Maternal Influences on Social and Neural Development in Macaque Monkeys

Development of the neural network responsible for normal primate social behavior results from a complex interplay between one’s genetic code and the combined influences of the social and physical environment. The mother–infant relationship is one very important, early component of that social environment. Although every reader of this chapter will have an implicit and subjective understanding of the importance of high-quality parental care, we still do not fully understand how such care directly influences brain development and ultimately sculpts who we become in adulthood. The need to form a more complete understanding of this topic cannot be overemphasized. Early-life stress in humans (including childhood abuse, neglect, economic hardship, nutritional deficiencies, etc.) has been linked to greater risk of mental and physical ailments (e.g., anxiety and mood disorders, impulse control deficits, psychosis, obesity, immune system dysregulation, and drug abuse) (Bellinger et al. 2008; Weaver 2009). However, it is still unclear how such early-life stress actually perturbs structural and functional development of the brain. Continued research on this topic is desperately needed to generate novel interventions or treatments that could reliably mitigate the effects of substandard or absent parental care.