An ontogenetic profile of infant ultrasonic vocalizations using whole litter recordings : the transition from infant to adult calls in rats
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Date
2017
Authors
Stark, Rachel A.
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
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Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : Universtiy of Lethbridge, Department of Neuroscience
Abstract
Rodent ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) have been recorded throughout the lifespan of rats. The major finding is that USVs in infants and adults are different. It is hypothesized that there should be a transition in vocal communication that parallels the transition from infancy to adulthood; the development of their social autonomy. The method used in this thesis was a whole litter recording technique in which vocalizations were sampled from an entire litter periodically. Calls from postnatal day 7 to postnatal day 21 were analyzed for duration and frequency. Calls change from an infant to adult patterns around postnatal day 18 in typically developing rats, and earlier in animals given prenatal treatment of valproic acid; they shows precocious development. These findings suggest that whole litter recordings are a valid model of studying development and have potential to identify changes in typical development using animal models of developmental disorders.
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Keywords
development , infant USVs , neurosicence , rats , ultrasonic vocalizations , whole litter recording