Lay summary
This proposal aims to reveal the neuronal mechanism controlling maternal respiration during pregnancy. For a healthy pregnancy and to provide sufficient oxygen for offspring development, hormones drive adaptive changes in maternal breathing patterns. Breathing is regulated by serotonin neurons in the brainstem, and we recently discovered that these neurons express receptors for the pregnancy hormone, prolactin. We hypothesise that prolactin acts to modify the activity of these serotonin neurons in pregnancy to induce adaptive changes in breathing. To test this hypothesis, we will use innovative in vivo radio-telemetry and fibre-photometry techniques to simultaneously measure breathing and neuronal activity in conscious, undisturbed mice throughout pregnancy, and conditional knockout methods to assess the role of prolactin. This unique combination of techniques will represent the first longitudinal study to examine the factors influencing maternal breathing changes, and advance understanding of common pregnancy-associated breathing disorders, such as shortness of breath and sleep apnea.