Developmental Psychobiology
Wiley InterScience : Developmental Psychobiology

Effects of early traumatic experience on vocal expression of emotion in young...
by Tanja Jovanovic, Dario Maestripieri
6 Jul 2010 at 6:57am
The present study used a cross-fostering procedure to investigate the effects of early traumatic experience on vocal expressions of emotions in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). The subjects of the study were 12 juvenile females: six were born to abusive mothers and reared by nonabusive controls, and six were born to controls and reared by abusive mothers. The cross-fostering took place within 24-48 hr after birth. Vocalizations were recorded from the subjects in their social groups during their first 2 years of life. Abusive mothers maltreated their adopted daughters in the first 2-3 months after birth with patterns similar to those previously shown with their biological offspring. Abused females produced proportionally more noisy screams compared to controls. While controls used noisy screams during contact aggression and tonal screams during non-contact aggression, the screams from the abused animals appeared to be distributed equally across contexts. Acoustical analyses revealed that the screams of the abused females were less modulated and had lower fundamental frequencies compared to the screams of controls. Taken together, these results suggest that traumatic experiencee in the first few months of life can have long-term effects on vocal emotional expression in rhesus macaques. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Development and temporal organization of repetitive behavior in an animal model
by Yoko Tanimura, Mark C.K. Yang, Andrew K. Ottens, Mark H. Lewis
6 Jul 2010 at 6:57am
Despite repetitive behaviors being a common feature of a number of clinical disorders and ubiquitous in normative development, little attention has been given to their ontogeny or temporal dynamics. We characterized these features in a mouse model of repetitive behavior to identify discrete trajectories of development and developmental changes in temporal dynamics. Three qualitatively distinct trajectory groups were identified which allowed for an examination of the interaction between temporal organization and developmental trajectory. Significant differences in temporal dynamics were found across development and among trajectory groups. Significant interactions of trajectory group and developmental period on temporal organization were also found. The combination of group-based trajectory modeling and a novel method for analysis and graphic depiction of temporal organization allowed for the exploration of the interplay between these two fundamental behavioral processes. Such methods may be useful tools in the assessment and treatment of repetitive behavior in clinical populations. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Stability and potential inheritance of infanticidal behavior in prairie voles
by Daniel E. Olazábal
6 Jul 2010 at 6:57am
Naïve female prairie voles show significant variability in their behavioral response to newborns. We investigated whether that behavioral response (a) was related to the quality of postpartum maternal behavior; (b) was affected by postpartum maternal experience; and (c) could be selectively bred. The behavior of females was recorded in three conditions: as naïve in a nonreproductive context, as single lactating (no male present), and as experienced mother in a nonreproductive context. Finally, females and males with similar behavioral response to newborns were selectively bred for three generation. Males were removed before the offspring was born. Our results revealed that (a) naïve females that attacked pups, spent more time distant from them after parturition than those that were maternal or ignored the pups (p < .05); (b) postpartum maternal experience did not reverse infanticidal behavior; and (c) at the third generation of selective breeding, 90% of the offspring of females that were nonmaternal as virgins, behaved as their mothers. These findings suggest that the infanticidal behavioral response is a stable behavioral trait and might be passed to the offspring. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Time windows in retention over the first year-and-a-half of life: Spacing eff...
by Vivian C. Hsu
29 Jun 2010 at 3:06am
The time window construct describes when and how an earlier experience will be enduring. According to the construct, there is a limited period after an event occurs, or time window, in which a second event can retrieve and be integrated with the memory of the first event. The construct also holds that when the integration occurs later in the time window, its effects are more enduring. This study examined the time window construct for session spacing with 6- to 18-month-old human infants. Infants of all ages exhibited the retention benefit of two (integrated) sessions only when the second session occurred within the time window, but only 6-month-olds remembered longer when it occurred late in the time window. Combined with 3-month-olds' data, these findings document the generality and predictive validity of the time window construct throughout the infancy period with one modification: Integration late in the time window only benefits infants younger than 9 months. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Kinematic analysis of overground locomotion in chicks incubated under differe...
by Anil Sindhurakar, Nina S. Bradley
29 Jun 2010 at 3:06am
Domestic chicks walk within 3-4 hr after hatching following 21 days of incubation. However, differences in light exposure can vary incubation duration. Based on pilot studies, we predicted that there would be a positive relationship between incubation duration and locomotor competence at hatching. Embryos were incubated in one of three conditions that varied light duration and intensity, and overground locomotor performance was tested on the day of hatching. Chicks incubated in continuous bright light hatched 1-2 days earlier than chicks incubated in less or no light. Kinematic findings indicated that locomotor skill was similar across incubation conditions and led us to reject our hypothesis. We propose that light may accelerate locomotor development without adversely affecting skill. Our findings raise two important implications for future studies: whether light exposure accelerates locomotor circuit development; and/or it unmasks adaptive motor skill by accelerating development of other physiological systems. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Regional white matter development in children with autism spectrum disorders
by Dennis P. Carmody, Michael Lewis
16 Jun 2010 at 4:48am
In this pilot study the severity of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) was associated with alterations in white matter development. Children with ASD and without ASD were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for their myelination development on a regional basis. Measures were obtained in medial frontal cortex, temporal poles, and temporo-parietal junction in both left and right hemispheres. Children with ASD showed myelination that was greater than expected for their age in both left and right medial frontal cortex and showed myelination that was less than expected in left temporo-parietal junction. The severity of ASD symptoms, as assessed by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Generic, was associated more with left hemisphere alterations than right hemisphere. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Deficits in sensitivity to spacing after early visual deprivation in humans: ...
