School of Psychology, Queens University of Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN Northern Ireland, UK.
Chem Senses. 2012 Oct;37(8):755-66. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjs062. Epub 2012 Jul 24.
Early experiences are of potential importance in shaping long-term behavior. This study examined the relative influence of prenatal and/or early postnatal experience of chemosensory stimuli on subsequent olfactory and dietary preferences of cats as newborns, at 9-10 weeks, and at 6 months. Cats were exposed to vanillin or 4-ethylguaiacol via their mother's diet either prenatally, postnatally, perinatally (prenatal and postnatal), or experienced no exposure to the stimuli (control). Newborns were given a two-choice olfactory test between the familiar "odor" and no odor; 9-10 week olds were tested for their preference between two food treats, one flavored with the familiar stimulus and the other unflavored; at 6 months, cats were given a choice of two bowls of food, one flavored with the familiar stimulus and the other unflavored. At all ages, cats preferred the familiar, and avoided the unfamiliar, stimulus. Perinatal exposure exerted the strongest influence on preference. Prenatal exposure influenced preference at all ages and postnatal exposure exerted a stronger effect as the cat aged. We conclude that long-term chemosensory and dietary preferences of cats are influenced by prenatal and early (nursing) postnatal experience, supporting a natural and biologically relevant mechanism for the safe transmission of diet from mother to young.
早期经历对于塑造长期行为具有潜在的重要性。本研究旨在探讨产前和/或产后早期接触化学感觉刺激对新生猫、9-10 周龄猫和 6 月龄猫随后的嗅觉和饮食偏好的相对影响。通过母亲的饮食，猫在产前、产后、围产期（产前和产后）接触香草醛或 4-乙基愈创木酚，或不接触刺激物（对照组）。新生猫在熟悉的“气味”和无味之间进行了二选一的嗅觉测试；9-10 周龄的猫则在两种食物之间进行偏好测试，一种带有熟悉的刺激物，另一种没有味道；6 个月大的猫则可以在两种带有熟悉刺激物和无味的食物碗之间进行选择。在所有年龄段，猫都更喜欢熟悉的刺激物，而避免不熟悉的刺激物。围产期暴露对偏好的影响最大。产前暴露在所有年龄段都影响偏好，而产后暴露则随着猫的年龄增长而产生更强的影响。我们得出结论，猫的长期嗅觉和饮食偏好受到产前和早期（哺乳期）产后经验的影响，这支持了一种从母亲到幼崽安全传递饮食的自然和生物学相关机制。
