TY - JOUR
T1 - Repeated long separations from pups produce depression-like behavior in rat mothers
AU - Boccia, Maria L.
AU - Razzoli, Maria
AU - Prasad Vadlamudi, Sivaram
AU - Trumbull, Whit
AU - Caleffie, Christopher
AU - Pedersen, Cort A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by PHS Grants MH066217 to MLB and MH61995 to CAP.
PY - 2007/1
Y1 - 2007/1
N2 - Long maternal (LMS) versus brief maternal (BMS) daily separations of rat pups from their mothers have contrasting effects on their adult stress responses and maternal behavior by, respectively, decreasing and increasing licking received from their mothers. We hypothesized that LMS decreases pup-licking in mothers by inducing learned helplessness, creating a depression-like state. We subjected postpartum rats to LMS (3 h), BMS (15 min) or no separation (NMS) on postpartum days 2-14. After weaning, mothers were given a forced swim test (FST). LMS mothers exhibited more immobility and fewer escape attempts than BMS or NMS mothers. These results suggest that LMS induces a depression-like state, which may account for the reductions in maternal behavior seen in LMS mothers. Immobility in the FST is recognized as an animal model of depression. Therefore, LMS may be a model of maternal depression.
AB - Long maternal (LMS) versus brief maternal (BMS) daily separations of rat pups from their mothers have contrasting effects on their adult stress responses and maternal behavior by, respectively, decreasing and increasing licking received from their mothers. We hypothesized that LMS decreases pup-licking in mothers by inducing learned helplessness, creating a depression-like state. We subjected postpartum rats to LMS (3 h), BMS (15 min) or no separation (NMS) on postpartum days 2-14. After weaning, mothers were given a forced swim test (FST). LMS mothers exhibited more immobility and fewer escape attempts than BMS or NMS mothers. These results suggest that LMS induces a depression-like state, which may account for the reductions in maternal behavior seen in LMS mothers. Immobility in the FST is recognized as an animal model of depression. Therefore, LMS may be a model of maternal depression.
KW - Handling effects
KW - Learned helplessness
KW - Maternal depression
KW - Maternal separation
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U2 - 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.10.004
DO - 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.10.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 17118566
AN - SCOPUS:33845645927
SN - 0306-4530
VL - 32
SP - 65
EP - 71
JO - Psychoneuroendocrinology
JF - Psychoneuroendocrinology
IS - 1
ER -