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Aran Ö, Swales DA, Bailey NA, Korja R, Holmberg E, Eskola E, Nolvi S, Perasto L, Nordenswan E, Karlsson H, Karlsson L, Sandman CA, Stern HS, Baram TZ, Glynn LM, Davis EP. Across ages and places: Unpredictability of maternal sensory signals and child internalizing behaviors. J Affect Disord 2024; 347:557-567. [PMID: 38007106 PMCID: PMC10843791 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.11.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patterns of sensory inputs early in life play an integral role in shaping the maturation of neural circuits, including those implicated in emotion and cognition. In both experimental animal models and observational human research, unpredictable sensory signals have been linked to aberrant developmental outcomes, including poor memory and effortful control. These findings suggest that sensitivity to unpredictable sensory signals is conserved across species and sculpts the developing brain. The current study provides a novel investigation of unpredictable maternal sensory signals in early life and child internalizing behaviors. We tested these associations in three independent cohorts to probe the generalizability of associations across continents and cultures. METHOD The three prospective longitudinal cohorts were based in Orange, USA (n = 163, 47.2 % female, Mage = 1 year); Turku, Finland (n = 239, 44.8 % female, Mage = 5 years); and Irvine, USA (n = 129, 43.4 % female, Mage = 9.6 years). Unpredictability of maternal sensory signals was quantified during free-play interactions. Child internalizing behaviors were measured via parent report (Orange & Turku) and child self-report (Irvine). RESULTS Early life exposure to unpredictable maternal sensory signals was associated with greater child fearfulness/anxiety in all three cohorts, above and beyond maternal sensitivity and sociodemographic factors. The association between unpredictable maternal sensory signals and child sadness/depression was relatively weaker and did not reach traditional thresholds for statistical significance. LIMITATIONS The correlational design limits our ability to make causal inferences. CONCLUSIONS Findings across the three diverse cohorts suggest that unpredictable maternal signals early in life shape the development of internalizing behaviors, particularly fearfulness and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özlü Aran
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA.
| | - Danielle A Swales
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Natasha A Bailey
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Riikka Korja
- University of Turku, Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Turku, Finland; University of Turku, Department of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland; Centre of Excellence in Learning Dynamics and Intervention Research (InterLearn), University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Eeva Holmberg
- University of Turku, Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Turku, Finland; University of Turku, Department of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland
| | - Eeva Eskola
- University of Turku, Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Turku, Finland; University of Turku, Department of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland
| | - Saara Nolvi
- University of Turku, Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Turku, Finland; University of Turku, Department of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland
| | - Laura Perasto
- University of Turku, Department of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Elisabeth Nordenswan
- University of Turku, Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, Turku, Finland; University of Turku, Department of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland
| | - Hasse Karlsson
- University of Turku, Department of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland; Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland; Department of Psychiatry, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Linnea Karlsson
- University of Turku, Department of Clinical Medicine, Turku Brain and Mind Center, FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study, Turku, Finland; Centre of Excellence in Learning Dynamics and Intervention Research (InterLearn), University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Department of Clinical Medicine, Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku
| | - Curt A Sandman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Hal S Stern
- Department of Statistics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Anatomy/Neurobiology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Laura M Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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Davis EP, McCormack K, Arora H, Sharpe D, Short AK, Bachevalier J, Glynn LM, Sandman CA, Stern HS, Sanchez M, Baram TZ. Early life exposure to unpredictable parental sensory signals shapes cognitive development across three species. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:960262. [PMID: 36338881 PMCID: PMC9630745 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.960262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to early life adversity has long term consequences on cognitive function. Most research has focused on understanding components of early life adversities that contribute to later risk, including poverty, trauma, maltreatment, and neglect. Whereas these factors, in the aggregate, explain a significant proportion of emotional and cognitive problems, there are serious gaps in our ability to identify potential mechanisms by which early life adversities might promote vulnerability or resilience. Here we discuss early life exposure to unpredictable signals from the caretaker as an understudied type of adversity that is amenable to prevention and intervention. We employ a translational approach to discover underlying neurobiological mechanisms by which early life exposure to unpredictable signals sculpts the developing brain. First, we review evidence that exposure to unpredictable signals from the parent during sensitive periods impacts development of neural circuits. Second, we describe a method for characterizing early life patterns of sensory signals across species. Third, we present published and original data illustrating that patterns of maternal care predict memory function in humans, non-human primates, and rodents. Finally, implications are discussed for identifying individuals at risk so that early preventive-intervention can be provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elysia Poggi Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Kai McCormack
