Abstract
A recent study (Richardson, Siegel, & Campbell, in press) demonstrated that the presence of an anesthetized dam has a marked calming effect on the emotional responses of young rats between 16 and 30 days of age to separation from their home cage and placement in an unfamiliar environment, but has no effect on adult emotionality. With elevated heart rate (HR) as an index of fear, the present investigation assessed the relative contribution of the olfactory and thermotactile properties of the lactating dam in such fear reduction in 16-day-old rat pups. In addition, the possible influence of odors from soiled bedding material from the pups#’ home cage on emotionality was examined. Our inquiry revealed that the tactile and thermal, but not olfactory, stimulus dimensions of the anesthetized dam were important determinants of the dam#’s fear-reducing capacity. The presence of odors from the home cage had no effect on the emotional state of the animal. These results are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that stimuli from the home environment (e.g., home odors) enhance learning in young animais by reducing the stress that the animals experience when separated from their home cage and placed in an unfamiliar environment.
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This research was supported by U.S. Public Health Service Grant MH-01562 to Byron A. Campbell. Michael A. Siegel, now deceased, was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Training Grant MH-15799. Rick Richardson was supported by National Research Service Award AG-05417 from the National Institute on Aging.
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Siegel, M.A., Richardson, R. & Campbell, B.A. Effects of home nest stimuli on the emotional response of preweanling rats to an unfamiliar environment. Psychobiology 16, 236–242 (1988). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03327313
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03327313