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At least 1,315 records · Page 73Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Afferents to the rostral olfactory bulb in sheep with special emphasis on the cholinergic, noradrenergic and serotonergic connections.

The olfactory bulb (OB) is involved in the processing of olfactory information particularly through the activation of its afferents. To localize their cell origin in sheep, a specific retrograde fluorescent tracer, Fluoro-Gold, was injected into the olfactory bulb of seven ewes. By using immunocytochemical techniques, retrogradely labeled neurons were colocalized with choline acetyltransferase, tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and serotonin to characterize cholinergic, noradrenergic and serotonergic Fluoro-Gold-labeled neurons. Most afferents originated from the ipsilateral side of the injection site. The OB received major inputs from the anterior olfactory nucleus (AON), the piriform cortex (PC), the olfactory tubercle, the diagonal band of Broca (DBB) and the amygdala. Other retrogradely labeled neurons were observed in the taenia tecta, the septum, the nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract, the preoptic area, the lateral hypothalamic area, the mediobasal hypothalamus, the lateral part of the premammillary nucleus, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, the paraventricular thalamic nucleus, the central grey, the substantia nigra (SN), the ventral tegmental area (VTA), the lateral nucleus to the interpeduncular nucleus (IIP), the raphe and the locus coeruleus (LC). Contralateral labeling was also found in the AON, the PC, the SN compacta, the VTA, the IIP and the LC. Cholinergic Fluoro-Gold-labeled neurons belonged to the horizontal and vertical branch of the DBB. Noradrenergic afferents came from the LC and serotoninergic afferents came from the medial raphe nuclei and the 1IP. These data are discussed in relation with olfactory learning in the context of maternal behavior in sheep.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Mice deficient in G(olf) are anosmic.

We have used gene targeting to examine the role of the G alpha subunit, G(olf), in olfactory signal transduction. Mice homozygous for a null mutation in G(olf) show a striking reduction in the electrophysiological response of primary olfactory sensory neurons to a wide variety of odors. Despite this profound diminution in response to odors, the topographic map of primary sensory projections to the olfactory bulb remains unaltered in G(olf) mutants. Greater than 75% of the G(olf) mutant mice are unable to nurse and die within 2 days after birth. Rare surviving homozygotes mate and are fertile, but mutant females exhibit inadequate maternal behaviors. Surviving homozygous mutant mice also exhibit hyperactive behaviors. These behavioral phenotypes, taken together with the patterns of G(olf) expression, suggest that G(olf) is required for olfactory signal transduction and may also function as an essential signaling molecule more centrally in the brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Temperament and the development of personality.

We present a psychobiological approach to personality development, incorporating developmental principles outlined by R. B. Cairns (1979). We review individual differences in temperament and ask how a temperamental approach to personality might be congruent with these complex and flexible principles. We then illustrate the nature of temperamental processes by considering several developmental topics. We first consider the interaction of infant distress-proneness and maternal behavior in the development of attachment. We then describe the development of self-regulatory mechanisms, emphasizing development of conscience, aggression, and mastery motivation. Finally, we briefly review mechanisms of temperament and environment interaction, illustrating these processes through variable developmental pathways for risk of adolescent and adult psychopathology. Throughout, we stress the idea that temperamental models of personality development are dynamic, interactive, and fit well with Cairns's developmental principles.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Oxytocin responsivity in mothers of infants: a preliminary study of relationships with blood pressure during laboratory stress and normal ambulatory activity.

The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) enhances maternal behavior and decreases blood pressure (BP) and stress responses in animals. Thus, the relationship of OT responsivity to BP in 14 breast- and 11 bottle-feeding mothers of infants was examined. Laboratory BP was assessed during baseline, speech preparation, active speech, and recovery on 2 days, 1 in which baseline and speech were separated by 10 min of baby holding and the other by no baby contact. Systolic BP reactivity to speech was lower after baby contact. Plasma OT change from baseline to speech after baby contact defined OT increase, minimal OT change, and OT decrease groups. OT increase mothers were primarily breast-feeders, and they had lower BP throughout both stress sessions and after baby feeding at home than OT decrease mothers, who also had greater BP reactivity to preparation and recovery. These results suggest that oxytocin has antistress and BP-lowering effects in humans.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Differential involvement of nucleus accumbens shell and core subregions in maternal memory in postpartum female rats.