- Department of Psychology, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Hina Arora
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Desiree Sharpe
- Mary Frances Early College of Education (MFECOE) Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Annabel K. Short
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jocelyne Bachevalier
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Laura M. Glynn
- Department of Psychology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, United States
| | - Curt A. Sandman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Hal S. Stern
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Mar Sanchez
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Tallie Z. Baram
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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3
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Neurobiology of Infant Sensitive Period for Attachment and Its Reinstatement Through Maternal Social Buffering. MINNESOTA SYMPOSIA ON CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/9781119461746.ch2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Abstract
Altricial infants (i.e., requiring parental care for survival), such as humans and rats, form an attachment to their caregiver and receive the nurturing and protections needed for survival. Learning has a strong role in attachment, as is illustrated by strong attachment formed to non-biological caregivers of either sex. Here we summarize and integrate results from animal and human infant attachment research that highlights the important role of social buffering (social presence) of the stress response by the attachment figure and its effect on infant processing of threat and fear through modulation of the amygdala. Indeed, this work suggests the caregiver switches off amygdala function in rodents, although recent human research suggests a similar process in humans and nonhuman primates. This cross-species analysis helps provide insight and unique understanding of attachment and its role in the neurobiology of infant behavior within attachment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, The Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Child Study Center, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center
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Al Aïn S, Goudet C, Schaal B, Patris B. Newborns prefer the odor of milk and nipples from females matched in lactation age: Comparison of two mouse strains. Physiol Behav 2015; 147:122-30. [PMID: 25912833 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.04.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Revised: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Newborn mice are attracted to mammary odor cues carried in murine milk and nipple secretions. However, murine milk odor is not equally attractive along lactation. The present study focuses on the differential response of 2day-old mouse pups of C57Bl/6 (C) and Balb/C (B) strains to the odor of milk (Experiment 1) and nipples (Experiment 2) that are matched/unmatched in terms of pup's age or strain. In Experiment 1, C and B pups were tested in a series of tests simultaneously opposing either murine milk and a blank (water), or two milks collected in early and late lactation (lactation days 2 and 15, respectively) from females belonging to their own or the other strain. Results showed that C and B pups were attracted to the odor of the different milks regardless of the lactation age and the strain of the donor female. Nevertheless, C and B pups preferred the odor conveyed by early- than late-lactation milk of either strain. Moreover, early-lactation milk from C females was more attractive than early-lactation milk from B females for pups of either strain. In Experiment 2, differential nipple grasping response of C and B pups was measured when they were exposed to nipples of females in early or late lactation. The proportion of C pups that grasped a nipple was greater when they were exposed to a nipple in early lactation regardless of the strain of the donor females, whereas the proportion of B pups that grasped a nipple was greater when they were exposed to a nipple in early lactation, but only from own strain. Thus, newborn mice prefer the odor of milk and nipples from females that are matched in lactation age. This result is discussed in terms of reciprocally adaptive mechanisms between lactating females and their newborn offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syrina Al Aïn
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Center for Olfaction, Taste, and Food Science, Dijon, France
| | - Camille Goudet
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Center for Olfaction, Taste, and Food Science, Dijon, France
| | - Benoist Schaal
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Center for Olfaction, Taste, and Food Science, Dijon, France.
| | - Bruno Patris
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Center for Olfaction, Taste, and Food Science, Dijon, France.
