Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026
A Lateralized Odor Learning Model in Neonatal Rats for Dissecting Neural Circuitry Underpinning Memory Formation
Published on: August 18, 2014
Effects of altered olfactory experiences on the development of infant rats' responses to odors
1Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Davie & Boca Raton, USA.
Insights
Newborn rats exposed to eucalyptol odor via their mother
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Olfactory Learning
Background:
- Perinatal olfactory environment significantly influences infant behavior.
- Maternal odors play a crucial role in early development and learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how altering the perinatal olfactory environment affects odor-elicited behaviors in young rats.
- To determine the role of maternal diet in shaping olfactory learning in pups.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a natural olfactory learning paradigm with infant rats (3-12 days old).
- Exposed pups to eucalyptol odor through maternal diet and cross-fostering experiments.
- Assessed behavioral responses (activity, mouthing, probing) and odor preference in a two-choice test.
Main Results:
- Pups nursed by dams fed eucalyptol-adulterated diets showed heightened activity and preference for eucalyptol odor.
- Behavioral effects were specific to maternal exposure and not observed with non-maternal odor sources.
- Postnatal exposure to maternal eucalyptol odor was the primary driver of these learned behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Novel odors associated with the mother can powerfully influence infant rat behavior.
- Early olfactory experiences, particularly maternal ones, shape orientation and ingestion-related behaviors.
- This study highlights the plasticity of olfactory learning in early development.
Abstract:
A "natural" olfactory learning paradigm was used to assess the effects of an altered perinatal olfactory environment on the development of odor-elicited behavior in young rats. Infant rats (from 3 to 12 days of age) reared by dams fed a eucalyptol-adulterated diet responded to the odor of eucalyptol with high levels of activity, mouthing, and probing, and also demonstrated a marked preference for that odor in a two-choice situation (Experiment 1). The effects were observed only in pups whose dam was fed eucalyptol-adulterated diet and were not observed in pups exposed to nonmaternal sources of odor. The intensity of behavioral activity elicited by eucalyptol odor varied, to some extent, with the concentration of the eucalyptol in the dam's diet during prenatal exposure (Experiment 2). Cross-fostering revealed that these effects were due almost entirely to the pups' postnatal exposure to the eucalyptol odor (Experiment 3). These findings indicate that novel odors specifically associated with the mother can gain control over orientation and ingestion-related behaviors.