Maternal memory refers to the long-term retention of maternal responsiveness as a consequence of animals' prior experiences with their young. This study examined the relative roles of 2 subregions of the nucleus accumbens (NA; shell and core) in maternal memory in rats. NA shell lesions either before or immediately after a short experience significantly disrupted maternal memory, but lesions after a 24-hr maternal experience had no effect. NA core lesions had no significant impact on maternal memory. Cycloheximide (a protein synthesis inhibitor) at a high dose (25 micrograms/microliter) infused in the NA shell immediately after 1 hr of maternal experience also significantly disrupted maternal memory, whereas infusions in the medial preoptic area had no effect. It was concluded that the NA shell, but not the NA core, is involved in the consolidation of maternal memory.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Interactions of African American infants and their mothers: relations with development at 1 year of age.

The relationships between aspects of mother-infant interaction and both communication and cognitive skills at 1 year of age were examined in 92 African American dyads, of whom 64 (70%) fell below the poverty line. Ratings of warmth, sensitivity, responsiveness, encouragement of initiative, stimulation, and elaborativeness during a semistructured play interaction were correlated with measures of global cognition, expressive and receptive communication, and communication use. The overall quality of the home environment and maternal ratings of stimulation and elaborativeness were the most consistent correlates of infant communication measures. Relationships were stronger in middle-income than lower-income dyads. These results support the linkage of didactic and functional aspects of maternal behavior to cognitive and communication skills at 1 year of age for African American infants.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Evaluation of an intervention programme to support mothers and babies at psychosocial risk: assessment of mother/child interaction and mother's perceptions of benefit.

The outcome of a short-term intervention programme for mothers at psychosocial risk was evaluated. The study included 63 mothers and their 0-6-month-old babies who participated in a 6-week intensive treatment programme. Mother-child interaction was assessed in the beginning and at the end of treatment by two independent staff members based on direct observation, and by two control raters who observed video recordings which were arranged in blind order. The mothers were interviewed about the treatment retrospectively. A positive change in several aspects of mother-child interaction, according to the assessments made by the raters and according to the mothers themselves. The number of mothers who were positive toward the treatment rose from 34 in the beginning of the treatment to 56 at the end. In conclusion, a short but intensive intervention seems to have a positive outcome on mother-child interaction, and was in most cases linked to a positive attitude.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Changes in oxytocin receptor mRNA in rat brain during pregnancy and the effects of estrogen and interleukin-6.

Changes in brain oxytocin receptor (OTR) binding sites during the course of pregnancy may influence the sudden onset of maternal behavior in female rats at parturition. In situ hybridization was used to identify changes in OTR messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression during pregnancy and parturition. Two patterns of mRNA regulation were observed. Relative to diestrus virgin control females, OTR mRNA was elevated in the lateral septum and medial preoptic area at days 13-15 of pregnancy but not on the morning of parturition. In the central nucleus of the amygdala and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH), OTR mRNA was most abundant on the morning of parturition. Strong signals for OTR mRNA were detected in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, supraoptic nucleus and suprachiasmatic nucleus. However no group differences were detected in these areas. As estrogen and interleukin-6 have been suggested to modulate OTR gene expression and both are elevated at the time of parturition, their effects on OTR mRNA in the brain were examined. Estrogen and interleukin-6, given simultaneously, significantly elevated the concentration of OTR mRNA in the VMH, but not in the amygdala. The increase in the VMH was significantly greater than that produced by estrogen alone, and interleukin-6 alone had no effects. These results demonstrate that transcriptional regulation of OTR gene expression mediates changes in receptor density in the brain in a region specific manner during pregnancy and suggests a potential mechanism for some of these changes.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Early environmental regulation of glucocorticoid feedback sensitivity in young adult monkeys.

Variations in maternal care induce in neonatal rodents life-long changes in glucocorticoid feedback regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This aspect of plasticity in neuroendocrine development has not been established in primates. We assessed, in young adult squirrel monkeys, postnatal rearing effects on cortisol-induced suppression of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) stimulated secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Offspring of randomly bred monkeys were periodically removed from natal groups between 13 and 21 weeks of age. In two other postnatal rearing conditions, systematic differences in maternal availability were produced by manipulating the effort required of lactating mothers to successfully find food. All offspring were subsequently administered, 3-5 years later on two occasions, an intravenous ovine CRF injection preceded 60 min earlier by placebo or cortisol pretreatment. The difference between CRF-stimulated time-integrated secretion of ACTH following placebo vs cortisol pretreatment served as an index of glucocorticoid negative feedback. Difference scores were greatest in monkeys previously separated from natal groups. This finding was not attributable to significant rearing condition differences in plasma cortisol levels achieved following pretreatment with exogenous cortisol, nor plasma ACTH levels produced when the CRF injection was preceded by pretreatment with placebo. The results suggest that postnatal experiences altered glucocorticoid feedback in monkeys at least through early adulthood. This conclusion supports retrospective reports indicating that, for humans with major mood and anxiety disorders, systematic differences in glucocorticoid feedback may reflect neural mechanisms in development linking early life stress with psychopathology in adulthood.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2001

The epidemiology of preterm labor.

