Early disruption of the mother–infant relationship: effects on brain plasticity and implications for psychopathology

Long maternal separation has protective effects in rats exposed to activity‐based anorexia

“…These results are consistent with earlier reports of greater body weight in animals receiving brief maternal separations than in NH animals (Denemberg & Karas, 1959;Vallée, Mayo, Maccari, Le Moal, & Simon, 1996). As a certain amount of stimulation during infancy is necessary to achieve a suitable development in mammals, this could explain the benefits obtained from handling (Cirulli et al, 2003;Pryce & Feldon, 2003). On the other hand, the BMS group did not weigh more than the LMS group at any time, and the largest body weight differences were found between the LMS and NH groups.…”

“…Maternal deprivation, often proposed as a model for child abuse or neglect (de Kloet, Sibug, Helmerhorst, & Schmidt, 2005), has been widely used as an experimental paradigm to study the role of early experiences on later vulnerability for psychiatric diseases due to the HPA axis sensitization resulting in long-lasting handicaps in facing stressful environments (Cirulli, Berry, & Alleva, 2003;Meaney, 2001;Sánchez, Ladd, & Plotsky, 2001;Van Oers, de Kloet, & Levine, 1998). In line with this reasoning a study focusing on the effects of handling on activity-based anorexia (ABA) reported that handled female rats, but not male rats, survived longer than NH rats (Carrera, Boakes, & Gutierrez, 2006).…”

Relative Prenatal and Postnatal Maternal Contributions to Schizophrenia-Related Neurochemical Dysfunction after In Utero Immune Challenge

“…However, the induction of maternal stress responses might represent one way by which postnatal mother-infant interactions could be affected by immunological stimulation during pregnancy (Meek et al, 2001;Haddad et al, 2002;Patin et al, 2002;Webster and Sternberg 2004). There is considerable experimental evidence supporting the hypothesis that interference to normal postnatal motherinfant interactions can induce a variety of behavioral and pharmacological abnormalities in the grown animals (Cirulli et al, 2003;Pryce and Feldon 2003), including increased sensitivity to dopamine-related drugs (Brake et al, 2004). One alternative (but not mutually exclusive) possibility would be that PolyI:C-induced immunological stress during pregnancy may affect the quantity and/or quality of milk production, which is essential for successful postnatal development.…”

Le concept des origines développementales de la santé

“…Le développement des neurosciences a bien mis en évidence la très grande plasticité du développement cérébral dans les premières années de la vie. Le rôle très important des interactions précoces entre le bébé et les adultes qui prennent soin de lui, en tout premier lieu ses parents, sur les fonctions neuroendocrines et l'établissement des réseaux neuronaux a été mis en lumière [15]. Des situations d'adversité dans l'enfance, incluant des carences affectives ou des violences, ont des conséquences à l'âge adulte, sur la santé mentale (dépression, troubles anxieux) mais aussi physique, incluant des liens avec les pathologies survenant à un âge avancé comme le cancer [16][17][18].…”