Role of enriched environment in the model of maternal separation / 中国儿童保健杂志

ABSTRACT

Early life stress in humans can affect the normal development of individual neural networks, ultimately leading to diseases such as anxiety, depression, and autism in such children. The maternal separation model is commonly used to study the effects of early adverse experiences in human infants. Studies have shown that maternal separation in mice can lead to anxiety, depression, and impairments in spatial learning and memory in young mice during adulthood. However, enriched environmental interventions have been found to ameliorate the negative outcomes of early life stress by exerting a range of beneficial effects. This article provides an overview of the positive effects of enriched environmental interventions on mice in the maternal separation model.