Premium
Behavioral and autonomic responses to peer separation in pigtail macaque monkey infants
Author(s) -
Boccia Maria L.,
Reite Martin,
Kaemingk Kristine,
Held Polly,
Laudenslager Mark
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420220504
Subject(s) - macaque , psychology , rhesus macaque , nonhuman primate , physiology , separation (statistics) , audiology , developmental psychology , neuroscience , medicine , biology , immunology , evolutionary biology , machine learning , computer science
Brief maternal separations of young nonhuman primates have been used extensively to study the behavior and physiology of attachment, loss, and bereavement. The physiological responses to the loss of alternative attachment figures, such as peers, is less well documented in nonhuman primates. This study examined both autonomic and behavioral responses of pee‐reared pigtail macaque infants to separation. Eight infants were removed from their mothers at birth and reared in four peer pairs. At 6 months of age, each monkey was implanted with a multichannel biotelemetry device which transmitted heartrate, body temperature, EEG, EMG, and EOG. Blood was collected twice weekly for immunological assessment. Behavioral and physiological data, including sleep, were collected for 1 week of baseline, 2 weeks of separation, and 1 week of reunion. Behavioral and physiological results indicated agitation but not depression following separation from their peer attachment figures. We found reduced mitogenic responses to pokeweed consequent to peer separation, suggestive of altered B‐cell function. REM variables were the only sleep measures affected by the separation, and were suggestive of agitation but not depression.