Early Stimulation and Maternal Behaviour

Barnett, S. A.; Burn, James M.B.

doi:10.1038/213150a0

Cited by 115 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The increased level of licking results from an increased presence of the mother and other females in the nest and provides a strong tactile stimulation, a factor that very likely affects pup development. Indeed, artificial manipulation and tactile stimulation in pups can influence eye opening in rodents (Barnett and Burn, 1967;Smart et al, 1990). In particular, tactile stimulation regulates the expression of hormones important for development (Kuhn and Schanberg, 1998;Schanberg et al, 2003), aids recovery from perinatal cortical lesions, and affects adult pattern of cortical cell dendritic fields (Kolb and Gibb, 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceleration of Visual System Development by Environmental Enrichment

Cancedda¹,

Putignano²,

Sale³

et al. 2004

J. Neurosci.

242

217

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Thus far, the developmental plasticity of the visual system has been studied by altering or reducing visual experience. Here, we investigated whether a complex sensory-motor stimulation, provided by rearing animals in an enriched environment, affects visual system development. We found that raising mice in this condition causes an earlier eye opening, a precocious development of visual acuity, and an accelerated decline of white matter-induced long-term potentiation. These effects are accompanied by a precocious cAMP response element-mediated gene expression and a significant increase of BDNF protein and GAD65/67 expression in enriched pups. In addition, we showed that enriched pups experienced higher levels of licking behavior provided by adult females. Thus, rearing mice from birth in an enriched environment leads to a conspicuous acceleration of visual system development as ascertained at behavioral, electrophysiological, and molecular level.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceleration of Visual System Development by Environmental Enrichment

Cancedda¹,

Putignano²,

Sale³

et al. 2004

J. Neurosci.

242

217

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In fact, the rodent dam is sensitive to the changing stimulus qualities of the pups (Meier and Schutzman, 1968;Young, 1965) and shows systematic changes in maternal behavior depending on the nature of the treatment that the offspring have received (Barnett and Burn, 1967;Bell et al, 1974) and the time during lactation in which the manipulations occur (Smotherman et al, 1977a, b). It has been demonstrated that heightened maternal behavior results from pup cues elicited by more intense treatments such as electric shock (0.4 mA) (Smotherman et al, 1977a, b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Manipulations During the Second, but not the First, Week of Life Increase Susceptibility to Cocaine Self-Administration in Female Rats

Flagel

Vázquez

Robinson

2003

Neuropsychopharmacol

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We compared the effects of manipulations during week 1 vs week 2 of life on the propensity to self-administer cocaine. Pups received daily subcutaneous saline injections, were handled briefly, or remained undisturbed during their respective treatment periods. Animals handled during the second week of life exhibited increased locomotor response to novelty when tested on postnatal day (PND) 48, compared to all other groups. Rats were implanted with jugular catheters on PND 70 and then given the opportunity to self-administer (0.125 mg/kg/infusion) cocaine for 5 consecutive days (1 h sessions). The dose was then raised to 0.25 mg/kg/infusion for 5 days and to 0.5 mg/kg/infusion for the final 5 days of testing. Only animals manipulated during the second week of life acquired drug-taking behavior. These effects were both stimulus-and gender-specific. Females handled during the second week of life acquired cocaine selfadministration (SA) at the lowest dose, and females injected during the second week of life acquired at the intermediate dose. Males injected during the second week of life showed a similar, but more variable, drug-taking pattern. There were no group differences in serum corticosterone response to novelty, although relative to undisturbed animals and those manipulated in the first week of life, female animals manipulated during the second week of life had lower basal expression of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor mRNA in adulthood. We conclude that the second week of life in the rodent is a sensitive period during which manipulations result in a more vulnerable phenotype for the acquisition of cocaine SA.

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“…Parental care may also affect other endocrine systems. The amount of licking and grooming that rodent pups receive in infancy influences their later corticosterone responses to stress (Barnett and Burn, 1967;Hennessy et al, 1982;Roberts, 1998). Neonatal exposure to stressors, such as long separations from the mother, may increase ability to cope with stress during adulthood (see Lay, 2000;Cirulli, 2001).…”

Section: From Birth To Weaning: Development and Factors Affecting Finmentioning

confidence: 99%

From house mouse to mouse house: the behavioural biology of free-living Mus musculus and its implications in the laboratory

Latham

Mason

2004

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

287

236

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Understanding a species' behaviour in natural conditions can give insights into its development, responses and welfare in captivity. Here, we review research and pest control literatures on the free-living house mouse (Mus musculus), analysing its sensory world, developmental processes and behaviour to suggest how laboratory environments might affect mouse welfare, normalcy, test design, and behaviour. Mouse development from foetus to weaning is influenced by prenatal stress and nutrient levels, and post-natal litter size and other factors affecting maternal care, all with lasting effects on adult bodyweight, aggression, activity levels, stress responsiveness and masculinisation. These influences may well be important in the laboratory, for example unwittingly differing between facilities leading to site-differences in phenotype. Murine senses are dominated by olfactory, auditory and tactile cues. Their hearing extends into the ultrasonic, and vision, from mid-range wavelengths to the ultraviolet. In mouse facilities, behaviour and welfare may therefore also be affected by sensory stimuli unnoticed by humans. The physical and social environment and behaviour of wild mice differ greatly from those of laboratory mice. Dispersal age varies with resource-levels and social cues, and mice often either live alone or in family groups. Mice occupy territories/ranges measuring a few square meters to several square kilometers, and which allow running, climbing, and burrowing. Mice are often active during dawn/dusk, and spend their time patrolling their territories, investigating neighbours' odour cues, foraging, finding mates and rearing litters. The potential impact of these many differences and restrictions on laboratory mouse development, normalcy and welfare has only begun to be explored.

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Early Stimulation and Maternal Behaviour

Cited by 115 publications

References 17 publications

Acceleration of Visual System Development by Environmental Enrichment

Acceleration of Visual System Development by Environmental Enrichment

Manipulations During the Second, but not the First, Week of Life Increase Susceptibility to Cocaine Self-Administration in Female Rats

From house mouse to mouse house: the behavioural biology of free-living Mus musculus and its implications in the laboratory

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