Social touch during development: Long-term effects on brain and behavior

Bales, Karen L.; Witczak, Lynea R.; Simmons, Trenton C.; Savidge, Logan E.; Rothwell, Emily S.; Rogers, Forrest D; Manning, Rhonda; Heise, Megan J.; Englund, Mackenzie; Razo, Rocío Arias del

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.09.019

Cited by 50 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 233 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The results of the present study indicate that the variation in maternal care is involved in the beneficial effects of SE during lactation on offspring spatial cognition. Parental behaviours towards developing offspring are known to affect the organisation of offspring neural and behavioural systems . Studies in rodents report persistent beneficial effects of mother‐offspring contact and tactile stimulations on offspring cognition via changes in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus synaptogenesis .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parental behaviours towards developing offspring are known to affect the organisation of offspring neural and behavioural systems. 44 Studies in rodents report persistent beneficial effects of mother-offspring contact and tactile stimulations on offspring cognition via changes in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus synaptogenesis. 45 Additionally, "fragmented care" (ie, decreased time spent in nest associated with more frequent phases of neglect), matching the pattern of isolated mothers' care in the present study, impairs cognition in offspring and is also associated with structural and molecular changes within their hippocampus.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Maternal social environment affects offspring cognition through behavioural and immune pathways in rats

Pittet

Caenegem

Hicks-Nelson

et al. 2019

J Neuroendocrinology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The social environment of lactation is a key etiological factor for the occurrence of postpartum disorders affecting women and their children. Postpartum depression and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in new mothers and negatively affect offspring’s cognitive development through mechanisms which are still unclear. Here, using a rat model, we manipulated the maternal social environment during lactation and explored the pathways through which social isolation (vs. the opportunity for limited social interaction with another lactating female, from 1 day before parturition to postpartum day 16) and chronic social conflict (daily exposure to a male intruder from postpartum day 2 to day 16) affect offspring learning and memory, measured at 40 to 60 days of age. We specifically explored the consequences of these social treatments on two main hypothesized mediators likely to affect offspring neurophysiological development: the quality of maternal care and maternal inflammation factors (brain‐derived neurotrophic factor, granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 1 and vascular endothelial growth factor) likely to influence offspring development through lactation. Maternal rats which had the opportunity to interact with another lactating female spent more time with their pups which, in turn, displayed improved working and reference memory. Social stress affected maternal plasma levels of cytokines that were associated with cognitive deficits in their offspring. However, females subjected to social stress were protected from these stress‐induced immune changes and associated offspring cognitive impairment by increased social affiliation. These results underscore the effects of social interaction for new mothers and their offspring and can be used to inform the development of clinical preventative measures and interventions.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal social environment affects offspring cognition through behavioural and immune pathways in rats

Pittet

Caenegem

Hicks-Nelson

et al. 2019

J Neuroendocrinology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Infants beginning their lives in an ICU are often hospitalized for extended periods and may have limited contact with their parents, who must manage competing family and work responsibilities while their infant is hospitalized. These infants are especially at risk of positive touch deprivation (Bales et al, 2018).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1987). Positive touch deprivation is associated with dysfunction related to feeding, circadian rhythms, and sensory integration (Bales et al, 2018). Moreover, comforting touch contributes to the development of attachment in human infants, which is important for the quality of all subsequent relationships (Duhn, 2010).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, as in children, touch influences the action of multiple hormones and neurotransmitters to produce an overall calming effect. Across all ages, comforting touch is associated with increases in oxytocin, the anti-stress, and affiliation hormone, and decreases in cortisol, the primary stress hormone (Bales et al, 2018). Positive touch is also associated with increases in dopamine and serotonin and improvement in autonomic regulation (Bales et al, 2018).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Losing touch

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Relationship tenure differentially influences pair‐bond behavior in male and female socially monogamous titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus)

Rothwell

Carp

Savidge

et al. 2020

American J Primatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pair-bonded primates have uniquely enduring relationships and partners engage in a suite of behaviors to maintain these close bonds. In titi monkeys, pair bond formation has been extensively studied, but changes across relationship tenure remain unstudied. We evaluated differences in behavioral indicators of pair bonding in newly formed (~6 months paired, n = 9) compared to well-established pairs (average 3 years paired, n = 8) of titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus) as well as sex differences within the pairs. We hypothesized that overall males would contribute more to maintenance than females, but that the pattern of maintenance behaviors would differ between newly formed and well-established pairs. Each titi monkey (N = 34) participated in a partner preference test (PPT), where the subject was placed in a middle test cage with grated windows separating the subject from the partner on one side and an opposite-sex stranger on the other side. During this 150-min behavioral test, we quantified four key behaviors: time in proximity to the partner or stranger as well as aggressive displays toward the partner or stranger. Overall, we found different behavioral profiles representing newly formed and well-established pair-bond relationships in titi monkeys and male-biased relationship maintenance. Males spent ∼40% of their time in the PPT maintaining proximity to the female partner, regardless of relationship tenure. Males from well-established bonds spent less time (14%) near the female stranger compared to males from newly formed bonds (21%) at the trend level. In contrast, females from well-established bonds spent less (23%) time near the male partner in the PPT compared to females from newly formed bonds (47%). Aggressive displays were more frequent in newly formed bonds compared to well-established bonds, especially for females. Scan sampling for homecage affiliation showed that newly formed pairs were more likely to be found tail twining than well-established pairs.

show abstract

Social touch during development: Long-term effects on brain and behavior

Cited by 50 publications

References 233 publications

Maternal social environment affects offspring cognition through behavioural and immune pathways in rats

Maternal social environment affects offspring cognition through behavioural and immune pathways in rats

Losing touch

Relationship tenure differentially influences pair‐bond behavior in male and female socially monogamous titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About