Maternal interactions prior to separation potentiate isolation-induced calling in rat pups

The vocal response rates of 12-13-day-old infant rats to isolation in a bare test box are markedly increased by brief (1-min) periods of contact with an anesthetized dam prior to isolation, without affecting other isolation-induced behaviors. No such potentiation followed brief contact with littermates, novel test conditions, or experimenter handling. Brief contact with the dam was equally effective in the test chamber or home cage and was not further enhanced by repeated contact-separation sequences. Passive contact became ineffective when prolonged to 30 min, and potentiation could not be restored by providing the additional reinforcing events of continuous suckling, periodic oxytocin-induced milk letdown, or bouts of simulated maternal licking. However, when pups engaged in active interaction with an awake dam, potentiation was significantly enhanced following 1-, 10-, and 30-min periods. A working hypothesis is outlined for the adaptive role of potentiation in the development of the rat pup.