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Rincón-Cortés M, Sullivan RM. Early life trauma and attachment: immediate and enduring effects on neurobehavioral and stress axis development. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2014; 5:33. [PMID: 24711804 PMCID: PMC3968754 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2014.00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2013] [Accepted: 03/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Over half a century of converging clinical and animal research indicates that early life experiences induce enduring neuroplasticity of the HPA-axis and the developing brain. This experience-induced neuroplasticity is due to alterations in the frequency and intensity of stimulation of pups' sensory systems (i.e., olfactory, somatosensory, gustatory) embedded in mother-infant interactions. This stimulation provides "hidden regulators" of pups' behavioral, physiological, and neural responses that have both immediate and enduring consequences, including those involving the stress response. While variation in stimulation can produce individual differences and adaptive behaviors, pathological early life experiences can induce maladaptive behaviors, initiate a pathway to pathology, and increase risk for later-life psychopathologies, such as mood and affective disorders, suggesting that infant-attachment relationships program later-life neurobehavioral function. Recent evidence suggests that the effects of maternal presence or absence during this sensory stimulation provide a major modulatory role in neural and endocrine system responses, which have minimal impact on pups' immediate neurobehavior but a robust impact on neurobehavioral development. This concept is reviewed here using two complementary rodent models of infant trauma within attachment: infant paired-odor-shock conditioning (mimicking maternal odor attachment learning) and rearing with an abusive mother that converge in producing a similar behavioral phenotype in later-life including depressive-like behavior as well as disrupted HPA-axis and amygdala function. The importance of maternal social presence on pups' immediate and enduring brain and behavior suggests unique processing of sensory stimuli in early life that could provide insight into the development of novel strategies for prevention and therapeutic interventions for trauma experienced with the abusive caregiver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Millie Rincón-Cortés
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sackler Institute for Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, New York, NY, USA
- New York University Child Study Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- *Correspondence: Millie Rincón-Cortés, Sullivan Laboratory, New York University Child Study Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 1 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA e-mail:
| | - Regina M. Sullivan
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sackler Institute for Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, New York, NY, USA
- New York University Child Study Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Landers MS, Sullivan RM. The development and neurobiology of infant attachment and fear. Dev Neurosci 2012; 34:101-14. [PMID: 22571921 DOI: 10.1159/000336732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2011] [Accepted: 01/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Survival of altricial infants depends on attachment to the caregiver - a process that requires infants to identify, learn, remember, and approach their attachment figure. Here we review the neurobiology of attachment in infant rats where learning about the caregiver is supported by a specialized attachment neural circuitry to promote the infant-caregiver relationship. Specifically, the attachment circuit relies on infants acquiring learned preferences to the maternal odor, and this behavior is supported by the hyperfunctioning locus coeruleus and generous amounts of norepinephrine to produce experience-induced changes in the olfactory bulb and anterior piriform cortex. Infants also possess a reduced ability to acquire learned aversions or fear, and this behavior is facilitated through attenuated amygdala plasticity to block fear learning. Presumably, this attachment circuitry constrains the infant animal to express only learned preferences regardless of the quality of care received. As pups mature, and begin to travel in and out of the nest, the specialized attachment learning becomes contextually confined to when pups are with the mother. Thus, when outside the nest, these older pups show learning more typical of adult learning, presumably to prepare for independent life outside the nest. The quality of attachment can alter this circuitry, with early life stress prematurely terminating the pups' access to the attachment system through premature functional activation of the amygdala. Overall, the attachment circuit appears to have a dual function: to keep pups close to the caregiver but also to shape pups' behavior to match the environment and define long-term emotion and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margo S Landers
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, N.Y., USA
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8
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Al Aïn S, Chraïti A, Schaal B, Patris B. Orientation of newborn mice to lactating females: identifying biological substrates of semiochemical interest. Dev Psychobiol 2011; 55:113-24. [PMID: 22212953 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2011] [Accepted: 11/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Among mammals, odor-based communication between females and infants is decisive for neonatal survival. So far, the nature of odor substrates involved in the localization of the mother and their nipples is unknown in mice. The present study aims: (1) to evaluate the specific attractive value of lactating females to newborn mice, (2) to localize the abdominal region that is most attractive to pups, and (3) to identify odor substrates that support such attraction. Results showed that 5-6-day-old mice roam preferentially over the abdomen of lactating females than the abdomen of non-lactating females. In lactating females, pups are more attracted to abdominal areas comprising nipples. The blend of odor substrates from nipples, as well as separate sources presumed to compose it, viz. milk, maternal saliva and pup saliva, were detectable and equivalently attractive to pups. The equivalent attraction of these different odor substrates may derive either from overlap in chemical constituents, or from associative learning during nursing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syrina Al Aïn
- Developmental Ethology and Cognitive Psychology Group, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS (UMR 6265), Université de Bourgogne-Inra, Dijon, France.
