Ontogeny of maternal behavior in the laboratory rat: Factors underlying changes in responsiveness from 30 to 90 days

Abstract

Male and female rats that were nonhandled or that were handled from weaning, and that had intact or impaired olfaction (intranasal zinc sulfate), were sensitized through continuous pup exposure commencing at 30, 45, 60, or 90 days of age. Nonhandled males and females were alike in latencies to become maternal at Day 30 but thereafter latencies of females became shorter and latencies of males lengthened; by 90 days males had markedly longer latencies than females and only 1/3 became maternal. Handling facilitated sensitization at 30 days among males and females but only among males at 45 and 60 days. Intranasal zinc sulfate reduced latencies of both males and females at all ages tested, but appeared most effective after 45 days of age. Gender differences in latencies persisted in adult animals even after combined treatments. Results indicate that both timidity and olfaction inhibit the onset of maternal responses to pups in virgin males and females, but they differ in relative importance by age and gender.

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