title: A mother's brain knows.
abstract: Prolactin is a pregnancy hormone that is essential for development of the mammary gland for milk production. In addition, prolactin exerts important actions in the maternal brain, resulting in changes in maternal physiology and behaviour that help the mother cope with the new demands of pregnancy, childbirth and lactation. Hence, the same hormonal signal is used both by brain and body to recognise and adapt to these new physiological states.
authors: Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors: Dave
authors: D
authors: Grattan
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology*; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D011388:Prolactin / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D011388:Prolactin