Amniotic fluid can act as an appetitive unconditioned stimulus in preweanling rats

Arias, Carlos F.; Chotro, M. Gabriela

doi:10.1002/dev.20205

Cited by 24 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 65 publications

(78 reference statements)

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“…Although most studies that looked at how familiar odours or flavours affect emotionality, memory evocation and mood have been performed in humans, there is also evidence from work on chickens and our earlier work in pigs that familiar flavours can also reduce stress and possibly influence emotionality in animals [27], [35], [53]. In the current study, flavours in the amniotic, which is a very attractive and positive substrate for young animals [54], [55], [56], [57], may have resulted in an association of the flavour with a very positive context: the mother. Whether flavours in the prenatal or postnatal environment are more important for the learning of the association remains unclear from this study, but our previous work in pigs showed practically no effects of postnatal exposure only (from day 6 onwards) [27], [28].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Perinatal Flavour Learning and Adaptation to Being Weaned: All the Pig Needs Is Smell

et al. 2011

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Perinatal flavour learning through the maternal diet is known to enhance flavour preference and acceptance of flavoured food in many species, yet still little is known about the mechanism underlying perinatal flavour learning. Previously we found positive effects of perinatal flavour learning on food intake, growth and behaviour of piglets postweaning, but no increased preference for the flavour. This suggests that flavour learning in pigs works through a reduction of weaning stress by the presence of the familiar flavour instead. The aim of this study was to investigate whether perinatal flavour learning reduces stress at weaning, and whether the effect is stronger when the familiar flavour is present in the food. Sows were offered an anethol-flavoured diet (Flavour treatment) or control diet (Control treatment) during late gestation and lactation. Flavour and Control piglets were provided with anethol either in their food (Food treatment) or in the air (Air treatment) after weaning. Preweaning and postweaning treatments did not affect food intake, preference or growth in the first two weeks postweaning but flavour treatment reduced the latency to eat (24 versus 35 hours, P = 0.02) and within-pen variation in growth (SD within-pen: 0.7 versus 1.2 kg, P<0.001). Salivary cortisol levels tended to be lower four and seven hours postweaning for Flavour piglets compared to Control piglets (4 hours: 2.5 versus 3.0 ng/ml, P = 0.05, 7 hours: 3.1 versus 3.4 ng/ml, P = 0.08). Flavour piglets played more and showed less damaging behaviours than Control piglets, indicating that the familiar flavour reduced stress around weaning. Few interaction effects were found between preweaning and postweaning treatment, and no effects of postweaning treatment. We conclude that in the newly weaned pig, perinatal flavour learning results in a reduction of stress when the familiar flavour is present, regardless of providing the flavour in the food or in the air.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Perinatal Flavour Learning and Adaptation to Being Weaned: All the Pig Needs Is Smell

et al. 2011

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“…Two hours before the first intake test (water), pups were separated from the mother and placed, grouped by litter, in heated holding chambers. Each pup was implanted with an intraoral cannula through the cheek using a procedure already described in previous studies (for example see: (Arias and Chotro, 2007; Hall and Rosenblatt, 1977; Spear et al, 1989). These cannulae were later used to infuse the solutions during the intake tests.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Binge ethanol exposure in late gestation induces ethanol aversion in the dam but enhances ethanol intake in the offspring and affects their postnatal learning about ethanol

