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Effects of selective neonatal temporal lobe lesions on socioemotional behavior in infant rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

Normal infant monkeys and infant monkeys with neonatal damage to either the medial temporal lobe or the inferior temporal visual area were assessed in dyadic social interactions at 2 and 6 months of age. Unlike the normal infant monkeys, which developed strong affiliative bonds and little or no behavioral disturbances, the lesioned monkeys (each of which was observed with an unoperated control) exhibited socioemotional abnormalities and aberrant behaviors. The socioemotional changes predominated at 6 months of age and were particularly severe in monkeys with medial temporal lesions. In both the pattern and time course, the socioemotional deficits produced by the neonatal medial temporal lesions bear a striking resemblance to the behavioral syndrome in children with autism. Further analysis of these lesion-induced abnormalities in nonhuman primates may therefore provide insight into this debilitating human developmental disorder.

Aging↗

Self-conscious behavior of infants: a videotape study.

The reactions of 4 infants each at ages 10, 15, and 20 months were recorded on videotape as they responded to their own simultaneous video image, their own previously taped video image, the image of a control infant, and that of a female stranger. The subjects' responses were coded by 2 research assistants, ignorant of the original stimuli and the purpose of the study. The following behavioral categories were used: attends, sociable behavior, curiosity, unhappiness-withdrawal, and self-consciousness. The 1st-step discriminant according to a matrix algebra analysis between age groups was self-conscious behavior in response to the simultaneous video image. Twenty month-old infants were significantly different in their display of self-consciousness from the 10 and 15 month-old groups; the latter did not differ from each other.

Age Factors↗

Extinction of behavior in infant rats: development of functional coupling between septal, hippocampal, and ventral tegmental regions.

Learning of a behavior at a particular age during the postnatal period presumably occurs when the functional brain circuit mediating the behavior matures. The inability to express a learned behavior, such as inhibition, may be accounted for by the functional dissociation of brain regions comprising the circuit. In this study we tested this hypothesis by measuring brain metabolic activity, as revealed by fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) autoradiography, during behavioral extinction in 12- and 17-d-old rat pups. Subjects were first trained on a straight alley runway task known as patterned single alternation (PSA), wherein reward and nonreward trials alternate successively. They were then injected with FDG and given 50 trials of continuous nonreward (i.e., extinction). Pups at postnatal day 12 (P12) demonstrated significantly slower extinction rates compared to their P17 counterparts, despite the fact that both reliably demonstrated the PSA effect, i.e., both age groups distinguished between reward and nonreward trials during acquisition. Covariance analysis revealed that the dentate gyrus, hippocampal fields CA1-3, subiculum, and lateral septal area were significantly correlated in P17 but not P12 pups. Significant correlations were also found between the lateral septal area, ventral tegmental area, and the medial septal nucleus in P17 pups. Similar correlative patterns were not found in P12 and P17 handled control animals. Taken together, these results suggest that septal, hippocampal, and mesencephalic regions may be functionally dissociated at P12, and the subsequent maturation of functional connectivity between these regions allows for the more rapid expression of behavioral inhibition during extinction at P17.

Aging↗

Mental, motor, and social behavior of infants with cleft lip and/or cleft palate.

This is a report of analyses of cross-sectional and longitudinal samples of the mental, motor, and social behavior of children with cleft lip and/or palate as measured by the Bayley Scales for Infant Development. Seventy-five patients of the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic were the subjects for the sample. The longitudinal sample consisted of 28 of these Ss for whom there were complete data at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. The results indicated that there were no significant differences in mental and motor functioning. In both analyses, the social behavior of patients with oral-facial clefts was more passive than the Bayley normative sample. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.

Child Behavior↗

Developmental change in infant cortisol and behavioral response to inoculation.