by Rachel A. Robbins, Mayu Nishimura, Catherine J. Mondloch, Terri L. Lewis, Daphne Maurer
16 Jun 2010 at 4:48am
Early visual deprivation caused by bilateral congenital cataracts produces deficits in discriminating faces that differ in the spacing of features, but not in feature shape (Le Grand et al. [2001] Nature 410: 810). We investigated whether these deficits are specific to human faces by testing patients' ability to discriminate between stimuli differing only in feature spacing in human and monkey faces (Experiment 1) and in houses (Experiment 2). Patients, as a group, showed deficits on only one task: they had lower accuracy than normal in discriminating feature spacing in human faces. In contrast, they were normal in discriminating feature spacing in monkey faces and in houses. The results suggest that early visual experience is necessary to set up (or preserve) the neural architecture used for processing human faces, but not for processing objects in general. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Specific grasp characteristics of children with trisomy 21
by Marianne Jover, Catherine Ayoun, Catherine Berton, Michèle Carlier
16 Jun 2010 at 4:48am
Children with trisomy 21 display atypical manual skills that change to some extent during development. We examined grasp characteristics and their development in 35 children with trisomy 21, aged 4-18 years, who performed simple manual tasks (two manual tasks of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, and grasping of five wooden blocks whose size was determined by their hand size). The age-matched comparison group included 35 typically developing children. Children with trisomy 21 were found to use fewer fingers than children in the comparison group in each task. They also used specific grasps and tended to extend fingers that were not involved in the grip. While some specific grasp characteristics of children with trisomy 21 decreased with age, other did not, and remained present throughout development. The perceptual-motor development of children with trisomy 21 should be analyzed in terms of atypical development rather than developmental delay. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Opioid mediation of amniotic fluid effects on chemosensory responsiveness in ...
by Valerie Méndez-Gallardo, Scott R. Robinson
1 Jun 2010 at 3:11am
The present study investigated if oral exposure to milk or amniotic fluid (AF) alters responsiveness to sensory stimulation in the neonatal rat, and whether these effects are mediated by the opioid system. Facial wiping evoked by intraoral lemon infusion was used as a measure of sensory responsiveness. Pups were tested in a supine posture, because they showed more paw-face strokes during facial wiping than pups tested prone (Experiment 1). Moreover, pups orally exposed to milk (Experiment 2) or AF (Experiment 3) showed a diminished wiping response to lemon compared to controls exposed to water. Blockade of opioid receptors with the nonselective antagonist naltrexone (Experiment 4) or the kappa antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (Experiment 5) reinstated higher levels of facial wiping after AF exposure. These findings confirm developmental continuity between fetal and neonatal behavioral responses to AF and the ability of AF to induce activity at kappa receptors of the endogenous opioid system. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Early exposure to odors changes later visual prey preferences in cuttlefish
by Mathieu Guibé, Jean G. Boal, Ludovic Dickel
1 Jun 2010 at 3:11am
Developmental studies have shown that environmental stimulation received by a developing sensory system can alter the developmental outcome of both that sensory system and other aspects of the nervous system. We investigated the ecologically relevant question of whether prior exposure to prey early in development within one sensory modality could influence later prey choice within a different sensory modality. Cuttlefish are visual predators; they can detect prey odors but attacks on prey cannot be elicited without visual stimulation. Cuttlefish eggs were exposed to the odor of shrimp (preferred prey), crabs (non-preferred prey), mollusks (non-prey), or a seawater control (no prey). Seven days after hatching, prey preferences were tested with a visual choice test between crabs and shrimp. Hatchlings exposed to crabs odors and the seawater control were significantly more likely to attack shrimp. Hatchlings exposed to mollusk odors showed no visual prey preference, while those exposed to shrimp preferentially attacked crabs. These results demonstrate a complex relationship between an early sensory exposure and later prey preference. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Vaginocervical stimulation of Ewes induces the rapid formation of a new bond ...
