The DOI matches its Crossref record; 55 of the 55 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Variations in maternal care in the rat as a mediating influence for the effects of environment on development
Abstract
Variations in maternal care have been widely considered as a critical influence in development. In the rat, variations in maternal behavior, particularly in licking/grooming, regulate the development of endocrine, emotional and cognitive responses to stress. These studies form the basis of a potentially useful model for the study of maternal effects in mammals. In this paper we provide a detailed methodological investigation into this model of maternal behavior, providing an analysis of the frequency, temporal dynamics, and transmission of maternal licking/grooming in several large cohorts. Frequency data indicate that licking/grooming is normally distributed across dams. The peak in licking/grooming occurs in the first few days postpartum and gradually declines. Dams designated as High or Low LG mothers differ in this behavior only during the first week postpartum. Observations over Days 2 to 5 postpartum are essential for the reliable assessments of individual differences in maternal behavior. Individual differences in licking/grooming behavior are stable across multiple litters, and are not associated with differences in litter size, weaning weight of pups, or gender ratio of the litter. We also observed no significant differences in the amount of licking/grooming received by individual pups within a litter, though variation does exist. Finally, maternal licking/grooming is transmitted to female offspring, though there is considerable within-litter variation in the expression of this behavior. Overall, these findings indicate considerable, normal variations in licking/grooming in the rat that are a stable, individual characteristic of rat dams.
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“For example, maternal caregiving behaviors (e.g., nursing, licking, grooming) among rats influence the responsiveness to stress in the offspring; the effects can be seen in behavioral as well as from the neurological and endocrine responses of the offspring (e.g., Champagne et al. 2003, Pruessner et al. 2004).”
From Mediators and Mechanisms of Change in Psychotherapy Research (2007) · cites this paper as Champagne et al. 2003
In the citing paper
“Research in rodents and other mammals has highlighted the importance of OT (on a background of changing levels of estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy and labor) to facilitate the onset and maintenance of maternal behavior (Champagne et al., 2001; Champagne, 2008; Champagne et al., 2003; Insel and Young, 2001; Rosenblatt and Ceus, 1998).”
From Approaching the biology of human parental attachment: Brain imaging, oxytocin and coordinated assessments of mothers and fathers (2014) · cites this paper as Champagne et al., 2003
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Metadata
- Authors
- Champagne, F. A., Francis, D. D., Mar, A., & Meaney, M. J.
- Affiliations
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Meaney, Michael J
- Venue
- Physiology & Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-08
- Volume
- 79
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 359-371
- ISSN
- 0031-9384 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2110374066
- Cited by
- 1,021
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 30 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 56 · 2019: 52 · 2018: 49 · 2017: 60 · 2016: 50 · 2015: 68 · 2014: 58 · 2013: 61 · 2012: 64
- FWCI
- 37.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Physiology & Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Keywords
- maternal behavior, intergenerational transmission, individual differences, postpartum behavior, litter size, pup weight, maternal effects, rat model
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Physiological, Animals, Female, Grooming, Imprinting, Psychological, Individuality, Lactation, Litter Size, Maternal Behavior, Phenotype, Sex Factors, Rats, Long-Evans, Models, Animal, Rats
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