Maternal Influences on Hormonal Activity and Behavior

众所周知，人类的适应性生理功能和健康受社会环境的影响。这种影响可能在母婴关系中最为明显。非自愿地与母亲分离的婴儿可能会遭受严重的生理和行为后果。我们所知道的大多数关于生理效应的研究都来自于对非人灵长类动物的研究。这些影响包括交感神经活动的增加，神经递质水平的变化，垂体-肾上腺系统（一种与压力相关的神经内分泌系统）活动的增加。相反，母亲在威胁环境中的存在可以减少与压力相关的婴儿神经内分泌反应。人们一直认为，随着个体的成熟，母亲减轻压力反应的能力以某种方式普遍化或转移到其他社会伙伴身上。然而，这个问题几乎没有得到研究，也没有得到很好的理解。其中一个原因是，多年来，只有在灵长类动物身上，可能还有人类身上，才有可能研究这些问题。在他之前的NSF资助中，Hennessy博士开发了一种啮齿类动物模型，其中对母亲分离的反应与灵长类动物相似，这提供了许多实际优势。在目前的一系列研究中，他将使用这种啮齿动物模型系统来检查母亲的存在对幼年和成年后代神经内分泌应激的影响。Hennessy博士将让本科生参与他的研究项目，以确定其他社会伙伴是否以及在什么年龄获得适度压力反应的能力。这些研究结果将为社会影响压力相关神经内分泌活动的发展提供基础信息。

97-29595 Hennessy It is well established in humans that adaptive physiological functioning and health are influenced by the social environment. This effect is perhaps most apparent in the mother-infant relationships. Infants that are involuntarily separated from their mothers may suffer severe physiological and behavioral consequences. Most of what we know concerning the physiological effects has derived from studies using nonhuman primates. These effects include increases in sympathetic activity, changes in neurotransmitter levels, and increased activity of the pituitary-adrenal system, a neuroendocrine system associated with stress. In contrast, the presence of the mother in threatening environment can reduce stress-associated neuroendocrine responses of the infant. It has been assumed that the mother's capacity to reduce stress responses somehow generalizes or transfer to other social partners as the individual matures. This issue, however, has received little study and is poorly understood. One reason is that for many years, it was only possible to study such questions in primates, and possibly humans. In his previous NSF support, Dr. Hennessy developed a rodent model in which the responses to maternal separation is similar to those of primates and this offers many practical advantages. In the present series of studies, he will used this rodent model system to examine the effect of the mother's presence on neuroendocrine stress responsible in juvenile and adult offspring. Dr. Hennessy will involve undergraduates into his research program directed towards determining if, and at what age, other social partners attain the capacity to moderate stress-responsiveness. The results from these studies will provide fundamental information regarding the development of social influences on stress-related neuroendocrine activity.