| pubmed-article:11842897 | pubmed:abstractText | The study examines the effects of two paradigms of neonatal food deprivation (daily mother-litter separation, Experiment 1 or nipple-ligation of mothers, Experiment 2) associated or not to early sensory stimulation (daily handling or the exposure to an enriched sensory environment) during the pre-weaning period of Wistar strain female rats. The effects of experimental manipulations were evaluated by measuring the nest building, retrieving latencies and nursing time of adult dams along three successive parturitions. Undernourished dams of Experiment 1, showed significant alterations in maternal responsiveness in the first delivery, which were attenuated by the maternal experience of two additional parturitions. Moreover, maternal alterations were importantly compensated by the association to early sensory stimulation (except nest building). Underfed mothers of Experiment 2 exhibited less alterations of the maternal response during the first parturition, and these were ameliorated by the maternal experience of successive parturitions. Additionally, complete recovery of maternal responsiveness alterations was obtained when sensory stimulation was associated to the maternal experience. Data suggest differential vulnerability to neonatal food and sensory deprivation of the neural mechanisms underlying maternal performance. | lld:pubmed |
