A restructuring of hypothalamic synapses is associated with motherhood

Abstract

Freeze-fracture analysis of the rat hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus reveals a variety of postsynaptic specializations distinguished both by particle size and by aggregate shape. One particular type of specialization is found only in replicas from females having born offspring. This suggests that, in association with motherhood, either existing synaptic specializations are modified or a new type of connection is formed.