title: Effect of maternal diet on offspring coping styles in rodents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: Maternal nutrition can have long-term effects on offspring morphology, physiology and behaviours. However, it is unclear whether mothers 'program' offspring behavioural coping strategy (proactive/reactive) according to the predicted nutritional quality of their future environment. We conducted a systematic review on this topic and meta-analytically synthesized relevant experimental data on mice and rats (46 studies). We included data from experiments where dams were subjected to caloric restriction, protein restriction or overfeeding around gestation and subsequently measured offspring activity, exploration, or anxiety. Overall, little evidence existed for effects of maternal nutrition on the three investigated behavioural traits. The high heterogeneity observed in the data set suggests that maternal programming may sometimes occur. However, because offspring had access to a balanced diet before testing, behaviours may have been reprogrammed. Our results may indicate that reprogrammed behaviours could ameliorate negative effects associated with sub-optimal nutrition in early life. Further, our systematic review revealed clear knowledge gaps and fruitful future research avenues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. anne.besson@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anne A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Besson
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.|Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Biological Science Building, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lagisz
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.|Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Johns Hopkins Drive, Sydney 2009, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Alistair M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Senior
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Katie L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Hector
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.|Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Biological Science Building, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7765-5182
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D051379:Mice; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats
keywords: developmental programming; emotional development; nutritional programming; personality; trans-generational effects