Infants that are involuntarily separated from their mothers may suffer severe physiological and behavioral consequences. Most of what we know concerning the physiological effects has derived from studies using nonhuman primates. These effects include increases in sympathetic activity, changes in neurotransmitter levels, and increased activity of the pituitary-adrenal system, a neuroendocrine system associated with stress. For many years, it was only possible to study such questions in primates since common laboratory rodents have been thought to respond to separation in a fundamentally different way than do primates, and possibly humans. With his previous NSF support, Dr. Hennessy demonstrated that the responses of young guinea pigs to maternal separation are in many ways similar to those of primates. The guinea pig model provides an alternative to primate research which, in turn, offers many practical advantages. Dr. Hennessy would continue his research to further our understanding of how brief periods of maternal separation alter neuroendocrine and behavioral functioning. These studies will contribute to our understanding of the consequences of mother-infant separation and processes of attachment and elucidate the nature of the stress response in young.
