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Updated: Apr 25, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Neonatal handling: an overview of the positive and negative effects
Charlis Raineki1, Aldo B Lucion, Joanne Weinberg
1Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z3. craineki@mail.ubc.ca.
Insights
Neonatal handling, a rodent model for early-life experiences, profoundly impacts brain neurodevelopment. This review reveals that these effects are nuanced, with both beneficial and negative outcomes possible across the lifespan.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Biology
Background:
- Neonatal handling is a foundational rodent model for studying early-life environmental influences on brain development.
- Over 50 years of research demonstrate significant effects of neonatal handling on behavior, physiology, and neural function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the extensive literature on neonatal handling effects.
- To challenge the notion that neonatal handling yields exclusively positive outcomes.
- To propose that early-life experiences have nuanced, rather than unidirectional, effects.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of studies on neonatal handling in rodents.
- Analysis of data spanning over five decades.
- Examination of outcomes across different testing parameters, subject sex, and neurobehavioral systems.
Main Results:
- Neonatal handling significantly influences neurodevelopment, behavior, and physiology throughout life.
- Contrary to classical views, outcomes are not uniformly beneficial.
- Effects are context-dependent, varying with experimental conditions and subject characteristics.
Conclusions:
- Early-life experiences, exemplified by neonatal handling, induce complex and multifaceted neurodevelopmental changes.
- The impact of neonatal handling is nuanced, with potential for both positive and negative consequences.
- Future research should consider the context-specific nature of early-life experience effects on the brain.
Abstract:
As one of the first rodent models designed to investigate the effects of early-life experiences, the neonatal handling paradigm has helped us better understand how subtle changes in the infant environment can powerfully drive neurodevelopment of the immature brain in typical or atypical trajectories. Here, we review data from more than 50 years demonstrating the compelling effects of neonatal handling on behavior, physiology, and neural function across the lifespan. Moreover, we present data that challenge the classical view of neonatal handling as an animal model that results only in positive/beneficial outcomes. Indeed, the overall goal of this review is to offer the suggestion that the effects of early-life experiences-including neonatal handling-are nuanced rather than unidirectional. Both beneficial and negative outcomes may occur, depending on the parameters of testing, sex of the subject, and neurobehavioral system analyzed.
