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Dynamic changes in postpartum autonomic nervous system in normal mice: a pilot study

animal-behavior
neuroscience
zoology
womens-health

Abstract

Female physiology changes dynamically during parturition, but autonomic nervous activity during this process remains largely unknown. We conducted a longitudinal study in awake mice using a telemetry device to record electrocardiograms (ECG) before, during, and 24 h after parturition. Half of the mice gave birth and reared their offspring normally, whereas the remaining mice, classified as abnormal, experienced dystocia, neglect, or infanticide. We compared autonomic nervous activity between groups using time domain analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). Normal mice showed significant increase in HRV parameters the standard deviation of RR intervals in the ECG (SDRR), root-mean-square of successive differences (RMSSD), and the coefficient of variation of RR intervals (CVRR) 24 h after parturition. Abnormal mice did not show such changes, and these parameters remained lower than those of normal mice. These findings suggest that autonomic nervous activity may be associated with adaptation from the pregnancy to the lactation period, and that detecting dynamic changes in autonomic nervous activity during 24 h after parturition may be useful for identifying normal mothers.
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