Huddling and independent feeding of neonatal rats can be facilitated by a conditioned change in behavioral state.

Published

Journal Article

Infant rat pups were exposed to a novel odor (orange or cedar) while they received tactile stimulation (stroking of the body) or were presented with odor or stroking alone. The effects of these treatments were assessed on pups' performance in a huddling test (Experiment 1 and 2) and an independent feeding test (Experiment 3). During these tests, only pups that had received the simultaneous presentation of the odor and stroking exhibited an increase in huddling and feeding. The increase in these behaviors was dependent on the presence of the conditioned odor during testing.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Sullivan, RM; Brake, SC; Hofer, MA; Williams, CL

Published Date

  • November 1986

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 19 / 6

Start / End Page

  • 625 - 635

PubMed ID

  • 3803730

Pubmed Central ID

  • 3803730

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1098-2302

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0012-1630

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1002/dev.420190613

Language

  • eng