by F. Lévy, M. Keller, F. Cornilleau, C. Moussu, G. Ferreira
20 May 2010 at 4:25am
Ewes form a selective olfactory memory for their lambs after 2 hr of mother-young interaction following parturition. Mothers will subsequently reject any strange lamb at suckling. The present study investigated whether artificial vaginocervical stimulation (VCS) allows the formation of a selective bond with an unfamiliar lamb and whether it interferes with the maintenance of the bond formed with the familiar lamb. At 2 hr postpartum, mothers were separated from their familiar lamb after having formed a selective bond with it and were given 10 min of mechanical VCS. In the "VCS + lamb" group (n = 24) an unfamiliar lamb was left with the ewe for 2 hr whereas in the "VCS no lamb" group (n = 26) the mother was left alone for the same period of time. Ewes of the "no VCS" group (n = 14) did not receive any VCS. In the majority of animals of the "VCS + lamb" group (23/24) VCS induced a complete acceptance of the unfamiliar lamb without any disruption of the bond previously formed with the familiar lamb. VCS or 2 hr of separation did not disrupt the maintenance of the selective bond initially formed with the familiar lamb since all the ewes of the "VCS no lamb" and "no VCS" groups accepted it at suckling. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
The ontogeny of anxiety-like behavior in rats from adolescence to adulthood
by Debra A. Lynn, Gillian R. Brown
12 May 2010 at 3:43am
In human beings, susceptibility to anxiety disorders can be relatively high during adolescence. Understanding the ontogeny of anxiety-like behavior in laboratory rodents has implications for developing anxiolytic drugs that are suitable for this age group. Given the dearth of information about adolescent rodents, this study examined the response of both male and female adolescent, late adolescent, young adult, and older adult rats to three tests of anxiety-like behavior: the emergence test (ET), open field (OF), and elevated plus-maze (EPM). The results showed that adolescent rats exhibited a higher anxiety-like response than adults on each test; the amount of locomotion in the OF and percentage of time spent on the open arms of the EPM increased across the age groups, while older adult rats made the fewest start box re-entries in the ET. These results support the hypothesis that adolescent rats have a more pronounced response to stressors than do adults. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Role of medial prefrontal NMDA receptors in spatial delayed alternation in 19...
by Sarah A. Jablonski, Deborah J. Watson, Mark E. Stanton
12 May 2010 at 3:43am
Long-Evans rats were trained on spatial delayed alteration (SDA) in a T-maze following medial prefrontal cortical (mPFC) infusions of different doses of the noncompetitive NMDA-receptor antagonist, MK-801 (.125 µl; .25 µl; or .25 µlsaline, bilaterally), on postnatal day (PND) 19, 26, or 33. Pups trained on PND 19 showed almost no learning of SDA, regardless of drug condition (including saline). On PND 26, both doses of MK-801 significantly and equivalently prevented SDA learning, with performance during the final three training blocks remaining near chance levels, in contrast with 85% correct performance in the saline control group. On PND 33, substantial SDA learning was evident regardless of dose, although a modest impairment appeared in mid-training at both doses. These findings confirm previous reports of mPFC involvement in the early postnatal ontogeny of SDA and suggest a developmentally transient role of mPFC NMDA-receptor function in this task. Dev. Psychobiol. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Ontogeny of spatial working memory in the subterranean rodent ctenomys talarum
by Cristian E. Schleich
12 May 2010 at 3:43am
While several works analyzed the spatial learning and memory capacities in adults of subterranean rodents, no study was done examining the development of these cognitive processes in pups of any of those species. Therefore, the development of spatial working memory in the South American subterranean rodent Ctenomys talarum was investigated by analyzing the pups' spatial performance in a delayed alternation task. When a short delay of 1 min was interposed between runs in the Y-maze, 20-day-old pups made more errors than 40- and 60-day-old pups. When longer intervals (10 min) were elapsed between runs, younger pups made approximately twice as many errors as the ones committed by 60-day-old pups, showing the age-dependent development of spatial working memory in this species of subterranean rodent. Increased space use by C. talarum pups, caused first by the appearance of independent exploratory behavior and later by the need of leaving maternal territory and construct a new burrow system, showed some correspondence with the improvements in the pups' spatial working memory performance, suggesting for the importance of this cognitive capacity in developing pups for which spatial learning and memory constitute essential abilities for survival and fitness. Dev. Psychobiol. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol
Amplification and diffusion of manual preference from lateralized practice in...
by Luis Augusto Teixeira, Renato Passos Pereira da Silva, Sylvia Lúcia de Freitas
12 May 2010 at 3:43am
The effect of lateralized practice on manual preference was investigated in right-handed children. Probing tasks required reaching and grasping a pencil at distinct eccentricities in the right and left hemifields (simple), and its transportation and insertion into a small hole (complex). During practice, the children experienced manipulative tasks different from that used for probing, using the left hand only. Results showed that before practice the children used almost exclusively the right hand in the right hemifield and at the midline position. Following lateralized practice frequency of use of the left hand increased in most lateral positions. A more evident effect of lateralized practice on shift of manual preference was detected in the complex task. Implications for lateralization of behavior in a developmental timescale are discussed on the basis of the proposition of amplification and diffusion of manual preference from lateralized practice. Dev. Psychobiol. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol

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