A Importância das Mães

Jonah Lehrer, no blog The Frontal Cortex, dá destaque ao debate em torno do estudo "Maternal Presence Serves as a Switch Between Learning Fear and Attraction in Infancy" (by Stephanie Moriceau and Regina Sullivan, in Nature Neuroscience, 9 July 2006), que descreveu a importância da presença materna no desenvolvimento dos ratos recém nascidos.

In their recent Nature Neuroscience article, researchers Stephanie Moriceau and Regina Sullivan explore learned olfactory preference and aversion as mediated by maternal presence. In this study rat pups were exposed to a peppermint odor that was paired with a light (0.5 milliamp) shock -- a classic conditioning exercise that taught the pups to associate the odor with the shock. It has long been established that a mature rat exposed to such conditioning will learn to avoid the associated odor. It is also well established -- but less well known -- that an extremely young rat pup (less than 8 day old) exposed so such conditioning will actually become attracted to the odor. This study by Moriceau and Sullivan, however, discovered that there is a period during rat youth during which the reaction to the odor-shock conditioning -- that is, whether the rat learns to prefer or avoid the odor -- depends on whether the pup's mother is present during the conditioning. It's a fascinating finding that raises intriguing questions about human behavior.

Em Portugal, a importância das mães nos períodos precoces do desenvolvimento também tem sido objecto de estudo no Grupo de Neurociências do Instituto de Investigação em Ciências da Vida e da Saúde.

Links
The Importance of Mothers
Mama's Boys are Braver
Stephanie Moriceau
Regina Sullivan
Neurosciences Research Domain of ICVS