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Neonatal handling and the maternal odor preference in rat pups: involvement of monoamines and cyclic AMP response element-binding protein pathway in the olfactory bulb.
- Source :
-
Neuroscience [Neuroscience] 2009 Mar 03; Vol. 159 (1), pp. 31-8. Date of Electronic Publication: 2008 Dec 24. - Publication Year :
- 2009
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Abstract
- Early-life environmental events, such as the handling procedure, can induce long-lasting alterations upon several behavioral and neuroendocrine systems. However, the changes within the pups that could be causally related to the effects in adulthood are still poorly understood. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of neonatal handling on behavioral (maternal odor preference) and biochemical (cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation, noradrenaline (NA), and serotonin (5-HT) levels in the olfactory bulb (OB)) parameters in 7-day-old male and female rat pups. Repeated handling (RH) abolished preference for the maternal odor in female pups compared with nonhandled (NH) and the single-handled (SH) ones, while in RH males the preference was not different than NH and SH groups. In both male and female pups, RH decreased NA activity in the OB, but 5-HT activity increased only in males. Since preference for the maternal odor involves the synergic action of NA and 5-HT in the OB, the maintenance of the behavior in RH males could be related to the increased 5-HT activity, in spite of reduction in the NA activity in the OB. RH did not alter CREB phosphorylation in the OB of both male and females compared with NH pups. The repeated handling procedure can affect the behavior of rat pups in response to the maternal odor and biochemical parameters related to the olfactory learning mechanism. Sex differences were already detected in 7-day-old pups. Although the responsiveness of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to stressors is reduced in the neonatal period, environmental interventions may impact behavioral and biochemical mechanisms relevant to the animal at that early age.
- Subjects :
- Analysis of Variance
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid methods
Conditioning, Psychological
Electrochemistry methods
Female
Male
Pregnancy
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Sex Factors
Signal Transduction physiology
Biogenic Monoamines metabolism
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein metabolism
Handling, Psychological
Maternal Behavior
Odorants
Olfactory Bulb metabolism
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0306-4522
- Volume :
- 159
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Neuroscience
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 19138731
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.12.012