Infant cortisol and behavioral responses to receiving 1 versus 2 inoculations on 1 pediatric office visit were observed at 2 and 6 months of age. Cortisol level (pre- plus postinoculation level) decreased with age, whereas cortisol response (post- minus preinoculation level) did not vary with age when the data were aggregated over infants showing a pre- to postinoculation cortisol increase and those showing a decrease. Nonetheless, for those infants who showed a cortisol increase, cortisol level and response decreased with age. Infants quieted faster at the older age. There was a moderate relation between quieting behavior and cortisol response, at least for infants who showed a pre- to postinoculation cortisol increase. These findings indicate a developmental trend for a decline over age in adrenocortical reactivity to inoculation for infants showing a cortisol release following the perturbation. Results were comparable whether infants received 1 or 2 inoculations.

Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine↗

The effect of intervention on the free-play experience for mothers and their infants with developmental delay and cerebral palsy.

An intervention study designed to investigate the effects of one hour of maternal and infant behavior was conducted using experimental and control groups of mothers and their infants with cerebral palsy. Ten mother-infant pairs were in each group; infants ranged in age from 8-32 months. Infants of mothers in the control group received one hour of NDT-based occupational therapy. Two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance with repeated measures of the second factor indicated that the nonverbal instruction methods were significantly more successful in modifying maternal and infant behavior than were the verbal instruction methods. Implications of the results for intervention programs and future research were discussed.

Journal Article↗

Influences of environmental demand on maternal behavior and infant development.

Research has shown that in conjunction with genetic factors, significant aspects of non-human primate development are influenced by the infant's physical and social environment. In addition to the direct impact of the environment on the infant, the infant's attachment relationship with the mother is seen as the primary mediating factor in shaping these influences. When the mother is able to cope with environmental demands, as a reflection of her responsivity to her infant's needs, she may prepare infants for periodic interruptions in her attention, ameliorate distress during disruptive periods and, most importantly, compensate for these disruptions with enhanced attention to her infant once they are ended. Our recent work shows that when the mother's survival requirements increase, and her coping capacities are exceeded, both short- and long-term deleterious effects on her developing offspring may emerge. Particularly when confronted with an unpredictable environment, mothers are less able to maintain effective, stress-buffering, maternal-coping mechanisms which can preserve a stable attachment relationship and permit normal infant development. When these coping mechanisms are insufficient, infants may show manifest disturbances, such as depression, during development or reveal more latent disturbances, such as reduced sociability and timidity, when psychologically challenged, even as young adults. Evidence now suggests that these long-term effects may, at least in part, be the product of altered neurodevelopment of the serotonergic and noradrenergic systems.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

An experimental study of mother loss in the Indian langur monkey (Presbytis entellus).

Langur monkeys normally have many important caregivers from birth. Mothers of 6- to 8-month-old infants were removed from the infants' social groups for 2 weeks, and the effects of the separations on infant behavior were assessed. All infants showed changes in behavior. Their reactions to loss ranged from minimal to severe--in 2 instances, death. All infants sought care during separation, and most infants showed strong preferences for certain females. A majority of infants adopted a major caregiver during the mother's absence. Adoptions were entirely infant-initiated, and most infants remained with their adopted caregivers when the mothers were returned. Factors influencing infant response to mother loss included previous quality of maternal care, availability of accepting caregivers, and peer competition.

Agonistic Behavior↗

Mother-child play and emerging social behaviors among infants from maltreating families.

Mother-child play of 12-month-old infants (N=130) from maltreating (N=78) and non-maltreating (N=52) families was analyzed as a context that integrates infants' developing social and cognitive skills. Play was coded from semistructured and unstructured play paradigms. No group differences were found in infants' play maturity. Infants from abusing families demonstrated more imitative play than infants from non-maltreating families, and engaged in less independent play than infants from both neglecting and non-maltreating families, suggesting a delay in emerging social behaviors. Mothers from abusing and non-maltreating families differed in attention directing behaviors. Maternal behaviors predicted child play style variables, but did not mediate the effects of maltreatment. Findings discuss the influence of an early maltreating environment upon the development of the emergent self. Implications for early intervention are underscored.

Adult↗

Frontal lobe activity and affective behavior of infants of mothers with depressive symptoms.