Chotro

Arias

Spear

2009

Alcohol

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Previous studies show that exposure to 1 or 2 g/kg ethanol during the last days of gestation increases ethanol acceptance in infant rats. We tested whether prenatal exposure to 3 g/kg, a relatively high ethanol dose, generates an aversion to ethanol in both the dam and offspring, and whether this prenatal experience affects the expression of learning derived from ethanol exposure postnatally. The answer was uncertain, since postnatal administration of a 3 g/kg ethanol dose induces an aversion to ethanol after postnatal day 10 but increases ethanol acceptance when administered during the first postnatal week. In the present study pregnant rats received intragastric administrations of water or ethanol (3 g/kg) on gestation days 17-20. On postnatal days 7-8 or 10-11 the offspring were administered water or ethanol (3 g/kg). Intake of ethanol and water, locomotor activity in an open-field and ethanol odor preference were evaluated in the pups, while the mothers were evaluated in terms of ethanol intake. Results indicated an aversion to ethanol in dams that had been administered ethanol during gestation, despite a general increase in ethanol intake observed in their pups relative to controls. The prenatal ethanol exposure also potentiated the increase in ethanol intake observed after intoxication on postnatal days 7-8. Ethanol intoxication on postnatal days 10-11 reduced ethanol consumption; this ethanol aversion was still evident in infant rats exposed prenatally to ethanol despite their general increase in ethanol intake. No effects of prenatal ethanol exposure were observed in terms of motor activity or odor preference. It is concluded that prenatal exposure to ethanol, even in a dose that induces ethanol aversion in the gestating dam, increases ethanol intake in infant rats and that this experience modulates age-related differences in subsequent postnatal learning about ethanol.

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“…This initial response in favor of amniotic fluid odor is consistent with previous data in mice where PND-2 mouse pups preferred grasping nipples coated with amniotic fluid than with saline or a novel odorant (vanilla) (Kodama, 1990). Much in the same way as neonatal mice, newborn rats were also strongly attracted to the amniotic fluid odor presented in the context of a nipple from the very first exposure (Arias & Chotro, 2007;Blass & Teicher, 1980;Korthank & Robinson, 1998;Teicher & Blass, 1977). But even more, PND-1 rat pups can be set into sustained crawling motion by amniotic fluid odor, but not by a novel artificial odorant (Mendez-Gallardo & Robinson, 2011).…”

Section: Substrates Involved In the Initial Expression Of Oral Graspimentioning

confidence: 99%

How does a newly born mouse get to the nipple? odor substrates eliciting first nipple grasping and sucking responses

Aïn

Belin

Schaal

et al. 2012

Developmental Psychobiology

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It is a mammalian female strategy to emit odor cues and signals that direct their inexperienced newborns to the nipple, and optimize their initial sucking success and, hence, viability. Here, natural odorous substrates that contribute to nipple grasping were investigated in mice, a species that has not been much scrutinized on this topic. The response of pups toward the nipples of lactating females (LF) versus nonlactating females (NLF) were first assessed right after watched birth, before and after the first suckling experience, and at 1 day old, after more extended suckling experience. It appeared that only nipples of LF induced grasping at these early ages, leading to take NLF as the baseline setting to present various odor substrates sampled from LF, viz. amniotic fluid, murine milk, LF saliva, pup saliva, LF urine, and an odorless control stimulus (water). Results indicate that: (1) only amniotic fluid and fresh milk induced nipple grasping before the first suckling experience; (2) LF saliva started inducing grasping after the first suckling experience; (3) pup saliva released grasping after 24-36 hr of suckling experience; finally (4) neither LF urine, nor water induced any nipple grasping. In conclusion, the activity of amniotic fluid and murine milk on neonatal pup behavior before any postnatal suckling experience suggests that either prenatal learning and/or predisposed olfactory mechanisms do operate, while the behavioral activation due to maternal and infantile salivas clearly depends on postnatal exposure.

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Amniotic fluid can act as an appetitive unconditioned stimulus in preweanling rats

Cited by 24 publications

References 65 publications

Perinatal Flavour Learning and Adaptation to Being Weaned: All the Pig Needs Is Smell

Perinatal Flavour Learning and Adaptation to Being Weaned: All the Pig Needs Is Smell

Binge ethanol exposure in late gestation induces ethanol aversion in the dam but enhances ethanol intake in the offspring and affects their postnatal learning about ethanol

How does a newly born mouse get to the nipple? odor substrates eliciting first nipple grasping and sucking responses

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