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9
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Sullivan RM, Holman PJ. Transitions in sensitive period attachment learning in infancy: the role of corticosterone. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2010; 34:835-44. [PMID: 19931556 PMCID: PMC2848912 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2009] [Revised: 11/06/2009] [Accepted: 11/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Survival of altricial infants, including humans and rats, depends on attachment to the caregiver - a process that requires infants to recognize, learn, and remember their attachment figure. The demands of a dynamic environment combined with a maturing organism require frequent neurobehavioral reorganization. This restructuring of behavior and its supporting neural circuitry can be viewed through the unique lens of attachment learning in rats in which preference learning is enhanced and aversion learning is attenuated. Behavioral restructuring is well adapted to securing the crucial infant-caregiver relationship regardless of the quality of care. With maturation and the end of the infant-caregiver attachment learning period, the complex interplay of neural structures, hormones, and social behavior coordinates the developing rat's eventual transition to life outside of the nest. Nevertheless, early-life environmental and physiological stressors can alter the resilient nature of this system, particularly with respect to the amygdala, and these changes may provide important clues to understanding the lasting effects of early stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
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10
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Todrank J, Busquet N, Baudoin C, Heth G. Preferences of newborn mice for odours indicating closer genetic relatedness: is experience necessary? Proc Biol Sci 2006; 272:2083-8. [PMID: 16191620 PMCID: PMC1559902 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence from studies with adult rodents indicates that individual recognition enables distinctions between familiar individuals irrespective of relatedness (but including close kin) and a separate mechanism enables discriminations based on genetic relatedness without prior familiarity. For example, adult mice could assess the extent of their genetic relatedness to unfamiliar individuals using perceptual similarities between their individual odours. The ontogeny of this genetic relatedness assessment mechanism, however, had not been investigated. Here, in two-choice tests, newborn mice differentially preferred odours of more genetically similar lactating females (paternal aunts to unrelated conspecific and conspecific to heterospecific) even without prior direct exposure to adults with the tested genotypes. The results provide a direct demonstration of genetic relatedness assessment abilities in newborns and show that experience with parental odours is not necessary for genetic relatedness distinctions. Future studies will be necessary to determine whether exposure to odours of other foetuses in the womb or littermates shortly after birth affects this genetic relatedness assessment process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Todrank
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris Nord99 Avenue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
- Institute of Evolution, University of HaifaMount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel
| | - Nicolas Busquet
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris Nord99 Avenue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Claude Baudoin
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris Nord99 Avenue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Giora Heth
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Paris Nord99 Avenue Jean-Baptiste Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
- Institute of Evolution, University of HaifaMount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel
- Author for correspondence ()
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11
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Weaver ICG, Diorio J, Seckl JR, Szyf M, Meaney MJ. Early environmental regulation of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor gene expression: characterization of intracellular mediators and potential genomic target sites. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2004; 1024:182-212. [PMID: 15265782 DOI: 10.1196/annals.1321.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 244] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Environmental conditions in early life permanently alter the development of glucocorticoid receptor gene expression in the hippocampus and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal responses to acute or chronic stress. In part, these effects can involve an activation of ascending serotonergic pathways and subsequent changes in the expression of transcription factors that might drive glucocorticoid receptor expression in the hippocampus. This paper summarizes the evidence in favor of these pathways as well as recent studies describing regulatory targets within the chromatin structure of the promoter region of the rat hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian C G Weaver
- McGill Program for the Study of Behavior, Genes and Environment, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Champoux M, Higley JD, Suomi SJ. Behavioral and physiological characteristics of Indian and Chinese-Indian hybrid rhesus macaque infants. Dev Psychobiol 1997. [DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-2302(199707)31:1<49::aid-dev5>3.0.co;2-u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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13
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Abstract
The role of olfactory cues in maternal recognition of neonates was investigated. Mothers were able to identify the garments worn by their own infants (in comparison to garments worn by unfamiliar infants) through odor alone within the first 6 days postpartum. In a second experiment, mothers who had only limited pre-test exposure to their infants recognized the odor of their infant's garment during tests conducted at 20.5-41.7 hr after delivery. Olfaction may be an especially salient modality for recognition of infants.
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