Hormonal and Behavioral Attachment Responses

来自幼小灵长类动物的证据表明，即使与母亲或其他依恋对象短暂分离，也会对婴儿产生一系列生理影响。这些影响包括交感神经活动的增加，神经递质水平的变化，以及与压力相关的神经内分泌系统（垂体-肾上腺系统）活动的增加。在过去，只有灵长类动物才有可能研究这类问题，因为其他通常被研究的物种（如实验室啮齿动物）被认为没有表现出真正的母婴依恋。随着灵长类动物研究费用的增加，对灵长类动物研究对象的需求不断增加，以及野生灵长类动物种群的减少，一种替代的动物模型将是有益的。看起来，豚鼠母亲和婴儿可能会表现出一种“真正的”依恋。此外，在短暂（30分钟）分离期间，婴儿和母豚鼠均表现出垂体-肾上腺系统的激活。目前的研究将进一步探讨这一问题。本研究将解决几个问题，包括分离反应的个体发生，环境变量在决定反应性方面的影响，以及母亲对婴儿分离反应的特异性。这些研究将有助于我们理解母子分离的后果和依恋的过程，并阐明幼龄动物应激反应的本质。

Evidence from young primates indicates that even a brief period of separation from the mother or other attachment figure can have a number of physiological consequences for the infant. These effects include increases in sympathetic activity, changes in neurotransmitter levels, and increased activity of a neuroendocrine system associated with stress--the pituitary-adrenal system. In the past, it has been possible to study such questions only in primates because other commonly studied species (e.g., laboratory rodents) were not thought to show true infant-mother attachment. With the expense of primate research, the increasing demand for primate subjects, and the dwindling populations of wild primates, an alternative animal model would be beneficial. It appears that guinea pig mothers and infants may display a "true" attachment. Moreover, both infant and mother guinea pigs exhibit activation of the pituitary-adrenal system during brief (30 minutes) separation. The studies in the current research will further explore this question. Several issues will be addressed within this research, including the ontogeny of the separation response, the effect of environmental variables in determining responsiveness, and the specificity of the mother's response to infant separation. These studies will contribute to our understanding of the consequences of mother-infant separation and the processes of attachment and elucidate the nature of the stress response in young animals.