Neonatal handling and the maternal odor preference in rat pups: involvement of monoamines and cyclic AMP response

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Published on: August 18, 2014

C Raineki1, M A De Souza, R E Szawka

  • 1Laboratório de Neuroendocrinologia do Comportamento, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite, 500, Porto Alegre, 90050-170, RS, Brazil.

Neuroscience
|January 14, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal handling alters maternal odor preference in female pups but not males. Early life stress impacts olfactory bulb neurochemistry, revealing sex differences in rat pups.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Early-life environmental factors, like handling, can cause lasting changes in behavior and neuroendocrine systems.
  • The specific pup-level changes linking early handling to adult effects are not well understood.
  • Investigating neonatal responses is crucial for understanding long-term developmental impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the effects of neonatal handling on maternal odor preference and olfactory bulb (OB) neurochemistry in 7-day-old rat pups.
  • To identify sex-specific differences in behavioral and biochemical responses to neonatal handling.
  • To explore the relationship between OB neurochemical changes and maternal odor preference.

Main Methods:

  • Neonatal rat pups (male and female) were subjected to repeated handling (RH), single handling (SH), or no handling (NH).
  • Maternal odor preference was assessed behaviorally.
  • Biochemical analyses included cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation, noradrenaline (NA), and serotonin (5-HT) levels in the OB.
  • Data were analyzed to compare behavioral and biochemical parameters across handling groups and sexes.

Main Results:

  • Repeated handling (RH) abolished maternal odor preference in female pups, unlike in males.
  • RH decreased noradrenaline (NA) activity in the OB of both sexes.
  • Serotonin (5-HT) activity in the OB increased only in RH male pups.
  • CREB phosphorylation in the OB was not affected by RH in either sex.

Conclusions:

  • Neonatal handling significantly impacts maternal odor preference and OB neurochemistry in rat pups, with notable sex differences emerging by 7 days of age.
  • The maintenance of maternal odor preference in handled males may be linked to increased OB serotonin levels despite reduced noradrenaline.
  • These findings highlight that early environmental interventions can shape crucial behavioral and biochemical mechanisms even in the neonatal period.

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