Paradigm | Description | Rationale | References |
---|---|---|---|
Handling | Daily separation of pups as a litter from mother for 15 min from PND1–14 (up to PND21) | Allows comparison of mild vs severe stress-induced effects during the early postnatal period | [94] |
Early weaning | Weaning of pups between PND14 and PND21 | Enables assessment of prolonged stress after the early postnatal period | |
Maternal separation | Daily separation of pups individually or as a litter from mother for 3 h (up to 6 h) from PND1–14 (up to PND21) | Ethnologically relevant as it models repeated episodes of mild stress rather than 1 episode of severe stress during the early postnatal period | [96] |
Maternal deprivation | Single episode of separation of pups as a litter from mother for 24Â h, usually on PND3 or 9 | Allows determination of stress-induced effects at specific developmental time windows within the early postnatal period | |
Low vs high LG-ABN | Pups raised by biological mothers who are characterised as either low or high care dams on the basis of the level of licking grooming arched-back nursing they perform | Enables comparison of the effects of variations in maternal care on development rather than stress exposure |