Behavioral development of the Norway rat is analyzed from a novel perspective in which behavioral and physiological exchanges between mother and offspring serve as ontogenetic mechanisms that coordinate parent-offspring relations, and establish perceptual preferences in both parent and young that guide the expression and development of behavior. Thermotactile stimulation is analyzed as a component of their contact interactions, and the behavioral and physiological effects of conductive and convective heat exchanges are evaluated empirically. Thermal energy is studied as a """"""""primary metabolic commodity"""""""" that has regulatory effects on parent and offspring and which may serve to establish learned associations with other cues. Behavioral observations of mother-litter interactions are used to establish quantitative assessments of body surface area for heat transfer, and direct measures of thermal flux are made. The consequences of these exchanges on the development of olfactory and filial preferences are studied. Changes in salt appetite associated with the maternal condition are analyzed in terms of perceptual changes and a consequence of specific influences of the offspring on the dam. The control of maternal perception and maternal behavior are analyzed in the context of resource exchange and offspring control. Chemical analyses of pup urine will be made for preliminary isolation of a gender-specific factor that regulates maternal licking of young. Modification of reciprocal exchanges are used to define transitions in the parent-offspring relationship. Comparative studies with Peromyscus californicus, a species that displays bi-parental care are used to test a mutualistic model of parental behavior. New studies of energetic controls of weaning are proposed for the Norway rat.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH028355-12
Application #
3375045
Study Section
Psychobiology and Behavior Research Review Committee (BBP)
Project Start
1976-06-01
Project End
1989-08-31
Budget Start
1987-09-01
Budget End
1988-08-31
Support Year
12
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Indiana University Bloomington
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
006046700
City
Bloomington
State
IN
Country
United States
Zip Code
47402
Kojima, S; Stewart, R A; Demas, G E et al. (2012) Maternal contact differentially modulates central and peripheral oxytocin in rat pups during a brief regime of mother-pup interaction that induces a filial huddling preference. J Neuroendocrinol 24:831-40
Kojima, Sayuri; Alberts, Jeffrey R (2011) Oxytocin mediates the acquisition of filial, odor-guided huddling for maternally-associated odor in preweanling rats. Horm Behav 60:549-58
Kojima, Sayuri; Alberts, Jeffrey R (2011) Warmth from skin-to-skin contact with mother is essential for the acquisition of filial huddling preference in preweanling rats. Dev Psychobiol 53:813-27
Kojima, Sayuri; Alberts, Jeffrey R (2009) Maternal care can rapidly induce an odor-guided huddling preference in rat pups. Dev Psychobiol 51:95-105
Ronca, April E; Abel, Regina A; Alberts, Jeffrey R (2007) Maternal anesthesia via isoflurane or ether differentially affects pre-and postnatal behavior in rat offspring. Dev Psychobiol 49:675-84
Farrell, William J; Alberts, Jeffrey R (2007) Rat behavioral thermoregulation integrates with nonshivering thermogenesis during postnatal development. Behav Neurosci 121:1333-41
Alberts, Jeffrey R (2007) Huddling by rat pups: ontogeny of individual and group behavior. Dev Psychobiol 49:22-32
Ronca, April E; Abel, Regina A; Ronan, Patrick J et al. (2006) Effects of labor contractions on catecholamine release and breathing frequency in newborn rats. Behav Neurosci 120:1308-14
Motz, Benjamin A; Alberts, Jeffrey R (2005) The validity and utility of geotaxis in young rodents. Neurotoxicol Teratol 27:529-33
Alberts, Jeffrey R; Ronca, April E (2005) Development as adaptation: a paradigm for gravitational and space biology. Adv Space Biol Med 10:175-207

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