Optimal early development in most species is dependent upon a stable relationship
between the mother and her infant. The research described here focuses on the reciprocal …

Naturally occurring variations in maternal care in early postnatal life are associated with the
development of individual differences in behavioral and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal …

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies suggest that environmental adversity can alter
parental care and thus influence child development. We addressed the question of whether …

Reduced hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) responses to stress during the last week of
pregnancy and lactation have been consistently observed in rat studies. Several contributing …

For half a century, Seymour Levine's pioneering work on the interactions between mother
and infant have helped us understand the critical early factors that shape physiology and …

This review will discuss hormonal and psychological factors involved in the initiation and
maintenance of maternal behavior during the postpartum period in rat and human mothers …

The offspring of depressed parents have been found to show elevated basal levels of the
stress hormone cortisol. Whether heightened cortisol stress reactivity is also present in this …

Gestational stress (GS) produces profound behavioural impairments in the offspring and
may permanently programme hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis function. We …

Preterm infants often spend a significant amount of time in the neonatal intensive care unit
(NICU) where they are exposed to many stressors including pain and reduced maternal …

The peripartum period, in all mammalian species, is characterised by numerous adaptations
at neuroendocrine, molecular and behavioural levels that prepare the female for the …