Thermal, olfactory, and tactile stimuli increase oral grasping of an artificial nipple by the newborn rat

Koffman, Donna J.; Petrov, Evgeniy S.; Smotherman, William P.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1098-2302(199812)33:4<317::aid-dev3>3.0.co;2-t

Cited by 18 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…In contrast with the present findings, odors familiar to the infant rat such as amniotic fluid or maternally derived odors have been found to reduce motor activity upon reexposure (Dominguez, Lopez, & Molina, 1998; Schapiro & Salas, 1970). Consistent with our data, however, amniotic fluid decreases latency to attach to an artificial nipple in newborn rats (Koffman, Petrov, Varlinskaya, & Smotherman, 1998). …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Olfactory learning in the rat neonate soon after birth

Miller

Spear

2008

Developmental Psychobiology

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The first hours of a newborn rat’s life entail locating and attaching to the mother’s nipple not only for nutrition but also for protection and warmth. The present study sought to characterize olfactory learning in the rat neonate immediately after birth. Newborn rats were exposed to an odor at various time periods soon after birth and tested for behavioral activation and attachment to a surrogate nipple in the presence of this odor at 4–5 hours postpartum. Regardless of when pups were presented the odor (0, 1, or 2 hours after birth) motor activity was greater among pups previously exposed to the odor than pups with no odor experience. Similarly, latency to attach to the nipple in the presence of the odor was lower among odor-preexposed pups, especially when odor exposure began within an hour of cesarean delivery. Odor exposure immediately after birth for just 15 minutes was sufficient to increase motor activity and to decrease latency to attach to a similarly scented surrogate nipple. These results suggest that olfactory experience very soon after birth can shape subsequent olfactory responses. The relative importance of the dearth of postnatal experience or of elevated neurochemicals immediately after birth and possible associative mechanisms underlying this learning is discussed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Olfactory learning in the rat neonate soon after birth

Miller

Spear

2008

Developmental Psychobiology

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“…The literature in developmental psychobiology is full of examples in which infants of different species of mammals, including rats, respond to tactile stimulation (Rosenblatt, ). For example, pups respond faster and with more oral grasp responses to an artificial nipple when they receive tactile stimulation from a conspecific littermate (Koffman, Petrov, Varlinskaya, & Smotherman, ). Pups tested 3 days after birth attach to the nipples of an anesthetized dam that have been washed with a novel odor only when they receive tactile stimulation that resembles maternal stimulation that occurred during the original presentation of the odor (Pedersen, Williams, & Blass, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Odor‐induced crawling locomotion in the newborn rat: Effects of amniotic fluid and milk

Méndez-Gallardo

Robinson

2013

Developmental Psychobiology

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Early locomotion in the neonatal rat previously has been reported 3 days after birth during exposure to an odor of biological relevance (nest material). The current study explores if other ecologically relevant stimuli-amniotic fluid (AF) and milk-could evoke a similar locomotor response in the newborn rat and whether the endogenous opioid system mediates the response. Newborn rats tested 24 hr after birth were presented with the odors of AF or milk while placed in a runway. Pups expressed crawling and moved along the runway in response to direct exposure to the odors of AF and milk (Exp. 1). However, there was no evidence that this crawling response was altered after pretreatment with the opioid antagonist naloxone (Exp. 2). This study provides evidence of the capacity of AF and milk to evoke coordinated motor behavior, suggesting that they may play a role in the development of fundamental motor patterns.

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“…In addition, Terry and Johanson (1987) described that 3 to 9-day-old rat pups become behaviorally active in response to the odor of milk. Their study did not report these effects in 1-dayold rat pups, but other studies suggest that newborns can detect the odor of milk and respond to it (Koffman et al, 1998). However, there are no studies that have described the effects of exposure to the odor of milk in the newborn rat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…In a similar way, newborn pups respond to the odor of milk by attaching more quickly to an artificial nipple and engaging in oral grasping for longer duration (Koffman et al, 1998). Similarly, human newborns detect and respond to the odor of breast milk and formula milk (Marlier, Schaal, & Soussignan, 1997, 1998a, 1998b.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Kodama and Smotherman (1997) reported, AF exerts behavioral effects in caesarean delivered rat pups that lack suckling experience, which show head movements for a longer duration after exposure to the odor of AF. Although studies with newborn rats suggest that they detect the odor of AF and respond to it (Koffman, Petrov, Varlinskaya, & Smotherman, 1998;Teicher & Blass, 1977), there are no studies that thoroughly describe how exposure to the odor of AF affects behavior in the newborn rat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Opioid mediated behavioral effects and learning in the neonatal rat

Méndez-Gallardo¹

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The purpose of this study was to explore the behavioral effects of amniotic fluid (AF) and milk in the newborn rat. Previous research has documented behavioral effects in the fetal and neonatal rat. For example, oral exposure to AF and milk reduces the response to chemosensory stimulation in rat fetuses (Korthank & Robinson, 1998) and newborns (Méndez-Gallardo & Robinson, 2010). In addition, some of the behavioral effects of AF and milk are mediated by the endogenous opioid system in the perinatal rat, including modulation of the facial wiping response (Korthank & Robinson, 1998; Méndez-Gallardo & Robinson, 2010), the stretch response induced by milk in the fetal rat (Smotherman & Robinson, 1992b), and the effect of milk as an unconditioned stimulus (US) during associative learning in the fetal rat (Robinson et al., 1993). Taking into account the literature that suggests similarities between AF and milk, this study aimed to evaluate whether transnatal continuity in the behavioral effects of AF and milk could be found and whether mediation by the endogenous opioid system is the underlying mechanism of these effects. To fulfill this purpose, overall behavioral activation, crawling locomotion, oral responses to an artificial nipple, and associative learning were investigated in the newborn rat. Results showed that, (a) oral exposure to AF resulted in higher levels of behavioral activation than oral exposure to milk, (b) exposure to the odor of AF or milk did not produce significant behavioral activation, although the odor of milk seemed to evoke higher levels of behavioral activity than exposure to the odor of AF, (c) both AF and milk odor elicited crawling locomotion, (d) odor of AF or milk did not promote oral grasping of an artificial nipple, but promoted mouthing responses and distinctive movements of the forepaws, (e) contingent presentations of an artificial nipple as the conditioned stimulus (CS), with AF or milk as the US, promoted mouthing responses during reexposure to the CS, but facial wiping after CS reexposure was not modified as a result of conditioning, and (f) mediation of the opioid system was evident only during hindlimb activity after oral exposure to AF or milk and during mouthing responses to the CS after associative learning. These findings suggest that oral exposure to AF or milk consistently evoke opioid responses in the neonatal rat, but exposure to the odor of AF or milk alone does not. Through postnatal testing and the direct comparison of the behavioral effects of AF (a feature of the prenatal environment) with milk (a feature of the postnatal environment), this study contributes to a better understanding of mechanisms that promote behavioral continuity before and after birth.

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Thermal, olfactory, and tactile stimuli increase oral grasping of an artificial nipple by the newborn rat

Cited by 18 publications

References 31 publications

Olfactory learning in the rat neonate soon after birth

Olfactory learning in the rat neonate soon after birth

Odor‐induced crawling locomotion in the newborn rat: Effects of amniotic fluid and milk

Opioid mediated behavioral effects and learning in the neonatal rat

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