The Effects Of Maternal Behavior On Mother Rats Essay

Two scholarly articles compared the different effects maternal behavior can have on mother rats later on in their lifetime. A maternal behavior can be defined as an act of love and caring toward one’s young (2012). Memory, and the rats’ ability to learn a response were tested through two different experiments. Learning was tested by a classical conditioning approach. Classical condition was first discovered by Ivan Pavlov. The overall concept of classical conditioning is when a response is elicited by a stimulus (Huitt Hummel, 1997). On the other hand, both articles studied rats with varying degrees of maternal experience. Comparatively, rats’ estrogen cycles were tested in both articles. Overall, there are five stages: proestrus, estrus, metestrus, diestrus, and anestrus. In rats, each cycle lasts about four to five days in length. Unlike humans, rats reach puberty at only six to eight weeks old (Hill, 2016). Twain articles were compared through a comparative a nalysis. In the article Once a Mother Always a Mother: Maternal Experience Protects Females from the Negative Effects of Stress on Learning, the researchers tested whether maternal rat behavior has a lasting effect on learning due to stress with virgin and parous rats. The parous had already given birth to at least one litter of pups. Throughout the experiment, the parous rats were not taking care of their young or lactating. For this experiment, the independent variable was stress and maternal experience.Show MoreRelatedFactors That Affect The Rate Of The Pregnancy1313 Words   |  6 Pagesthe amount of OT released during expulsion of the pups varies among species. According to them, oxytocin is at its peak at the time of delivery of the first fetus in rabbit, and throughout labor with greater pulses overlapping with pup’s expulsion in rats. Variations in oxytocin level are also seen during the pregnancy and labor in humans. According to Blanks and Thornton (2003) several discrepanc ies are present when in OT is measured in humans. First, the OT levels should be accurately determinateRead MoreBehavioral Epigenetics : Biological Heredity And Nurture1428 Words   |  6 Pagesthe study of alterations in an organism caused by modifications of gene expressions instead of alterations of the genetic code itself. Behavioral epigenetics is the field of study, which analyzes the role epigenetics have in shaping human or animal behavior. Epigenetics works by wrapping DNA around histone octamers to form nucleosomes. Genes will be transcribed or silenced depending on the spacing of nucleosomes, which is determined by complex processes, including post-translational modification ofRead More Tobacco Essay1186 Words   |  5 Pagesdeath in the United States. 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While we have comeRead MoreThe Effects Of Epigenetic Changes During Postnatal Development707 Words   |  3 Pagesstudies maternal separation in mice that showed one to three hours of separation per day throughout the postnatal period induced multiple changes with neuroendocrine and neuropeptide systems; consequently, these changes precipitated a heightened HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis response to stress due to brain region-specific epigenetic alterations that were induced through the reductions of maternal care experienced (Champagne, 2012, p43). The observation is consi stent with the effect of socialRead MoreA Critique Of Ehrlich, David E, And Donald G Rainnie1681 Words   |  7 PagesInJae Chung Bob Wyttenbach Neuroscience Behavioral Biology October 7, 2015 A critique of â€Å"Ehrlich, David E, and Donald G Rainnie. Prenatal Stress Alters The Development Of Socioemotional Behavior And Amygdala Neuron Excitability In Rats . 1.0 Background The research is discussing the effects of prenatal stress (PS) on the development of socioemotional symptoms as well as neurodevelopmental disorders. The study arises from existing literatures where a significant relationship has been establishedRead MoreRelationship Between Mother And The Womb946 Words   |  4 PagesThe relationship between the mother and the womb is a delicate one. The two are interconnected, and therefore it is the women’s job to keep the baby healthy. Usually this involves refraining from drinking, quitting smoking, and staying away from certain types of foods. But what if keeping the baby healthy meant maintaining positive and stress-free emotions? 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