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Behavioral and immunological consequences of brief mother‐infant separation: A species comparison
Author(s) -
Laudenslager M. L.,
Held P. E.,
Boccia M. L.,
Reite M. L.,
Cohen J. J.
Publication year - 1990
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.420230305
Subject(s) - immunocompetence , psychology , separation (statistics) , pokeweed mitogen , concanavalin a , lymphocyte , stimulation , maternal deprivation , developmental psychology , immunology , neuroscience , biology , immune system , in vitro , biochemistry , machine learning , computer science
The immediate behavioral and immunological consequence of a single 2‐week maternal separation experience were studied in socially housed 7‐month old bonnet and pigtail macaques. Maternal separation was associated with species dependent behavioral changes. Both species showed significant increases in ingestive behaviors associated with separation. Separated and matched controls showed an increase in disturbance behaviors (vocalization, startles, shaking, temper‐tantrums) that subsided after 24–36 hours in control subjects, but continued, albeit with species‐dependent patterns, in the separated monkeys. Allomaternal care of the separated bonnet infants but not the pigtail infants was associated with a progressive reduction of these disturbance behaviors during the separation period. Following a period of agitation, pigtail infants showed a depressive phase characterized by slouched, withdrawn postures and reduced motor activity. As a group, the separated infants of both species were not different from controls with respect to lymphocyte activation by mitogens, a measure of immunocompetence. However, when individual behavioral responses which reflected disturbance, such that the change in lymphocyte activation following in vitro stimulation with the mitogens phytohemagglutinin and Concanavalin A (makers of the immunocompetence of T lymphocytes) was related to levels of vocalization and time spent in slouched postures. The activation of B lymphocytes by pokeweed mitogen was not influenced by the separation experience nor was it associated with specific behavioral responses to separation. The importance of assessing the affective consequences of stressors is discussed.