Sit down and stay here! Transport response elicitation modulates subsequent activity in rat pups

Investigators tested the notion that simulating a mother rat's transporting of her pup to a novel environment would result in a reduction in subsequent activity in that infant. Fourteen-day-old rats were tested for activity levels, rearing and turning in an open-field after having undergone one of the three conditions: transport response elicitation; passive handling; or minimal contact. Elicitation of the transport response resulted in reductions in each of these behaviors. These results are discussed with respect to the adaptive significance of reducing behavioral activity after elicitation of the transport response.