Early Influences

1st Edition - January 1, 1978
Editor: Gilbert Gottfried
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 1 5 3 3 9 - 3

Studies on the Development of Behavior and the Nervous Systems, Volume 4: Early Influences discusses the effect of various exogenous factors on the early development of behavior… Read more

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Studies on the Development of Behavior and the Nervous Systems, Volume 4: Early Influences discusses the effect of various exogenous factors on the early development of behavior and the nervous system. This volume is divided into three sections encompassing nine chapters that specifically consider the prenatal and postnatal effects of drugs, radiation, hormones, nutrition, sensory experience, trauma, and environmental enrichment. Section 1 initially describes the principles of teratology as they apply to functional or behavioral manifestations of prenatally administered drugs. This topic is followed by discussions on the radiation effects on developing mammals; the mechanisms of malformation involved; the use of malformed animals to find correlations between developing brain and behavior; and radiation hazard prevention in humans. This section also deals with the influence of hormones early in life upon sex differences in the behavior of adults and the effects of prenatal stress on offspring behavior. Section 2 examines the significance of proper maternal nutrition in early brain development and the evidence for long-term effects of undernutrition during the brain growth spurt. This section also looks into the behavioral implications of the various methods for producing early undernutrition in experimental animals and their possible relevance to the human condition. Section 3 describes the manipulation of early sensory experience, from total removal of sensory input to modification of stimulus quality, and the effects of such manipulations on the auditory, gustatory, olfactory, tactile, and visual systems. This section also provides an overview of auditory maturation and the consequences of acoustic trauma in the adult. This book is of great value to neurodevelopmental biologists and researchers.

List of Contributors

Preface

Dedication to Herbert G. Birch (1918-1973)

Section 1 Drugs, Radiation, Hormones

Introduction

Behavioral Teratology: Embryopathic and Behavioral Effects of Drugs during Pregnancy

I. Introduction

II. Drugs and Prenatal Development: Principles of Teratology and Behavioral Effects

III. Teratogenic Agents

IV. Toxic Nonteratogenic Drugs in Animals and Humans

V. Summary

References

Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Developing Brain and Behavior

I. Introduction

II. Radiosensitivity of Developing Cells and Malformative Processes

III. Behavioral Development in Rats following Prenatal Irradiation: The Search for Correlations between Altered Structure and Function

IV. Effects of Radiation on Infant Rats

V. Effects of Radiation on Humans

VI. Summary and Conclusions

References

Hormonal Influences on Brain and Behavioral Development

I. Introduction

II. Sexual Differentiation

III. Sexual Differentiation in Primates

IV. Sexual Differentiation in Birds

V. Conclusions

References

Hormonal Mediation of the Effects of Prenatal Stress on Offspring Behavior

I. Introduction

II. Hormonal Mediation: Background

III. Hormonal Mediation of Prenatal Stress Effects: Hypotheses

IV. Evidence

V. Implications and Conclusions

References

Section 2 Nutrition

Introduction

Nutritional Influences on Prenatal Brain Development

I. Introduction

II. Nutrients in Prenatal Brain Development

III. Regulatory Factors and Timing in Prenatal Brain Development

IV. Prenatal Malnutrition and Brain Development

V. "Supernutrition" and Optimal Brain Development

VI. Summary and Conclusions

References

Influence of Early Undernutrition on Behavioral Development and Learning in Rodents

I. Introduction

II. Undernutrition and Critical Periods during Growth

III. The Vulnerable Period Hypothesis

IV. Undernutrition and Physical Development of the Brain

V. Undernutrition and Behavioral Development

VI. Undernutrition and Later Behavior

VII. Conclusions

References

Section 3 Sensory Experience, Overload, Enrichment

Introduction

Effect of Early Sensory Experience on Brain and Behavioral Development

I. Introduction

II. Early Auditory Experience

III. Early Gustatory Experience

IV. Early Olfactory Experience

V. Early Tactile Experience

VI. Early Visual Experience

VII. General Discussion

VIII. Summary

References

Influences of Early Auditory Trauma on Auditory Development

I. Introduction

II. Normal Functional and Anatomical Development of the Auditory System

III. The Effects of Intense Sound on Hearing

IV. Overstimulation Damage in Children and Young Animals

V. Conclusions

References

Experiential Influences on Brain Anatomy and Brain Chemistry in Rodents

I. Introduction and Scope

II. Cerebral and Behavioral Effects Induced by Experience in Differential Environments

III. Mechanisms Hypothesized to Mediate Production of Cerebral Effects of Differential Experience

IV. Extensions of This Research and Related Investigations

V. Roles of Experience

VI. Conclusions

References

Section 4 Epilogue

Author Index

Subject Index

Contents of Previous Volumes