The use of tactile and olfactory cues in neonatal orientation and localization of the nipple

Abstract

A good deal of effort has been directed toward determining the sensory cues employed by neonatal animals in orienting to, and localizing, the nipple. The results of previous studies are contradictory. Some investigators have claimed that olfactory cues are critical, while others suggest that tactile cues are of primary importance in these behaviors. The present studies indicate that, in kittens, there are two essential components of the suckling process: orientation to the mother and localization of the nipple. In these experiments, the ability and time involved in localizing and attaching to the nipple of the anesthetized mother were measured in several conditions. With tactile input impaired, kittens had no difficulty locating the mother, but could not locate the nipple. In contrast, olfactory disruption never impaired nipple localization and attachment when the kitten was in contact with the mother, but interfered with the kitten's ability to locate the mother when removed from her. These data suggest that olfactory cues are employed in locating the mother, and tactile cues from the perioral region are employed in locating the nipple.

Characterizing the functional significance of the neonatal rat vibrissae prior to the onset of whisking

“…Specifically, dewhiskered pups were overactive in the nipple attachment task but underactive in the huddling test, suggesting that the direction of behavioral control by whisker input may depend on the particular conspecific cues or context. Our findings are consistent with previous research on the peri-oral area in neonatal rats, cats, and pigs (Hofer et al, 1981;Larson and Stein, 1984;Morrow-Tesch and McGlone, 1990), but given the effects of dewhiskering, specifically implicate the vibrissal system.…”

The Development of Cortical Multisensory Integration

“…The maturation of these behaviors has been well documented and follows a characteristic chronology with somatosensory responses appearing before birth (Stein et al, 1973), facilitating later orientation to the nipple (Larson and Stein, 1984). These are then followed by the appearance of auditory and then visual responsiveness during postnatal life (Stein et al, 1973;Kao et al, 1994).…”

The development of spatial capacity in piloting and dead reckoning by infant rats: Use of the huddle as a home base for spatial navigation

“…Third, at older ages, when the huddle briefly fragmented into subsidiary huddles, outward-bound animals returned to their starting point and not the second huddle, suggesting the sight and smell of other rat pups was not a sole determinant in directing locomotion. Fourth, direct homing is unlikely to be mediated only by olfactory cues (Larson & Stein, 1984;. After making long circuitous trips, the rat pups did not follow their outward route home; the homeward trips often occurred from a distance that a rat would not be able to detect a scent from the huddle; when many rats were leaving and returning olfactory cues would not be punctuate and; the movement displayed by the homing rats does not resemble the slower velocity and back arched posture seen in tracking rats (Whishaw & Gorny, 1999;Wallace et al, 2002c).…”

“…The study was based on findings that infant rats form a huddle to assist in maintaining body temperature during a formative period of their development (Alberts, 1978a(Alberts, ,b, 1994. Rat pups in a huddle have a rich repertoire of behavior including orienting to their mother and her nipples (Alberts, 1978a;Freeman & Rosenblatt, 1978;Kenyon, Cronin, & Malinek, 1981;Larson & Stein, 1984;Moltz, 1971). The present study examined how rat pups initiate exploratory behavior in relation to the huddle and how exploratory behavior develops.…”