Fig. 2.

Cell death (AC3⁺ cells/mm³) decreased abruptly following vaginal birth in the DG, BNSTp, BNSTl, LS, DR, and LHb (A–F, down-facing arrows indicate significant decline between E19 and 3 h postnatally; P < 0.05 for all), but increased following a C-section birth in the DR, LHb, AHA, DMH, VMH, and PVT (E–J, up-facing arrows; P < 0.05 for all). Asterisks over brackets indicate a significant effect of birth mode on cell death across all postnatal ages (A, B, E, G, K; *P < 0.04; **P < 0.007). No effects were seen in the SCN (L). Asterisks above symbols indicate significant post hoc comparisons (following a significant interaction) for single timepoints (*P < 0.04; ***P = 0.0006). Gray shading indicates in utero timepoints. Data are mean ± SEM. n = 9–12 per group.