Researchers report differing effects of vaginal and cesarean birth on neurodevelopment in mice. Previous studies have reported behavioral and cognitive differences between children delivered vaginally versus by cesarean section (C-section), suggesting that birth mode affects brain development. However, medical complications, altered birth timing, and maternal factors associated with C-sections complicate studies of birth mode effects in humans. Nancy Forger, Alexandra Castillo-Ruiz, and colleagues examined neuronal cell death immediately before and after vaginal or C-section birth in mice. Female mice were impregnated within the same 12-hour period, and for each mouse that gave birth vaginally, a C-section was simultaneously performed on another randomly selected mouse, thereby controlling for effects of gestation length and birth timing. Vaginally-delivered pups exhibited significantly reduced cell death in several brain regions 3 hours after birth, compared with that observed in pups just before birth. The abrupt decline in cell death across birth was not observed in pups delivered by C-section. Cesarean-born mice emitted quieter ultrasonic vocalizations than vaginally-born mice, and at weaning had fewer neurons expressing the hormone vasopressin in the hypothalamus and greater body weight than vaginally born mice. The results suggest that birth mode can influence neurodevelopment, potentially leading to lasting impacts on brain function and behavior, according to the authors.
Article #18-11962: "Birth delivery mode alters perinatal cell death in the mouse brain," by Alexandra Castillo-Ruiz, Morgan Mosley, Andrew J. Jacobs, Yarely C. Hoffiz, and Nancy G. Forger.
MEDIA CONTACT: Nancy G. Forger, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA; tel: 404-413-5888; e-mail: nforger@gsu.edu ; Alexandra Castillo-Ruiz, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA; e-mail: acastilloruiz@gsu.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences