Effects of maternal deprivation on the ACTH stress response in the infant rat.

Prolonged maternal deprivation during early ontogeny results in increased basal and stress-induced corticosterone levels. In the following experiments we examined whether these increases were due, at least in part, to augmented ACTH secretion. Thus, ACTH levels were measured in 24-hour maternally deprived and nondeprived 6-, 9-, and 12-day-old pups exposed to a mild stressor (i.e. saline injection followed by placement in a novel environment at room temperature). The results showed: (1) nondeprived pups showed a small response to saline--the response of deprived pups, however, was greater than that of nondeprived pups; (2) the magnitude of the response increased with age; (3) ACTH levels remained elevated for at least 30 min. Subsequent experiments examined whether the continuous exposure to novelty and/or loss of body heat could explain the persistence of this response. Neither variable affected the ACTH response to saline. Our results indicate that factors of maternal origin are partly responsible for the regulation of the ACTH response to stress. Furthermore, the persistence of the response suggests that the negative feedback system in the infant is immature.