Effects of maternal separation on the dietary preference and behavioral satiety sequence in rats

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of maternal separation on the feeding behavior of rats. A maternal separation model was used on postnatal day 1 (PND1), forming the following groups: in the maternal separation (MS) group, pups were separated from their mothers each day from PND1 to PND14, whereas in the control (C) group pups were kept with their mothers. Subgroups were formed to study the effects of light and darkness: control with dark and light exposure, female and male (CF and CM), and maternal separation with dark and light exposure, female and male (SDF, SDM, SLF and SLM). Female rats had higher caloric intake relative to body weight compared with male controls in the dark period only (CF=23.3±0.5 v. CM=18.2±0.7, P<0.001). Macronutrient feeding preferences were observed, with male rats exhibiting higher caloric intake from a protein diet as compared with female rats (CF=4.1±0.7, n=8 v. CM=7.0±0.5, n=8, P<0.05) and satiety development was not interrupted. Female rats had a higher adrenal weight as compared with male rats independently of experimental groups and exhibited a higher concentration of serum triglycerides (n=8, P<0.001). The study indicates possible phenotypic adjustments in the structure of feeding behavior promoted by maternal separation, especially in the dark cycle. The dissociation between the mother's presence and milk intake probably induces adjustments in feeding behavior during adulthood.

Adolescent food restriction in rats alters prefrontal cortex microglia in an experience-dependent manner

“…Additionally, MS during lactation exposes pups to decreased nutrient supply, especially since maternal care is greater in the light cycle than during the dark (Hall and Rosenblatt, 1978). Thus, MS exposure has been shown to yield altered energy metabolism and feeding behaviors later in life (da Silva et al, 2014). For example, adult rats exposed to MS display a blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis response to 48h of fasting (Jaimes-Hoy et al, 2016), therefore food restriction may induce differential physiological changes in MS and Con rats.…”

The Association of Acculturation and Complementary Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices Among New Chinese Immigrant Mothers in England: A Mixed Methods Study

“…Separation is when immigrants place a high value on retaining their culture of heritage while simultaneously deliberately avoiding interaction with the dominant culture [5]. Separated mothers affect their children’s development of dietary preferences and emotional eating atmospheres, which might result in encouraging children to eat [45]. Furthermore, restrictive access to particular kinds of food might improve children’s dietary preferences, while obliging children to eat certain kinds of food makes them dislike eating that food [46].…”