Artificial rearing causes changes in maternal behavior and c-fos expression in juvenile female rats.
This study investigated the effects of early-rearing experiences on responsiveness to pups and on the pattern of c-fos activation in the brain of juvenile female rats. From Days 4 to 20, littermate females were reared with their mothers (MR) or artificially (AR). AR rats received minimal licking-like tactile stimulation (AR-min) or maximal stimulation (AR-max). On Day 20, rats were exposed to pups for 4 or 8 days, exposed to a playmate for 4 or 8 days, or left in isolation for 4 or 8 days. Compared with MR rats, pup-exposed AR rats engaged in less pup licking, and all AR rats showed significant reductions in c-fos immunoreactivity in the medial preoptic area and the parietal and piriform cortices. The AR-min group showed the greatest difference in Fos-lir compared with the MR groups. Possible mechanisms that mediate the effects of rearing on the development of neural circuits underlying maternal behavior are discussed.
Gonzalez
Andrea
A
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Fleming
Alison S
AS
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D005260:Female; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D012934:Social Isolation
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos