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Early life stress: long-term physiological impact in rodents and primates
Christopher R Pryce1, Daniela Rüedi-Bettschen, Andrea C Dettling
1Behavioral Neurobiology Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, CH-8603 Zurich, Switzerland.
Insights
Infant stress responses occur when care deviates from normal patterns. This can lead to long-term changes in stress system reactivity, impacting development across the lifespan.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Neuroscience
- Stress research
Background:
- Infants across species (rats, monkeys, humans) develop expectations for consistent care.
- Deviations from typical caregiving patterns can trigger stress responses in infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the impact of care deviations on infant stress responses.
- To understand how early stress affects the development of stress systems.
Main Methods:
- Observational studies of infant care patterns.
- Experimental manipulation of caregiving environments.
- Measurement of infant stress responses.
Main Results:
- Deviations from expected care consistently elicited stress responses in infant rats, monkeys, and humans.
- Immature stress systems, including the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the limbic-sympatho-adrenomedullary axis, showed hyperactivity.
Conclusions:
- Early life stress due to care deviations can have lasting effects on stress system development.
- Altered reactivity of stress systems may influence an individual's response to stress throughout their lifespan.
Abstract:
Rat, monkey, and human infants have evolved to expect certain patterns of care. Spontaneous or experimental deviations of care from the norm result in infant stress responses. Hyperactivity of immature stress systems such as the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the limbic-sympatho-adrenomedullary axis can alter their subsequent reactivity across the life span.