How major life experiences reshape the brain reward circuit?

Events such as puberty, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause introduce hormonal and physiological shifts that fundamentally alter behavioral priorities. However, we still lack a mechanistic understanding of how these changes reshape motivation-related circuits and why some individuals are more vulnerable to mood and substance use disorders during these transitions. Specifically, menopause is understudied in preclinical neuroscience despite being a time of heightened vulnerability to mood, cognitive, and metabolic disorders in women.