Maternal deprivation and the development of stereotypic behaviour
Many farm, laboratory, zoo and companion animals experience some form of maternal deprivation. This is typically via separation from their mothers earlier than would happen in free-living populations, in some cases even while young are still dependent upon milk. Maternal deprivation may also occur in a qualitative way, via inadequate maternal care, perhaps caused by […]
Sex differences in rats: Effects of chronic stress on sympathetic system and anxiety
In this study we tested whether periodic maternal deprivation (MD) (4.5 h daily during the first 3 weeks of life) caused chronic changes in anxiety and medullo-adrenal responses to chronic stress in either male or female adult (2.5 months of age) rats, or both. Repeated maternal deprivation had a sex-specific effect on epinephrine (E) and […]
Early stress leads to effects on estrous cycle and differential responses to stress
Early stress leads to effects on estrous cycle and differential responses to stress. Physiol Behav—Women are more susceptible than men to stress-related mental disorders. However, few animal studies have been conducted on females. Given the interactions between gonadic hormones and the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, we hypothesized that the effects of early stress may be different […]
Repeated immobilization stress in the early postnatal period increases stress response in adult rats
Repeated immobilization stress tests in the early postnatal period were performed to determine the effects on the growth of developing rats as well as the response of the HPA axis to subsequent novel stress in adulthood. In addition, effects of maternal deprivation (MD) with the same period of the exposure to immobilization stress were also […]
Behavioral profiles and stress-induced corticosteroid secretion in male Wistar rats subjected to short and prolonged periods of maternal separation
Early life experiences are important for the development of neurobiobehavioral mechanisms and subsequent establishment of mental functions. In experimental animals, early life experiences can be studied using the maternal separation model. Maternal separation has been described to induce neurobiological changes and thus affect brain function, mental state and behavior. We have established a protocol in […]
Mother-infant relationships in baboons (Papio hamadryas): Predictors of differences and discontinuities in developmental pathways
This study uses hierarchical linear regression modeling to analyze sources of variation in the developmental pathways of mother-infant relationships and to search for behavioral discontinuities. The data come from 23 mother-infant dyads of baboons (Papio hamadryas), whose interactions were recorded longitudinally during the infants’ 1st year of life. The infant’s sex and the mother’s age […]
Hand rearing affects emotional responses but not basic cognitive performance in European starlings
Hand rearing is a common procedure in behavioural research on birds. While likely to produce tamer experimental animals, there is a risk that it could induce pathological changes in brain and behaviour similar to those seen in mammals that have experienced maternal separation. We explored the effects of hand rearing on the cognitive and behavioural […]
Prevalence of stereotypies and its possible causes among captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Tamil Nadu, India
Animals in captivity are often confined in small barren enclosures, preventing adequate exercise, and socialization with conspecifics. Captivity is also known for depriving young individuals’ association with maternal relatives by weaning away from their mothers’ earlier than what their peers experience in free-living populations. Such husbandry practices often lead to various welfare problems among captive […]