Studies of adults and infants indicate that the left frontal brain region is specialized for approach emotions, such as joy, whereas the right frontal region is specialized for withdrawal emotions, such as distress. Furthermore, depressed adults have been found to show reduced brain activity in the left frontal region. In this study, frontal and parietal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded from 27 infants aged 11-17 months (13 of whose mothers reported elevated depressive symptoms) during baseline and emotion-eliciting conditions. Compared with infants of nonsymptomatic mothers, infants of symptomatic mothers exhibited reduced left frontal brain activity during playful interactions with their mothers and failed to exhibit the typical pattern of greater right frontal activity during a condition designed to elicit distress (maternal separation). Infants of symptomatic mothers also showed less distress during maternal separation; however, no group differences in behavior were found during the playful condition. Group differences were evident in the frontal region, but not in parietal brain activity.

Affect↗

The breast or the bottle? Determinants of infant feeding behaviors.

Although various trends have placed breastfeeding in and out of vogue, in the twentieth century the greater availability of human milk substitutes mandates that a woman choose her infant's feeding method. It appears that intrapsychic factors or life experiences, as well as certain social conditions, influence that choice. For example, the economic state of society historically has had significant impact on the role of women and the value placed on woman's unique biologic contributions. Likewise, personality and attitudinal factors also may act as potential mediators of observed differences between lactating and nonlactating mothers in their mother-infant interactions. Finally, once the decision to breastfeed or bottle-feed has been made and carried through, additional physiologic mechanisms may mediate conscious behavioral intentions. The phenomenon of human lactation, then, is sensitive to a variety of interrelated factors that can be grouped as follows: (1) individual personality, (2) social forces, and (3) psychophysiologic mechanisms. An in-depth understanding of the specific factors that affect a woman's decision to breastfeed will have far-reaching implications for future educational and interventional programs.

Attitude↗

Developmental milestones and self-feeding behaviors in infants and toddlers.

OBJECTIVES: To identify ages at which gross motor developmental milestones and fine motor skills required for self-feeding were reported by primary caregivers and to relate these self-feeding skills to energy and nutrient intakes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey of households with infants/toddlers, ages 4 to 24 months. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Telephone survey using a national random sample of infants and toddlers (n=3,022). METHODS: Primary caregivers reported their children's food intake (one 24-hour recall), the ages when caregivers reported self-feeding skills were shown, and the number of teeth. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Children's reported ages for gross motor developmental milestones, self-feeding skills, and the number of erupted teeth were summarized. Using t tests, differences in energy and nutrient intake were determined by age groupings and by the absence or presence of each self-feeding skill. RESULTS: Self-feeding skills achieved in the first 2 years and details about age ranges at which developmental readiness to self-feed were evidenced are described. The ages at which children were reported to show gross motor developmental milestones and eruption of teeth occurred within expected age ranges. A majority of the children who were reported to show developmental readiness to self-feed at an earlier age (7 to 14 months) had higher intakes of energy and most nutrients than those who did not. By 15 to 18 months, most of the children were reported to show comparable self-feeding skills regardless of whether they self-fed earlier or later. APPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: Assuming a variety of nutritious foods are offered to infants and toddlers, caregivers may encourage self-feeding without concern for jeopardizing energy and nutrient adequacy. In the first year, the addition of foods that require chewing should reflect the number of erupted teeth.

Caregivers↗

Infant-directed behavior of rhesus monkeys during their first pregnancy and parturition.

To determine whether pregnancy influences the response of rhesus monkeys towards infants, 11 females were observed during 15-min exposures to a 1- to 15-day-old infant at 1- to 2-week intervals throughout pregnancy. No evidence was found for increasing willingness to contact infants as pregnancy progressed. The parturition of 5 of these females was observed, which included 1 live breech birth. These primiparae all established ventral contact with their infants at birth, though most of them appeared to passively allow the infant to initiate contact while their own attention was directed at licking the birth fluids.

Animals↗