| Author: Simran Singh 4th year, Cognitive Neuroscience major |
Abstract:
Maternal sensory signals play a crucial role in the function and structure of a developing brain; specific signals can work to promote vulnerability or plasticity to cognitive as well as emotional disorders. In rodent models of early-life stress, fragmentation as well as maternal lead exposure provoke emotional and cognitive dysfunction in offspring. Our model of early-life disadvantage will help us understand the development/neurobiological underpinnings of aggression and other antisocial behaviors in humans. We investigated the effects of maternal lead exposure and restricted home cage bedding on caregiving in female rats as well as lateral offspring socioemotional behaviors. The use of a laboratory rat model allows us to study the effects of early-life disadvantage on later social, affective, and reward-like behaviors. Female rats were mated and given 0.1% lead acetate in their drinking water or regular drinking water or left undisturbed. On the day of parturition, litters were weighed and culled. Dams were given standard amounts of bedding or low emulate low resource availability and continued to receive leaded or regular water consistent with their pregnancy condition. Offspring behavior entailed the testing of one male and female from each litter for anxiety-like behavior via elevated plus maze. Another female from each litter was mated and tested for maternal aggression towards an unfamiliar male intruder to the home cage. We hypothesize that chronic exposure to lead during prenatal life, alone or together with low maternal home cage bedding, will reduce mothers’ caregiving behaviors and affect socioemotional behaviors in the offspring.