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Maternal Behavior following Rehabilitation of Rats with Intergenerational Malnutrition. 1. Persistent Changes in Lactation-Related Behaviors

Department of Child Psychiatry, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118

Female rats rehabilitated for one or two generations on an adequate level of dietary protein following a history of intergenerational malnutrition were studied during the postnatal suckling period. No recovery occurred after two generations of dietary rehabilitation for most measures of maternal behavior including active nursing, passive nursing, pup-oriented behavior, time spent in the nest or time spent in contact with the young. In contrast, nest quality improved to normal levels after rehabilitation. In addition, growth of pups born to females rehabilitated for one generation was similar to growth of control pups, and in the case of mothers rehabilitated for two generations, growth of offspring exceeded that of the control pups. These results demonstrate variable sensitivity of different maternal behaviors to rehabilitation following a history of intergenerational malnutrition, with lack of normalization of a considerable number of maternal behaviors. Consequently, some of these abnormalities in maternal behavior may result in persistent abnormalities in the behavior of offspring over several generations.

KEY WORDS: • malnutrition • maternal behavior • growth • nursing behavior

¹ To whom reprint requests should be sent: Department of Child Psychiatry, Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center, Room 806, 85 East Newton St., Boston, MA 02118.

² Supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (BNS-76-10222) and Biomedical Research Support Grants to Boston University (NIH RR05380-18 and NIH RR05487015).

Manuscript received 10 November 1980.