There are many factors that are associated with preterm labor and delivery. These include maternal conditions such as medical illness, anemia and uterine malformation. They may be related to past events such as prior obstetric complication, previous preterm labor, cervical surgery or induced abortion. They may be intrinsic to the current pregnancy, such as reproductive tract infection, multifetal gestation, maternal age, short interpregnancy interval or prolonged menstrual conception interval. Maternal behaviors such as smoking and substance abuse can be risk factors for a short gestation. Demographic variables such as race, employment and socioeconomic status can also be associated with preterm labor. This article briefly reviews these subjects.

Anemia↗
PubMed2006

Maternal mediation, stress inoculation, and the development of neuroendocrine stress resistance in primates.

The stress inoculation hypothesis presupposes that brief intermittent stress exposure early in life induces the development of subsequent stress resistance in human and nonhuman primates. Rodent studies, however, suggest a role for maternal care rather than stress exposure per se (i.e., the maternal mediation hypothesis). To investigate these two hypotheses, we examined maternal care and the development of stress resistance after exposure to brief intermittent infant stress (IS), mother-infant stress (MIS), or no stress (NS) protocols administered to 30 monkeys between postnatal weeks 17 and 27. Unlike rodents, the IS condition did not permanently increase primate maternal care, nor did measures of total maternal care predict subsequent offspring hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis responsivity. Although MIS infants received less maternal care than IS and NS infants, both IS and MIS monkeys developed subsequent stress resistance. These findings indicate that rearing differences in the development of stress resistance are more closely related to differences in prior stress exposure than to differences in maternal care. A second experiment confirmed this conclusion in a different cohort of 25 monkeys exposed as infants to high foraging-demand (HFD) or low foraging-demand (LFD) conditions. HFD infants exhibited intermittent elevations in cortisol levels and received less maternal care than LFD infants. In keeping with a key prediction of the stress inoculation hypothesis, HFD males responded to stress in adulthood with diminished hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis activation compared with LFD males. Results from both experiments demonstrate that stress inoculation, rather than high levels of maternal care, promotes the development of primate stress resistance.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1998

A very large protein with diverse functional motifs is deficient in rjs (runty, jerky, sterile) mice.

Three radiation-induced alleles of the mouse p locus, p6H, p25H, and pbs, cause defects in growth, coordination, fertility, and maternal behavior in addition to p gene-related hypopigmentation. These alleles are associated with disruption of the p gene plus an adjacent gene involved in the disorders listed. We have identified this adjacent gene, previously named rjs (runty jerky sterile), by positional cloning. The rjs cDNA is very large, covering 15,264 nucleotides. The predicted rjs-encoded protein (4,836 amino acids) contains several sequence motifs, including three RCC1 repeats, a structural motif in common with cytochrome b5, and a HECT domain in common with E6-AP ubiquitin ligase. On the basis of sequence homology and conserved synteny, the rjs gene is the single mouse homolog of a previously described five- or six-member human gene family. This family is represented by at least two genes, HSC7541 and KIAA0393, from human chromosome 15q11-q13. HSC7541 and KIAA0393 lie close to, or within, a region commonly deleted in most Prader-Willi syndrome patients. Previous work has suggested that the multiple phenotypes in rjs mice might be due to a common neuroendocrine defect. In addition to this proposed mode of action, alternative functions of the rjs gene are evaluated in light of its known protein homologies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

An imprinted PEG1/MEST antisense expressed predominantly in human testis and in mature spermatozoa.

