Effect of maternal social isolation rearing (SIR) on adult offspring gene expression in the thalamus

Yet the neural circuits and molecular programs through which maternal mood disturbance shapes offspring brain development are poorly defined. Depression that predates conception and continues through pregnancy confers enduring vulnerability to mood and cognitive disorders in offspring, yet its neuroanatomical and molecular footprints remain elusive.

To address this knowledge gap, we employed a model of prenatal depression based on social isolation rearing in female mice that induces a depressive-like phenotype before conception that persists during pregnancy. Female C57BL/6 N mice were subjected to social-isolation rearing (SIR) from weaning through gestation and lactation. Adult offspring underwent standard anxiety testing and thalamic bulk RNA sequencing.