Summary of the article
Background and perspective
Weaning refers to the gradual replacement of breastfeeding with other foods as well as different methods of nurturing. The weaning process is said to begin the minute the baby takes food from a source other than breast milk. This can be in the form of mashed bananas or formula from a bottle. From a medical point of view, it is important for babies to receive breast milk. It is recommended that for ideal and adequate nutrition, a child needs to be exclusively breastfed for the first six months. Medics also insist that nursing of a baby should continue after the baby is introduced to solid food for at least 12 months. Stopping to breastfeed does not make mothering easier or force children to grow up faster like some mothers believe. There are different ways apart from exclusive weaning to cope with mothers’ feelings of being tied down or restlessness (Bengson, 165).
Weaning conflict arises in many instances that force a mother to cease nursing the infant while infants force the mothers to continue breastfeeding. From an evolutionary point of view, weaning conflict is as a result of the cost of continued nursing concerning the mother. This is regarding reduced ability to raise future children. It surpasses the advantages to the mother regarding increased survival of the current baby (Salmon, 148). The weaning conflict has been studied in different mammal species such as canines and primates (Trivers, 124).
Early environmental stimuli affect many aspects of behavioral and psychological development in humans as well as other mammals. Lactation is a crucial period because neurobehavioral development takes place; mother-pup interaction tends to be strong. Malnutrition, Environmental changes, neonatal stress due to maternal separation (Hankock & Grant, 400) and hormonal alterations during lactation may aggravate permanent functional alterations.
Early weaning has detrimental effects on the infant both as a child and as an adult. There are numerous possible problems that a person who is weaned can experience both physical and emotional. First, there is the risk of becoming obese. This is because the solid food stretches the infant’s stomach making the baby feel hungrier. Baby food has little calories or fat making the baby crave for more. There is mass evidence that proves that heavy children are most likely to grow into overweight adults. Secondly, a person weaned early is at a risk of experiencing liver and kidney problems. This is because the gut is forced to start digesting food early than it is ready to do so. Research also shows that early weaning altered the feeding behaviors in adults mainly concerning the circadian rhythm of feeding and satiety. According to research conducted by Kikusui, deprivation of mother-pup interaction augments aggressiveness and anxiety. This was discovered through an experiment conducted on mice. Two groups of mice were weaned at different times and regrouped after being isolated for one month. Those weaned early were found to have wounds on their hindquarters and tails. This shows aggressiveness among them (Kikusui et al, 42). Early weaning influences emotional and behavioral traits in adult mammals and triggers precocious myelin formation. It is formed in the anterior basolateral amygdala.
Methods and results
Open-field analysis system
This is a straight forward and generally accepted the test that investigates the exploratory and anxiety-related behavior of rodents. In this experiment, an open field that is flooded with shock grids was used. It enabled the activities of the rodents to be measured. General locomotion behavior that is the (total distance moved) and rearing of the control and early groups was taken into account.
Results
Electrophysiological recording
This refers to the study of the electrical properties of tissues and biological cells. The experiment involves measurement of electric current or voltage change in organs such as the heart. The electrical activity of neurons especially actions potential activity is measured. In this experiment, concentric bipolar steel that stimulated electrodes was used. This delivered constant-current cathode pulses. After completion of each experiment, a DC-current was passed to mark all electrode positions.
Statistical analysis
This method collects and scrutinizes every data sample collected from a set of items from which one can draw samples. This experiment used descriptive statistics which summarizes data obtained from a sample using indexes such as standard deviation or mean. The researcher, in this case, presented the data collected as the standard error of the average. He also analyzed the data obtained from the experiment using the analysis of variance. Statistical differences between the regression values were calculated.
Results
In behavioral experiments, there were no significant different recorded in body weight between both groups on experiments conducted on electrophysiological or behavioral measurement days. In open-field behaviors, there was no difference between the two groups. There was no significant difference either locomotion or rearing between the two groups. However, paired-pulse changes were noted to vary significantly across different weaning periods. In correlation analysis, the finding was that PPF considerably correlated with locomotion in the control group in the second day. From the experiment, the author concluded that in the early weaning group, the morphological alteration took place at the aBCA. There is the narrowness of the myelinated fibres in the early group’s Abca.
Analysis of the experiment and findings
I agree with the conclusions of the research that early weaning increases anxiety in those individuals. There is an enormous role played by mother-infant interaction. It aids in brain maturation functions that involve the synaptic properties of MPFC-aBCA. According to research conducted by Kikusui, deprivation of mother-infant interaction augments violence and anxiety. This was discovered through an experiment conducted on mice. Two groups of mice were weaned at different times. Those weaned early were found to have wounds on their hindquarters and tails. This shows aggressiveness among them (Kikusui et al., 42). Early weaning influences emotional and behavioral traits in adult mammals and triggers precocious myelin formation. I also agree with the author that behavioral changes are affected by early winning. He stresses that Amygdala reactivity increases after an increase in emotional experiences.
Work Cited
Diane Bengson “Weaning and Mothers’ Feelings” (1998) New Beginnings, Vol 15 No 6, pp, 164-167
Hankock S & Grant V “ Early maternal separation increases symptoms of activity-based anorexia in male and female rats” (2009). J Exp psychological Animal Behavior Process. Vol 35, pp 394-406
Kikusui T, Takeuchi Y, & Mori Y “Early weaning induces anxiety and aggression in adult mice” (2004). Physiological Behavior. 81(1): 37-42
Salmon C & Shackel “Family Relationship: An evolutionary perspective”. (2008). Oxford University Press. PP 148-149
Trivers R “Natural selection and social theory” Natural selection and social theory (2002). Oxford University Press. PP 124-126
