Premium
Ultrasonic vocalization responses of rat pups to acute separation and contact comfort do not depend on maternal thermal cues
Author(s) -
Hofer Myron A.,
Brunelli Susan A.,
Shair Harry N.
Publication year - 1993
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.420260202
Subject(s) - hypothermia , thermoregulation , rectal temperature , zoology , chemistry , anesthesia , medicine , biology
In order to assess the importance of maternal thermal cues in controlling the acute USV responses of rat pups to contact with her body (the contact comfort response) and to separation from her, we drastically altered maternal temperature by inducing severe hypothermia so that maternal rectal and flank temperatures averaged more than 20°C below normal and 10°C below ambient levels during testing. Isolated 12‐ to 13‐day‐old pups showed reductions in USV when these cold dams were presented and brisk USV accelerations when the cold dams were removed from the test chamber. These responses closely resembled those of other pups tested with warm (36°C) anesthetized dams. No significant differences were found in pups' USV contact comfort responses to cold and warm dams. For acute separation, prior maternal thermal properties and other factors were found to modulate the relative intensity of the marked USV increase elicited by this event © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.