University of Virginia-Main Campus · PsychologyMaternal Health and Oxytocin Research Lab
Jessica J Connelly · Charlottesville, Virginia
Research Focus
Jessica J. Connelly's research lab at the University of Virginia focuses on understanding how interventions during childbirth, specifically the use of exogenous oxytocin, can affect maternal health and behavior. The lab studies the changes in the oxytocin system during and after birth, including how genetics and epigenetics might influence outcomes like postpartum depression and hemorrhage. By using animal models, the lab aims to uncover key mechanisms that could lead to improved maternal care and interventions.
exogenous oxytocinmaternal healthpostpartum depressionepigeneticsbirth interventionsoxytocin systemDNA methylationmaternal behaviorrisk factors
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate the role of the OxtrH transcript in regulating gene expression during natural vaginal births.
AIM 02Examine how labor induction with exogenous oxytocin alters the epigenetic landscape of Oxtr.
AIM 03Assess how the OxtrH transcript influences maternal behavior and health outcomes.
AIM 04Characterize the genetic variability in the oxytocin system that could lead to postpartum complications.
Skills the Lab Values
PCRanimal modelsDNA methylation analysisgene expression assaystranscriptional regulation studiesepigenetic modification techniquesbehavioral assessments in rodentsstatistical analysis with RbioinformaticsWestern blotting
Output against the department
Publications106bottom 28% of dept.210th of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations5.2kbottom 45% of dept.164th of 296
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.