PEG1 (or MEST) is an imprinted gene located on human chromosome 7q32 that is expressed predominantly from the paternal allele. In the mouse, Peg1/Mest is associated with embryonic growth and maternal behavior. Human PEG1 is transcribed from two promoters; the transcript from promoter P1 is derived from both parental alleles, and the transcript from P2 is exclusively from the paternal allele. We characterized the P1 and P2 transcripts in various normal and neoplastic tissues. In the normal tissues, PEG1 was transcribed from both promoters P1 and P2, whereas in six of eight neoplastic tissues, PEG1 was transcribed exclusively from promoter P1. Bisulfite sequencing demonstrated high levels of CpG methylation in the P2 region of DNA from a lung tumor. In the region between P1 and P2, we identified a novel transcript, PEG1-AS, in an antisense orientation to PEG1. PEG1-AS is a spliced transcript and was detected as a strong 2.4-kilobase band on a Northern blot. PEG1-AS and PEG1 P2-sense transcript were expressed exclusively from the paternal allele. Fragments of DNA from within the 1.5-kilobase region between PEG1-AS and the P2 exon were ligated to a pGL3 luciferase reporter vector and transfected into NCI H23 cells. This DNA exhibited strong promoter activity in both the sense and antisense directions, indicating that PEG1-AS and P2 exon share a common promoter region. Treatment of the transfected DNA fragments with CpG methylase abolished the promoter activity. Of interest, PEG1-AS was expressed predominantly in testis and in mature motile spermatozoa, indicating a possible role for this transcript in human sperm physiology and fertilization.

Alleles↗
PubMed1999

Preliminary research on plasma oxytocin in normal cycling women: investigating emotion and interpersonal distress.

The neurohormone oxytocin is responsible for initiating childbirth and the let-down reflex in lactating women and is released during sexual orgasm. Oxytocin has been thought of as an affiliation hormone because research on nonhuman mammals has demonstrated that it plays a key role in the initiation of maternal behavior and the formation of adult pair bonds. It has been speculated that social stimuli may induce oxytocin release and that oxytocin may make positive social contact more rewarding. Data are presented from an initial study to examine change in plasma oxytocin in response to a standard imagery task that elicits emotion related to attachment. Twenty-five normal cycling, healthy women underwent imagery tasks and completed questionnaires on attachment and interpersonal problems. Blood draws (5 ml) were bone via an indwelling catheter before, during, and after three interventions (massage, positive emotion, and negative emotion) and to establish baselines. Overall, the data showed a tendency for oxytocin levels to be elevated in response to relaxation massage and decreased in response to sad emotion. There were individual differences in response to the interventions. Those who showed evidence of increased oxytocin levels for positive emotion and massage and who maintained oxytocin levels during negative emotion were less likely to report interpersonal problems associated with intrusiveness. Maintaining oxytocin levels during sadness was also correlated with lower anxiety in close relationships. Women who were in a couple relationship had greater increases in oxytocin in response to positive emotion. In contrast, higher basal levels of oxytocin were associated with greater interpersonal distress. These data suggest that peripheral secretion of oxytocin in response to emotional stimuli is associated with the individual's interpersonal characteristics.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Assessment of risk factors for low birth weight deliveries.

Recognition of a higher than average incidence of low birth weight (LBW) deliveries in areas of Eastern Pennsylvania led to an analysis of more than 5,500 deliveries in one of the region's hospital systems to investigate the predictors of LBW in that population. Results of multivariate analysis indicate key variables that contribute to LBW: in particular, racial/ethnic background and specific medial problems during pregnancy, including preeclampsia, incompetent cervix, bleeding, low BMI and lack of adequate weight gain. Results were incorporated into training in best practices for prenatal care in the city's prenatal clinics.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Maternal smoking during pregnancy: social, medical, and legal perspectives on the conception of a human being.

The social, medical, and legal aspects of maternal smoking during pregnancy are examined. Increasing social awareness of the fetus as a human being is described as emanating largely from modern prenatal screening technologies. Medical findings concerning the harms of maternal smoking to the fetus and developing child are then reviewed. The legal literature is considered within the context of women's rights. Two major trends are identified. The first is the prosecution of harmful maternal behaviors, and the second is extensive public education. It is asserted that despite repeated calls for action, actual attempts to help pregnant women quit smoking are meager. This finding is interpreted as resulting from the unclear status of both the fetus and smoking in general and from increased awareness of women's rights.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1978

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol inhibition of suckling-induced prolactin release in the lactating rat.

To study effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on the regulation of prolactin (PRL) release, a chronic cannula was placed in the right atrium of postpartum lactating rats. Two or more days later their pups were removed for 6--8 hours. A blood sample was drawn from the mother just prior to reintroducing the pups, for determination of basal levels of plasma PRL. A second sample was drawn following 30 min of continuous suckling. THC (1.25 or 4.0 mg/Kg) or vehicle was then injected intravenously and blood samples obtained 30, 60, 120 min later. Relative to vehicle-injected controls, both doses of THC significantly reduced plasma PRL levels and disrupted all components of maternal behavior. These findings indicate that THC inhibits suckling-induced PRL release in the postpartum rat.

Animals↗