Most research on maternal behavior has focused on the endocrine control of maternal behavior in non-primate mammals or the relationship between experiential factors and maternal behavior in primates. Recent studies have provided evidence for a hormonal influence on maternal behavior in primates and a gene which influences maternal behavior has been identified in rodents. These advances are opening up an exciting new avenue of research on determinants of maternal behavior. The purpose of this project is to refine the baboon as an animal resource for the study of maternal behavior in primates. This model offers the advantages of a copious research literature on wild baboon behavior and captive baboon reproductive physiology, and is the only non-human primate in which construction of a genetic linkage map is available. This project will be the first to consider behavior, experiential, hormonal and genetic data together and will provide a unique opportunity to study the mechanisms involved in the determinants of maternal behavior in primates using non- invasive and non-pharmacological techniques. Information will be collected from a large subject pool (n=300) of captive female savannah baboons, including: behavioral data on mother-infant interactions; experiential data such as parity, age and previous experience with infants; and endocrine data including the levels of estrogen, progesterone, prolactin and cortisol in pre- and postpartum females. This multidisciplinary approach will provide essential normative data required for the development of a good animal model. Other goals include the analysis of experiential and hormonal factors relevant to the display of maternal behavior, quantitative genetic analysis of the heritability of hormonal and maternal behavior traits and molecular genetic analysis to test for the effects of candidate genes on maternal behavior in primates. This study will help to bridge the gap in our knowledge about maternal behavior in baboons specifically and non-human primates generally, providing the basis for further studies of the physiological mechanisms involved. Results will be directly applicable to the improve of non-human primate resources by providing information on factors related to maternal behavior for use in breeding colony management.
