D'Amato F R, Cabib S, Ventura R, Orsini C
Istituto di Psicobiologia e Psicofarmacologia (CNR), Rome, Italy.
Dev Psychobiol. 1998 Apr;32(3):225-34. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1098-2302(199804)32:3<225::aid-dev6>3.0.co;2-q.
This study investigated the role of maternal behavior on the long-term effects of postnatal manipulation (15 min of daily separation from the dam and exposure to clean bedding from Day 1 to Day 14 of postnatal life) on emotionality in the mouse. Mothers were treated with an antianxiety agent (Chlordiazepoxide: 5 mg/kg), daily upon removal of the litter from the nest. Emotionality in adult offspring was tested in the elevated plus maze. Mice manipulated during postnatal development were more explorative and less anxious than unhandled mice, but this effect was not observable in the offspring of Chlordiazepoxide-treated dams. No effect of maternal Chlordiazepoxide was observed in unhandled offspring. The pharmacological treatment of the mother did not affect either pups' ultrasonic calling during separation, or maternal behavior far apart from the daily manipulation sessions. By contrast, Chlordiazepoxide-treated dams were less responsive toward pups upon reunion following daily separation. This alteration of dams' behavior was not related to alterations in the amount of ultrasonic calls emitted by pups during reunion. Finally, when dams were daily injected with Chlordiazepoxide far apart from pups' removal, the pharmacological treatment was devoid of effects. These results support the view that the mother-infant interaction which follows separation plays a major role in determining the effects of postnatal manipulations on adult emotionality.
本研究调查了母体行为在产后处理（从出生后第1天到第14天，每天与母鼠分离15分钟并接触干净垫料）对小鼠情绪的长期影响中所起的作用。从巢中取出幼崽后，每天给母鼠注射一种抗焦虑药物（氯氮卓：5毫克/千克）。在高架十字迷宫中测试成年后代的情绪。在产后发育期间接受处理的小鼠比未处理的小鼠更具探索性且焦虑程度更低，但在接受氯氮卓处理的母鼠的后代中未观察到这种效应。在未处理的后代中未观察到母体氯氮卓的影响。对母鼠进行药物处理既不影响幼崽在分离期间的超声鸣叫，也不影响除每日处理环节外的母体行为。相比之下，每日分离后团聚时，接受氯氮卓处理的母鼠对幼崽的反应性较低。母鼠行为的这种改变与团聚期间幼崽发出的超声鸣叫数量的改变无关。最后，当在远离幼崽取出的情况下每天给母鼠注射氯氮卓时，药物处理没有效果。这些结果支持这样一种观点，即分离后的母婴互动在决定产后处理对成年情绪的影响方面起主要作用。
