Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon

Principal Investigator

Rosie Brown staff photo Dr Rosie Brown

Email rosemary.brown@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 8207
Fax 64 3 479 7323
Department of Physiology website

Research interests

I am interested in how the changing hormones of pregnancy and lactation act on neural circuitry in the maternal brain to influence behaviour. In particular, I focus on maternal behaviour, a complex set of behaviours displayed by a mother that promote the survival and wellbeing of her offspring. Our work aims to understand how hormones normally act to direct a mother's behaviour and how these processes may become disrupted.
At the Centre for Neuroendocrinology, I use transgenic mouse models to address the impact of specific neuroendocrine disruptions on maternal behaviour using behavioural assays. We investigate hormonal actions on neural circuitry underlying parental behaviour using a range of molecular, immunohistochemical and imaging approaches.
I am also interested in how changes in the ability of hormones to access the brain in different physiological or pathological states might underlie changes in hormone function.

Clinical conditions

  • Postpartum depression
  • Postpartum anxiety
  • Maternal obesity

Rosie Brown Laboratory staff & students

Isaiah Cheong_webIsaiah Cheong, Assistant Research Fellow
Neuroendocrine regulation of maternal behaviour
Email isaiah.cheong@otago.ac.nz

Jenny Clarkson_webJenny Clarkson, Research Fellow
Neural circuits required for maternal adaptation to pregnancy
Email jenny.clarkson@otago.ac.nz

Jamie McQuillan_webJamie McQuillan, Postdoctoral Fellow
Email jamie.mcquillan@otago.ac.nz

Tapasya Pal webTapasya Pal, Postdoctoral Fellow
Email tapasya.pal@otago.ac.nz

Michael Perkinson_webMichael Perkinson, Postdoctoral Fellow
Email michael.perkinson@otago.ac.nz

Logan Wragg, MSc student
Email wralo858@student.otago.ac.nz

Nikkita Murray, Honours student
Email murni023@student.otago.ac.nz

Visit Our people for an alphabetical list of all Centre for Neuroendocrinology staff.

Research Funders

Publications

Brown, R. S. E., Jacobs, I. M., Khant Aung, Z., Knowles, P. J., Grattan, D. R., & Ladyman, S. R. (2023). High fat diet-induced maternal obesity in mice impairs peripartum maternal behaviour. Journal of Neuroendocrinology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/jne.13350

Cheong, I., Clarkson, J., & Brown, R. S. E. (2023, August). Dynamic changes in hormone receptor expressionin galanin neurons in the MPOA of pregnant and lactating female mice. Poster session presented at the 17th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.

Pal, T., Clarkson, J., Grattan, D. R., & Brown, R. S. E. (2023, August). Dynamics of MPOA prolactin receptor-expressing neurons in freely behaving mice. Poster session presented at the 17th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.

Campbell, G., Brown, R., & Iremonger, K. J. (2023, August). Investigating the influence of postpartum stress on anxiety and maternal motivation in dams and on offspring anxiety outcomes. Poster session presented at the 17th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.

Clarkson, J., Cheong, I., Grattan, D. R., & Brown, R. S. E. (2023, August). Stimulating mothers: Dissecting the maternal behaviour neural circuitry using optogenetics. Verbal presentation at the 17th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.

Back to top