Plasticity in Intrinsic Excitability of Hypothalamic Magnocellular Neurosecretory Neurons in Late-Pregnant and Lactating Rats.

ABSTRACT: Oxytocin and vasopressin secretion from the posterior pituitary gland are required for normal pregnancy and lactation. Oxytocin secretion is relatively low and constant under basal conditions but becomes pulsatile during birth and lactation to stimulate episodic contraction of the uterus for delivery of the fetus and milk ejection during suckling. Vasopressin secretion is maintained in pregnancy and lactation despite reduced osmolality (the principal stimulus for vasopressin secretion) to increase water retention to cope with the cardiovascular demands of pregnancy and lactation. Oxytocin and vasopressin secretion are determined by the action potential (spike) firing of magnocellular neurosecretory neurons of the hypothalamic supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. In addition to synaptic i

SUBMITTER: Perkinson MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8268815 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature