One week of maternal separation induces more frequent, but less predictable, maternal caregiving behaviors.

Rodent models of early life adversity disrupt typical interactions between dams and offspring, impacting pup development over the lifespan. Predictability of caregiver interactions is a critical feature of the environment, and unpredictability is associated with behavioral and cognitive deficits in offspring. In the maternal separation (MS) paradigm, dams are not able to engage with pups while they are separated, and maternal care is impacted even after pups and dams are reunited.