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Rodent Models for Studying the Impact of Variation in Early Life Mother–Infant Interactions on Mood and Anxiety

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Psychiatric Vulnerability, Mood, and Anxiety Disorders

Part of the book series: Neuromethods ((NM,volume 190))

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Abstract

The early life origins of risk for mood disorders and anxiety are supported by longitudinal studies in humans, particularly those focused on the experience of childhood adversity. Animal models have further supported the association between stress exposure during infancy and neurodevelopmental and physiological processes that shape behavioral indices of depression and anxiety. In rodents, these models have focused on disruption to mother–infant interactions that occur either naturally or through manipulation of the quantity and/or quality of maternal care. Though these models are challenging to implement, they serve as essential tools for establishing or characterizing the neurodevelopmental trajectories that lead to increased risk of psychopathology. In this chapter, we will describe methods that can be used to quantify maternal behavior in rats and mice, with particular emphasis on the use of newly developed video recording and machine learning approaches. We will also describe the premise and protocol for an established methodology to effectively manipulate mother–infant interactions within experimental designs that are exploring neurobiological and behavioral outcomes in offspring. This limited bedding and nesting material (LBN) manipulation is used broadly to study the impact of early life stress in rodents and when combined with high-resolution behavioral quantification approaches can yield novel hypotheses regarding the molecular, cellular, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms that contribute to altered brain function across the life span.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Hannah E. Lapp & Frances A. Champagne

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  1. Hannah E. Lapp
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  2. Frances A. Champagne
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Correspondence to Frances A. Champagne .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Chair of Neuropsychopharmacology, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia

    Jaanus Harro

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Lapp, H.E., Champagne, F.A. (2023). Rodent Models for Studying the Impact of Variation in Early Life Mother–Infant Interactions on Mood and Anxiety. In: Harro, J. (eds) Psychiatric Vulnerability, Mood, and Anxiety Disorders. Neuromethods, vol 190. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2748-8_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2748-8_15

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