Jessica J Connelly
University of Virginia, VA·Neuroscience
About one in three U.S. births follows a labor induced with oxytocin, a hormone given to start or speed contractions.
- Fields
Neuroscience
Genetics
Psychology
- Topics
oxytocin
OxtrH
labor induction
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jun 2030
What they work on
- Determine how the OxtrH transcript, a little-studied version of the oxytocin receptor gene, controls DNA methylation and other gene versions of Oxtr in prairie vole mothers after natural vaginal birth.
- Test how inducing labor with oxytocin given from outside the body changes the way OxtrH shapes the DNA methylation and activity of Oxtr in the maternal uterus and brain of prairie voles.
- Assess how OxtrH influences gene activity across the whole maternal genome, measured with genome-wide gene expression profiling.
- Determine how OxtrH and the natural Oxtr gene variant affect maternal caregiving behavior in prairie voles.
More about the research
Labor induction has been linked to a higher risk of severe bleeding after birth (postpartum hemorrhage) and postpartum depression, yet its long-term effects on mothers are poorly understood. In women, changes to the oxytocin receptor gene, OXTR, may raise risk for both conditions. These changes include DNA methylation, chemical tags that turn genes down. The person's genotype interacts with the methylation pattern to shape risk.
Why it matters
Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide, and nearly one in five mothers develops postpartum depression. By showing how labor induction and genetic background shape the oxytocin system, this work could help identify mothers at higher risk. It could eventually guide interventions that improve maternal health after common birth practices.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
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Katherine Nelson-Coffey
Arizona State University Campus Immersion, AZ·Psychology
Track changes in loneliness and social connectedness among first-time expecting mothers and fathers from pregnancy through four months postpartum.
Dabeeru Rao
Washington University in St Louis, MO·Genetics
Identify new genetic loci for cardiometabolic traits through genome-wide interaction studies (GWIS) with lifestyle factors in about 1.267 million European, African, Hispanic and Asian ancestry participants.
The school
University of Virginia: 43 labs on PI Pages, $814M a year on research, 413 research doctorates a year.
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