58. Maternal Affect and Mother-Offspring Dynamics

58. Maternal Affect and Mother-Offspring Dynamics

From Mommy Brain Revisited by Dr. Jodi Pawluski

August 8, 2025 · 34 min · Episode 58

About this episode

This episode explores maternal affect and mother-offspring dynamics in relation to depressive-like behavior with Dr. Mariana Pereira.

In this episode of Mommy Brain Revisited, I’m joined by Dr. Mariana Pereira, an Associate Professor at UMass. We dive into the maternal affective state and mother-offspring interactions in an animal model of depressive-like behavior. We also talk about dopamine, maternal mental health and treatment strategies. Tune in for a fascinating conversation on brain changes with maternal mood! For more about Dr Pereira's research, see here. Here is a direct link to the study we talk about. Tuncali, I., Sorial, N., Torr, K. et al. Positive maternal affect during mother–litter interaction is reduced in new mother rats exhibiting a depression-like phenotype. Sci Rep 13 , 6552 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33035-z

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Jodi Pawluski

Guest: Dr. Mariana Pereira

Topics covered

  • maternal affect
  • mother-offspring interactions
  • depressive-like behavior
  • dopamine
  • maternal mental health
  • treatment strategies

Keywords

  • maternal affect
  • mother-offspring dynamics
  • depression
  • dopamine
  • mental health
  • animal model
  • treatment strategies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UMass

Books & works: Positive maternal affect during mother–litter interaction is reduced in new mother rats exhibiting a depression-like phenotype

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