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The effects of maternal proximity on the behavioral and physiological responses of infant rhesus macaques during 4 days of total or adjacent separations from the mother were studied. The 6 infants tested showed behavioral responses that differentiated the two separation conditions. Major differences were found in the quantity and quality of vocalizations, the occurrence of cage-biting and cage-shaking behavior, object exploration, and hunched and freezing postures. In particular, the structure of coo vocalizations clearly discriminated between the presence or the absence of the mother during separation. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of dopamine and serotonin metabolites did not discriminate between the two separation conditions but showed a transient elevation at 24 hr after separation and were not different from baseline by 96 hr after separation. In contrast, both the plasma cortisol and the CSF norepinephrine metabolite responses tended to be greater and to persist for a longer period of time when infants were totally isolated. The results are discussed within the context of attachment and coping theories.

The effects of living alone or in groups of three for four weeks on brain biogenic amine metabolism was investigated in rats. Isolation produced an increase in brain norepinephrine turnover relative to the grouped subjects. In addition, reserpine and para-chlorophenylalanine treatment affected brain norepinephrine levels more after isolation than after grouped housing. Brain serotonin metabolism showed minimal changes in differentially housed rats. These findings are in direct contrast to results from studies on psychosocial determinants of brain amine metabolism in mice. (Author)

Neuroregulatory agents instrumentation based on compounds brain level, enzymatic formation and radio labeling