Changes in dam and pup behavior following repeated postnatal exposure to a predator odor (TMT): A preliminary investigation in long‐evans rats

Ayers, Luke W.; Asok, Arun; Blaze, Jennifer; Roth, Tania L.; Rosen, Jeffrey B.

doi:10.1002/dev.21362

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Using POE as a model of early life stress mimics a naturalistic "fear of harm" without depriving pups of maternal care and warmth, food or drink, or other resources for extended periods of time. Importantly, neonatal POE induces a surge of cortisol immediately following exposure (Tanapat et al, 1998), leading to multiple molecular and behavioral effects, including a decrease in cell proliferation in the dentate gyrus (Tanapat et al, 1998), as well as alterations in pup vocalizations (Ayers et al, 2015;Lyons and Banks, 1982), and freezing behavior in juvenile animals (Ayers et al, 2015). The present study extends these observations by examining long-term outcomes of neonatal POE on opioid receptor gene expression.…”

Section: Neonatal Poe As a Model Of Elssupporting

confidence: 51%

Early life stress alters opioid receptor mRNA levels within the nucleus accumbens in a sex-dependent manner

Chang

Kigar

et al. 2019

Brain Research

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Early life stress (ELS) strongly impacts mental health, but little is known about its interaction with biological sex and postnatal development to influence risk and resilience to psychopathologies. A number of psychiatric disorders, such as social anhedonia and drug addiction, involve dysfunctional opioid signaling; moreover, there is evidence for differential central opioid function in males vs. females. The present study examined opioid receptor gene expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and amygdala of male and female rats subjected to a neonatal predator odor exposure (POE) paradigm to model ELS. Brain tissue was collected at two developmental time points: neonatal and juvenile. Results showed that, following the neonatal POE experience, opioid receptor mRNA levels in the NAc were differentially regulated a t the neonatal and juvenile time points. POE down-regulated neonatal mu-and kappa-opioid receptor mRNA levels in neonatal females, but upregulated mu-and delta-opioid receptor mRNA levels in juvenile females. Intriguingly, POE had no significant effect on NAc opioid receptor mRNA levels in males at either time point, indicating that the impact of POE on opioid system development is sex-dependent. Finally, POE failed to alter amygdalar opioid receptor gene expression in either sex at either timepoint. The spatiotemporally-and sex-specific impact of ELS within the developing brain may confer differential risk or resilience for males and females to develop atypical opioid-regulated behaviors associated with conditions such as depression and addiction.

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Section: Neonatal Poe As a Model Of Elssupporting

confidence: 51%

Early life stress alters opioid receptor mRNA levels within the nucleus accumbens in a sex-dependent manner

Chang

Kigar

et al. 2019

Brain Research

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“…These behavioral modifications are robust, energetically demanding and unique to the maternal state (Numan and Woodside, 2010). For the most part, the behavioral transition from a non-maternal to maternal state is unidirectional and stable even under challenging circumstances (Ayers et al, 2016;Kenny et al, 2014;McLeod et al, 2007;Orpen and Fleming, 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Histone deacetylase inhibitor treatment induces postpartum-like maternal behavior and immediate early gene expression in the maternal neural pathway in virgin mice

Mayer

Helton

Torres

et al. 2019

Hormones and Behavior

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The peripartum period is associated with the onset of behaviors that shelter, feed and protect young offspring from harm. The neural pathway that regulates caregiving behaviors has been mapped in female rats and is conserved in mice. However, rats rely on late gestational hormones to shift their perception of infant cues from aversive to attractive, whereas laboratory mice are "spontaneously" maternal, but their level of responding depends on experience. For example, pup-naïve virgin female mice readily care for pups in the home cage, but avoid pups in a novel environment. In contrast, pup-experienced virgin mice care for pups in both contexts. Thus, virgin mice rely on experience to shift their perception of infant cues from aversive to attractive in a novel context. We hypothesize that alterations in immediate early gene activation may underlie the experience-driven shift in which neural pathways (fear/avoidance versus maternal/approach) are activated by pups to modulate context-dependent changes in maternal responding. Here we report that the effects of sodium butyrate, a drug that allows for an amplification of experience-induced histone acetylation and gene expression in virgins, are comparable to the natural onset of caregiving behaviors in postpartum mice and induce postpartum-like patterns of immediate early gene expression across brain regions. These data suggest that pups can activate a fear/defensive circuit in mice and experience-driven improvements in caregiving behavior could be regulated in part through decreased activation of this pathway.

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“…Exposure of rodents to predator odor elicits an unconditioned fear response (Takahashi et al, 2008). Early life exposure of rat pups to predator odor significantly affects later life behaviors including fear responding (Hacquemand et al, 2010; Ayers et al, 2016). The impact of this early postnatal exposure to predator odor can also differentially affect male and female offspring (Mashoodh et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predator odor exposure of rat pups has opposite effects on play by juvenile males and females

Stockman

McCarthy

2017

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

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Juvenile social play behavior is one of the earliest sexually differentiated behaviors to emerge. In rats, as with most other species that play, males engage in more rough-and-tumble play compared to females. Exposure to early life adversity is a major driver of adult health and can manifest differently in males and females. However, the effects of adverse early life exposure on play behavior in the juvenile period are poorly understood. To address this, male and female neonatal rats were exposed to predator odor (PO), for 5 min/day on PN1-PN3. At the time of exposure to PO, both male and female pups suppressed ultrasonic vocalization and displayed more freezing behavior. Circulating corticosterone increased in males immediately following PO exposure but not in females. The enduring effects of PO exposure were opposite in males compared to females in that PO exposed males decreased social play, while PO exposed females increased play behavior compared to same sex controls. PO exposure did not significantly affect cell genesis in the neonatal dentate gyrus of either sex. PO exposure did not affect anxiety-like behavior assessed in the juvenile period or in adulthood, nor did it affect social interactions in adulthood. This work provides new insight into how sex may interact with adverse early life events to contribute to development of the social consequences of such exposures.

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Changes in dam and pup behavior following repeated postnatal exposure to a predator odor (TMT): A preliminary investigation in long‐evans rats

Cited by 17 publications

References 60 publications

Early life stress alters opioid receptor mRNA levels within the nucleus accumbens in a sex-dependent manner

Early life stress alters opioid receptor mRNA levels within the nucleus accumbens in a sex-dependent manner

Histone deacetylase inhibitor treatment induces postpartum-like maternal behavior and immediate early gene expression in the maternal neural pathway in virgin mice

Predator odor exposure of rat pups has opposite effects on play by juvenile males and females

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