ABSTRACT
Introduction Early in development, the parent-offspring relationship is critical for determining survival of offspring, with the quality of this relationship being the primary focus of research examining the impact of social experiences. In mammals, the mother is the principal caregiver, providing both nutritional resources and behavioral stimulation to offspring. Experimental paradigms involving manipula tion of the mother-infant relationship have been used extensively to investigate the nature of the developmen tal impact of these interactions, however, these manip ulations are often disruptive to offspring development. In many species, aspects of maternal care show a high degree of stability and these traits can be quantified and asso ciated with more subtle behavioral and neuroendocrine
outcomes in offspring [1,2]. Use of these approaches has enabled researchers to address questions about the mole cular mechanisms involved in mediating the effects of early rearing experiences and incorporate studies of transgenerational effects in their studies. Thus, when consid ering the question ‘how do social experiences influence the brain?’, it is becoming clear that we must take a broad approach; examining studies using multiple paradigms, with inter-species comparisons, and using a life-history approach considering the contribution of genetic back ground and social experience throughout the lifespan. Here, we discuss current understanding of the role of mother-infant interactions in mediating developmental outcomes, the interaction between social environment and genetic background, and the mechanisms mediating the long-term effects of early social experiences. Recent work illustrating the impact of social experiences beyond the postpartum period and the transmission of social behavior across generations is also explored.
