Early postnatal physical and behavioural development of degus (Octodon degus)

Reynolds, Thomas H.; Wright, John W.

doi:10.1258/002367779780943576

Cited by 66 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Compared with laboratory rats or mice, this species displays closer similarities to human and non-human primate behavior and development (12,(43)(44)(45), such as the presence of cortisol in the blood and the maturity of their sensory systems, which allows them to perceive and respond to familiar and novel stimuli from their environment immediately after birth. Similar to human babies (46), the newborn degu pups learn to recognize and to respond to their mothers' vocalizations within the first days of life (41,43), and this vocal communication appears to be an important component for the establishment and maintenance of the emotional attachment to the parents (18,19,47).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Juvenile emotional experience alters synaptic composition in the rodent cortex, hippocampus, and lateral amygdala

Poeggel

Helmeke

Abraham

et al. 2003

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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A quantitative anatomical study in the rodent anterior cingulate and somatosensory cortex, hippocampus, and lateral amygdala revealed region-, cell-, and dendrite-specific changes of spine densities in 3-week-old Octodon degus after repeated parental separation. In parentally separated animals significantly higher spine densities were found on the apical and basal dendrites of the cingulate cortex (up to 143% on apical and 138% on basal dendrite). Branching order analysis revealed that this effect is seen on all segments of the apical dendrite, whereas on the basal dendrites significantly higher spine densities were seen only on the outer branches (third to fifth dendritic segments). Increased spine densities were also observed on the hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons (up to 109% on the distal apical segments and up to 106% on the basal segment) compared with the control group. In contrast, significantly reduced spine densities were observed on the granule cell dendrites in the dentate gyrus (down to 92%) and on the apical dendrites in the medial nucleus of the amygdala (down to 95%). No significant changes of spine densities were seen in the somatosensory cortex (except for an increase in the proximal apical segments) and in the lateral nucleus of the dorsal amygdala (except for an increase in the proximal basal dendritic segments). These results demonstrate that repeated stressful emotional experience alters the balance of presumably excitatory synaptic inputs of pyramidal neurons in the limbic system. Such experience-induced modulations of limbic circuits may determine psychosocial and cognitive capacities during later life.limbic system ͉ stress ͉ dendritic spines ͉ parental separation ͉ cingulate cortex

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Juvenile emotional experience alters synaptic composition in the rodent cortex, hippocampus, and lateral amygdala

Poeggel

Helmeke

Abraham

et al. 2003

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…In an earlier study of this species in captivity (Wilson & Kleiman, 1974), body-nosing contacts between animds were identified as a dominant mode of juvenile social interaction, although distinguishable vocalizations (see also Reynolds & Wright, 1979) and body postures may often accompany body-nosing. In the present study, body-nosing contacts are used as the principal indicator of the amount of ongoing juvenile social interaction.…”

Section: Wilsonmentioning

confidence: 91%

Contact‐promoting behavior, social development, and relationship with parents in sibling juvenile degus (Octodon Degus)

Wilson

1982

Developmental Psychobiology

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This study describes infant socialization in captive parent-young units of the caviomorph rodent Octodon degus. Types of parent-young contact (huddling or squatting) and social interaction (body nosing and accompanying behaviors) are described and their ontogenetic trends examined between postnatal Days 1 and 46. Fathers spent less time than mothers in contact with the young. Motheryoung contact decreased postnatally, whereas the amounts of mother-young and father-young social interaction, measured in terms of body-nosing exchanges, showed a continuous increase postnatally; sibling interactions also showed a continuous increase. Father-young interactions tended to be dominated by the father. Young reared with the father cohabiting huddled less with their mother, and engaged in less body-nosing, than young reared in the father's absence. Observations suggested that paternal control of the young may curb juvenile interactions. Young observed without their parents in an unfamiliar enclosure did not groom or "play" as in their home cage with parents present, but engaged in relatively more vocalizing, neck-nosing and forepaw-clasping.

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“…Typically, degus breed once per year (Ebensperger and Hurtado 2005), and, as in other rodents, lactation represents the highest energy cost to breeding females (Veloso and Bozinovic 2000). Degu pups are more dependent than other precocial rodents on maternal milk to complete their postnatal development (Veloso and Kenagy 2005); degu pups do not eat solid food before 6 d of age (Reynolds and Wright 1979;L. A. Ebensperger, personal observations).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digestive and Metabolic Flexibility Allows Female Degus to Cope with Lactation Costs

Naya

Ebensperger²,

Sabat³

et al. 2008

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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Lactation is the most energetically demanding period in the life cycle of female mammals, and its effects on digestive flexibility and the size of internal organs have been extensively studied in laboratory mice and rats since the early 1900s. However, there have been only two studies on this topic for wild rodent species. Here, we analyzed digestive flexibility--that is, changes in gut content, activity of digestive enzymes, and gut morphology--during lactation in the caviomorph rodent Octodon degus. In addition, we evaluated changes in the size of other internal organs and analyzed their relationship with the resting metabolic rate. We found that gut content, the dry masses of digestive chambers, the dry mass of liver, and resting metabolic rate were greater in lactating than in nonbreeding control females. In contrast, fat stores were higher in control subjects. Maltase and aminopeptidase-N specific activity did not change with lactation, and both enzymes had greater activity values in the middle portion of the small intestine. Thus, our data indicate that the previously reported increase in food assimilation that occurs during lactation in O. degus is related to a mass increase in several central organs, leading, in turn, to higher energetic costs. Fat stores may help to mitigate these costs, but, as expected for small animals, to a limited extent. Our study reveals a complex interplay among energy acquisition, storage, and expenditure processes that ultimately determine an organism's fitness.

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Early postnatal physical and behavioural development of degus (Octodon degus)

Cited by 66 publications

References 10 publications

Juvenile emotional experience alters synaptic composition in the rodent cortex, hippocampus, and lateral amygdala

Juvenile emotional experience alters synaptic composition in the rodent cortex, hippocampus, and lateral amygdala

Contact‐promoting behavior, social development, and relationship with parents in sibling juvenile degus (Octodon Degus)

Digestive and Metabolic Flexibility Allows Female Degus to Cope with Lactation Costs

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