Pituitary-adrenal response to separation in mother and infant squirrel monkeys

Abstract

Pituitary‐adrenal response in mother and infant squirrel monkeys following brief separation was assessed. Each mother and infant pair was tested under each of 3 conditions: (1) Basal; (2) Separation‐Reunion; and (3) Separation. Samples were obtained from mothers and infants in the Separation and Separation‐Reunion conditions 30 min following the initial disturbance. A similar paradigm was used to assess the effects of separation in surrogate‐reared animals. The results indicate that mothers, infants, and surrogate‐reared infants respond to 30‐min separation with a substantial increase in plasma cortisol. The values obtained in the Separation‐Reunion condition did not differ significantly from Basal values in any of the 3 groups, suggesting that the effect of separation on the pituitary‐adrenal system is not due to the disturbance involved in the separation procedure. The response of surrogate‐reared infants suggests that these infants develop similar attachments to the surrogate as normal infants to their own mothers.