Please note this talk will be in person and also via Zoom.

Motivational changes and a dysregulated stress system are two dissociable aspects of depression. Both are regulated by gonadal hormones, specifically estrogen and progesterone. Given that 85% of women use oral contraceptives, the most common type of hormonal contraceptives (HCs), for an average of five years, a key knowledge gap is understanding the impact of HCs on the brain. For some people, HCs increase the risk for depression, likely via the impact of HCs on stress-related responses. Nevertheless, there is little known about the mechanisms by which this occurs. The overall goal of my research is to utilize a mouse model recently developed in our laboratory to understand how HCs contribute to the vulnerability to depression. There is consistent evidence that HCs blunt hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to acute stress. Moreover, there is strong evidence that both estradiol and progestins (and metabolites) modify motivational processes. By using a mouse model of HC exposure to study these questions, we will be able to systematically study the impact of HCs on specific psychological and physiological components of depression, including anhedonia, motivation, and stress. We will also examine the effects of different HC formulations and determine underlying changes in circuit activation and stress-related signaling in the brain after HC exposure. This would improve personalized medicine allowing patients to be prescribed the HC formulation that is most effective while simultaneously limiting side effects.