Studies were carried out on rodents
Happy mothers give birth to friendly and sociable children. In this, by and large, no one doubts. However, scientists from the Institute of Developmental Biology named after N.K. Koltsov Russian Academy of Sciences, the National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology, with the assistance of other colleagues from Russia and abroad, proved this by laboratory experiments on mice. The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation.
According to the IBR RAS, the behavior of animals and humans depends not only on brain activity, but also on the work of the endocrine system. In particular, it is the adrenal glands that release adrenaline into the blood. As you know, it is produced during stressful conditions, a sense of danger, anxiety or fear.
But it turned out that with an increase in the body of expectant mothers during a certain period of pregnancy, the so-called “hormone of happiness” – serotonin, in newborn cubs, fewer cells are formed in the adrenal glands that produce the hormone of anxiety and aggression.
Scientists tested this on laboratory mice – at a certain stage of embryonic development, they artificially caused the production of serotonin in pregnant rodents. This contributed to a decrease in their so-called adrenal medulla (the place where adrenaline is produced) for the rest of their lives.
As a result, the mice became less aggressive. But they showed more friendliness and curiosity.
As the researchers clarified, such qualities in animals contribute to the active search for new habitats, interaction with other relatives.
It was possible to verify this with the help of wild Siberian voles, which are characterized by frequent migrations. It was the pioneer animals with a small size of the adrenal medulla that were seen as pioneers in the development of new territories.
A similar mechanism for regulating the size of the adrenal glands has also been identified in human development.