Postpartum neurocircuits

Research Group Valtcheva

Becoming a mother is a developmental milestone in many mammalian species, leading to life-long transformations in female physiology. The postpartum period is characterized by profound changes in key physiological processes which are necessary to maintain lactation and infant care.

The Valtcheva group studies what types of neural plasticity enable endocrine and behavior responses to the offspring, as well as those that support physiological adaptations in the mother during the postpartum period. We specifically investigate the synaptic and circuit mechanisms which gate reactivity to cues from the newborn to promote hormonal release and adaptive behaviors in lactating mice.

We are focusing on the following three research directions:

1. Identify the neural pathways relaying infant stimuli.
2. Dissect the synaptic and circuit mechanisms which enable and sustain neural, hormonal and behavioral responses to pups.
3. Understand how maternal physiological demands are shaped during the postpartum period and influenced by offspring needs.

We study this on a synaptic, circuit and behavior level combining multiple state-of-the-art approaches in transgenic mice including in vivo and slice electrophysiology, calcium imaging, behavior tracking, viral tracing approaches, opto-/chemogenetics, molecular and pharmacology tools, and newly-developed neurotransmitter sensors.

Selected publications:

Yang M, Keller D, Dobolyi A, Valtcheva S, The lateral thalamus: a bridge between multisensory processing and naturalistic behaviors. Trends Neurosci. 2025. Jan;48(1):33-46.

Valtcheva S, Issa HA, Bair-Marshall CJ, Martin KA, Jung K, Zhang Y, Kwon H-B, Froemke RC, Neural circuitry for maternal oxytocin release induced by infant cries. Nature. 2023. Sep;621(7980):788-795.

Glennon E, Valtcheva S, Zhu A, Wadghiri YZ, Svirsky MA, Froemke RC, Locus coeruleus activity improves cochlear implant performance. Nature. 2023. Jan;613(7943):317-323.

Schiavo JK, Valtcheva S, Bair-Marshall CJ, Song SC, Martin KA, Froemke RC, Innate and plastic mechanisms for maternal behaviour in auditory cortex. Nature. 2020. Nov;587(7834):426-431.

Valtcheva S, Venance L, Astrocytes gate Hebbian synaptic plasticity in the striatum. Nat Commun. 2016. Dec 20;7:13845.

Highlights