Maternal Care Associated with Methylation of the Estrogen Receptor-α1b Promoter and Estrogen Receptor-α Expression in the Medial Preoptic Area of Female Offspring

Variations in maternal behavior are associated with differences in estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha expression in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and are transmitted across generations such that, as adults, the female offspring of mothers that exhibit increased pup licking/grooming (LG) over the first week postpartum (i.e. high LG mothers) show increased ERalpha expression in the MPOA and are themselves high LG mothers. In the present studies, cross-fostering confirmed an association between maternal care and ERalpha expression in the MPOA; the biological offspring of low LG mothers fostered at birth to high LG dams show increased ERalpha expression in the MPOA. Cross-fostering the biological offspring of high LG…