Postpartum female preference for cooler temperatures linked to brain changes: Study

To identify the biological underpinnings of these changes, the researchers studied the preoptic area (POA), a brain region important for sensing and regulating body temperature. “We discovered that the change in temperature preference in postpartum female mice was associated with a significant decrease in a particular group of neurons, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-expressing neurons in the preoptic area of the brain (ERαPOA neurons),” Wang said.

Supporting this finding, the researchers found that virgin females in which the estrogen receptor alpha had been deleted in ERαPOA neurons also preferred lower temperatures and avoided warmer locations, mimicking postpartum females.

Looking closely into the ERαPOA neurons, the researchers found that these neurons vary in their ability to sense warm or cold temperatures – one group of ERαPOA neurons can directly respond to warmth, while another group responds to cooler temperatures. “Interestingly, compared to female mice that had not been pregnant, ERαPOA neurons of postpartum females had reduced response to warmth and an enhanced response to cold,” Wang said.

Together, the results support that the ability of ERαPOA neurons to sense warmth and cold is regulated by reproductive experience and leads to changes in temperature preferences that alter the animal’s warmth-seeking behavior. Currently, the researchers are exploring the function of each group of ERαPOA neurons on the regulation body temperature and thermal preference.

Reference:

Nan Zhang, Meng Yu, Qianru Zhao, Bing Feng, Yue Deng, Jonathan C. Bean, Qingzhuo Liu, Benjamin P. Eappen, Yang He, Kristine M. Conde, Hailan Liu, Yongjie Yang, Longlong Tu, Mengjie Wang, Yongxiang Li, Na Yin, Hesong Liu, Junying Han, Darah Ave Threat, Nathan Xu, Taylor Smiley, Pingwen Xu, Lulu Chen, Tianshu Zeng, Yanlin He, Chunmei Wang, Altered thermal preference by preoptic estrogen receptor alpha neurons in postpartum females, Molecular Metabolism, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2025.102108.