Tactile mechanisms and afferents underlying the rat pup transport response.

ABSTRACT: Juvenile rodents and other altricial mammals react with calming, immobility, and postural modifications to parental pickup, a set of behaviors referred to as the transport response.^1,2,3,4,5 Here, we investigate sensory mechanisms underlying the rat transport response. Grasping rat pups in anterior neck positions evokes strong immobility and folding up of feet, whereas more posterior grasping has lesser effects on immobility and foot position. Transport responses are enhanced by slow (1 Hz), and even more so by fast (4 Hz), gentle shaking and translation, features consistent with parental transport. With lateral grasping, the forepaw below the grasping position points downward and the forepaw

SUBMITTER: Ni Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11614678 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature