Gf. Lafreniere et al., Effects of permanent residence with foster mothers and new siblings upon numbers of mast cells within the thalamus of preweaned rats, PSYCHOL REP, 88(3), 2001, pp. 625-626
In a split-litter, cross-fostered design, the numbers of mast cells per 10
micrometer sections within the thalamic boundaries in rats that had been re
ared by 8 natural or 8 foster mothers were counted 5 days and 10 days after
the transfer had occurred on postnatal Day 10. The rats from 4 litters wit
h the highest numbers of thalamic mast cells exhibited marked reductions in
these numbers when fostered by mothers of the 4 litters with the fewest nu
mbers of thalamic mast cells. The reverse influence was not observed, These
results suggest that adaptation to changing maternal environments for rats
with congenitally elevated numbers of mast cells may increase the risk of
degranulation and transient anomalies within cerebral vasculature or the bl
ood-brain barrier.