Early Influences

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.

Contenu

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