DNA methylation (addition of methyl groups to cytosines) and changes in telomere length
(TTAGGG repeats on the ends of chromosomes) are two molecular modifications that result …

Background Epidemiological surveys and studies with animal models have established a
relationship between maternal stress and affective disorders in their offspring. However …

Neonatal maternal separation is a widely used method to construct an early-life stress model
in rodents. In this method, pups are separated from their mothers for several hours every day …

Prenatal opiate exposure causes a series of neurobehavioral disturbances by affecting brain
development. However, the question of whether prenatal opiate exposure increases …

The capacity of rodents to recognize and respond to emotional signs from a conspecific is a
valuable adaptive behavior, which provides essential skills for species survival. However …

Predator odors are non-intrusive naturalistic stressors of high ethological relevance. Prey
species show specific adaptations that allow recognition, avoidance, and defense against …

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex condition that develops after
experiencing a severe emotional trauma, with or without physical trauma. There is no known …

Schizophrenia is caused by interaction of a combination of genetic and environmental
factors. Of the latter, prenatal exposure to maternal stress is reportedly associated with …

Background Early life stress (ELS) and parental psychopathology, such as schizophrenia
(SZ), have been associated with altered neurobiological and behavioral outcomes later in …

Developmental studies of hormones and behavior often include littermates—rodent siblings
that share early-life experiences and genes. Due to between-litter variation (ie, litter effects) …