The physiological function of oxytocin in humans and its acute response to human-dog interactions: A review of the literature
Oxytocin is increasingly recognized to have a role in human-dog bonding and interactions and a positive influence on various health outcomes including cardiovascular function and stress reactivity. This review summarizes current research investigating human-dog interactions and endogenous oxytocin to highlight the potentially beneficial role of oxytocin within human-dog relationships and overall human health. We discuss […]
Variations in the postnatal maternal environment in mice: Effects on maternal behaviour and behavioural and endocrine responses in the adult offspring
According to the maternal mediation hypothesis, brain and behavioural development in rodents is affected by environment-dependent variations in maternal care. Thus, it has been shown that early handling results in reduced behavioural and neuroendocrine responses to stressors and that these effects are associated with increased maternal care received during infancy. To investigate this further in […]
Individual variation in cortisol responses to acute [`]on-back’ restraint in an outbred hamster
An outbred species of dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli) was used to assess between-individual variability in the response to, and recovery from, a one-time stressor of 6 min of physical restraint in a subordinate, on-back, position. Four repeated plasma samples were drawn under home-cage isoflurane anesthesia from 33 males and 38 females 50 min before, and then 10, […]
The physiological consequences of crib-biting in horses in response to an ACTH challenge test
Stereotypies are repetitive and relatively invariant patterns of behavior, which are observed in a wide range of species in captivity. Stereotypic behavior occurs when environmental demands produce a physiological response that, if sustained for an extended period, exceeds the natural physiological regulatory capacity of the organism, particularly in situations that include unpredictability and uncontrollability. One […]
Contact with cows during the young age increases social competence and lowers the cardiac stress reaction in dairy calves
Separating calf and cow within 24 h after birth is common practice in dairy farms. Some dairy farmers, however, practice a rearing system in which the calves are nursed by their dam or by foster cows. We investigated if dairy calves reared in such a system (calves with cow-contact) differ in their social behaviour and […]