title: Maternal experience produces long-lasting behavioral modifications in the rat.
abstract: From 5 to 22 months of age, cognitive and emotional responses of nulliparous, primiparous, and multiparous rats were assessed using a dry land maze (DLM) and an elevated plus-maze (EPM) at 4-month intervals. Parous rats exhibited improved spatial memory in the probe and competitive versions of the DLM, and more exploration in the EPM and a novel stimulus test relative to nulliparous females. The nulliparous females, however, outperformed parous rats during the DLM visual cue test at 17 months of age. At 23 months, no differences in stressed corticosterone levels or Golgi-stained hippocampal neurons were observed. Thus, cognitive and emotional modifications were observed in parous rats; the neurobiological mechanisms for these enduring effects, however, remain to be identified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA 23005, USA.
authors.forename: Gennifer
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Torrey
authors.forename: Ilan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: McNamara
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Banks
authors.forename: Naomi W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Hester
authors.forename: Erica R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Glasper
authors.forename: A Courtney
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Devries
authors.forename: Craig H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kinsley
authors.forename: Kelly G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Lambert
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D010298:Parity / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D016622:Silver Staining / Q000379:methods