Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

How social experiences influence the brain.

Frances A Champagne1, James P Curley

  • 1Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Cambridge, High Street Madingley, Cambridge, CB3 8AA, UK. fac25@hermes.cam.ac.uk

Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|November 2, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Investigating experiential effects in online chess using a hierarchical Bayesian analysis.

Journal of quantitative analysis in sports·2026
Same author

Social processing in the amygdala: single-nucleus RNA-sequencing reveals distinct neuronal responses to dominant and subordinate cues.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Becoming a mother leaves long-lasting molecular memories.

Nature·2026
Same author

Single-Nucleus Transcriptomics of the Mouse Medial Preoptic Area Reveals Sex-Dependent Molecular Signatures of Social Dominance.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Association between chronic stress and the epigenome: Exploration of psychological and biological stress.

PloS one·2026
Same author

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children's biological ageing.

Child development·2026
Same journal

Population codes for context-dependent decision-making.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Cichlid fish as a model for understanding social dysfunction.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

On aims and methods in field neuroethology: Investigating neural mechanisms of behavior in semi-natural and natural contexts.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Neurobiological interfaces connecting environmental change to monarch butterfly migration.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Learning how to experience the world: From circuits to cell types to genes.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
Same journal

Editorial overview for neurobiology of disease 2026.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
See all related articles

Early life social experiences, particularly mother-infant interactions, profoundly shape offspring gene expression and behavior. Rats show these effects are mediated by epigenetic modifications, offering insights into generational social behavior transmission.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Social experiences significantly impact gene expression and behavior throughout life.
  • Early developmental stages, especially mother-infant interactions in mammals, exert profound, long-lasting effects on offspring phenotype.
  • Previous studies in rodents and primates demonstrated these effects, but mechanistic understanding was limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanistic underpinnings of how early social experiences influence offspring development.
  • To explore the role of epigenetic modifications in mediating the effects of maternal care on offspring phenotype.
  • To establish a model for studying the intergenerational transmission of social behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized rat models to investigate the molecular mechanisms of social influence on development.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Focused on epigenetic modifications as a key mediator of maternal care effects.
  • Employed a life-history approach, considering genetic background, prenatal/postnatal maternal care, and post-weaning social interactions.

    • Main Results:

    • Demonstrated that early social experiences, specifically maternal care, induce lasting epigenetic changes in offspring.
    • Provided mechanistic evidence for how social behavior is transmitted across generations through epigenetic pathways.
    • Highlighted the critical role of maternal behavior in shaping offspring's long-term behavioral outcomes.

    Conclusions:

    • Early mother-infant interactions are crucial for programming offspring phenotype via epigenetic mechanisms.
    • A comprehensive life-history perspective is essential for understanding brain development and social behavior transmission.
    • Rat models offer valuable insights into the enduring impact of social experiences on development and behavior.