PRENATAL INFLUENCES ON THE POSTNATAL PROC ESSING OF OLFACTORY INFORMATION IN MAMMALS

Several mammalian fetuses have the competence to extract chemosensory information from their amniotic environment near term. The prenatally- acquired olfactory cues favor postnatal adaptation in various challeng ing situations. Fetal olfactory integration provides an interesting mo del for the study of the developmental plasticity of sensory processin g and behaviour.