspring weigh more than their vaginally delivered (VD) counterparts, yet the neural mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. Because DA system development is sensitive to early-life experiences and DA itself indirectly regulates energy expenditure, disruptions in dopaminergic development following CS birth may contribute to the metabolic and behavioral changes observed in CS offspring. To address this, prairie vole and rat pups were delivered via VD or CS and cross-fostered. Rat offspring were assigned to either standard or cafeteria diet conditions, with food consumption, body weight, and running wheel activity recorded throughout the study. Prairie vole brain tissue was collected, sectioned, and stained for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis and a marker of dopaminergic activity, using immunohistochemistry. TH expression was quantified in major homeostatic brain regions, including the paraventricular nucleus. Preliminary data indicate that CS animals weigh more, move less, and exhibit altered TH immunoreactivity across the examined brain regions. These findings may elucidate a neural mechanism that underlies the metabolic and behavioral consequences of CS delivery.