Effects of Prenatal Crowding on Behavior of Rodent Mothers and Offspring

Abstract

Pregnant female rats lived in groups of 1, 2, 4, or 8 during the gestational period. Using a systematic analysis, maternal behaviors were observed from Days 2 through 16 postpartum. Both the crowded mothers and their offspring were later tested in a visual exploratory apparatus, and the offspring were also tested in social and open-field situations. The mothers were rebred shortly after termination of testing. The results indicated that the prenatal crowding affected a variety of behaviors in both the mothers and their offspring and that the effects of crowding were not transient.