Mother-infant separation in group-living rhesus macaques: a hormonal analysis.
Adrenocortical responsiveness to separation in group-living rhesus macaque mother-infant pairs was determined. Cortisol evaluations were complemented by behavioral observations of mother-infant interactions and group social behavior. Infants, but not their mothers, showed cortisol elevations that could be attributed specifically to separation. Steroid-behavior relationships suggested that the infants of high dominant mothers evinced the greatest adrenocortical response to separation. These data exemplify the complexities involved in determining endocrine/behavior relationships in a group-living situation.
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D004291:Dominance-Subordination; D005260:Female; D000882:Haplorhini; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment
D006854:Hydrocortisone