This is a Royal Society Open Science study which should interest everyone including breeders of cats. I have to get cats into the article! But seriously it is information which should concern cat and dog breeders as well as humans. It is important I feel. In my opinion, the finding of the research is that a stressed mum of any or many species can pass stress down the generations which is called ‘epigenetic change’.
The research concerned birds (quails) but earlier research concerned people and the results were similar according to the article in today’s Times newspaper.
“A 2000 study examining a similar mechanism in humans found: ‘Stress during pregnancy may impact subsequent generations, which is demonstrated by an increased susceptibility to childhood and adulthood health problems in the children and grandchildren.'”
The research regarding quails is the first to find evidence that “prenatal stress” might affect not only a parent’s offspring but also two generations of descendants. My conclusion is that if this epigenetic change affects birds and humans, logic dictates that it probably and arguably almost certainly affects many animal species including cats and dogs. I think that is a reasonable conclusion.
As mentioned, the study found that quails exposed to stress before mating produced chicks with a more nervous disposition. And perhaps remarkably, it also found that their grandchildren and great-grandchildren were also more fearful. It almost appears that these individuals were preprogrammed with anxiety or fearfulness. It’s as if their brain chemistry had been altered through their inherited DNA.
I’ve mentioned cats for obvious reasons. There is still quite a lot of informal breeding of cats in the world which should not take place at all. And of course, we have purebred cat breeders who I hope do their best to ensure that their breeding queens are calm and relaxed before giving birth. Perhaps it is a topic for discussion that should be introduced by a potential adopter of a purebred cat when communicating with their chosen breeder if they are concerned about adopting a confident cat (as most are).
Tumid or fearful cats and dogs are generally less attractive to people wishing to adopt. And timid cats can suffer in multi-cat homes through bullying. It would seem that a fearful cat is likely to strengthen the depth of their fearfulness throughout their life in encountering the usual events. It is a self-generating problem. Confident cats are more likely to be adopted at shelters as well. All-in-all the life of a confident cat is better than the life of a fearful cat which makes this study more important.
The study analysed the levels of birds’ fear of novelty (neophobia) down the generations when a group of female quails were exposed to stresses including “physical restraint, food deprivation and sudden noise”. The other group were not subjected to stress. They then mated with unstressed male birds.
The grandchildren of the stressed birds showed more neophobia than the grandchildren of unstressed birds. The researchers are unsure about the mechanism involved and further studies are suggested I suspect. But they said that “our results demonstrate that prenatal maternal stress can have behavioural effects across generations.”
It suggested that the stress could alter the balance of hormones in the developing chicks.
Study citation
Trans-generational effects of prenatal stress in quail. Link: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.2368. Researchers: Floriane Guibert, Sophie Lumineau, Kurt Kotrschal, Erich Möstl, Marie-Annick Richard-Yris and Cécilia Houdelier
AI’s report on this
Yes, research suggests that a mother’s stress or anxiety during pregnancy can have long-term effects on her child and potentially on future generations. This concept is often explored in the context of epigenetics, which studies how behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way genes work.
Here are some key points:
- Prenatal Stress and the Fetus: When a pregnant woman experiences significant stress, her body releases stress hormones like cortisol. High levels of cortisol can cross the placenta and affect the developing fetus, potentially altering brain development and increasing the risk of anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues later in life.
- Epigenetic Changes: Stress during pregnancy can lead to epigenetic changes in the fetus’s DNA, meaning that while the genetic code itself doesn’t change, the way certain genes are expressed can be altered. These changes can sometimes be passed down to future generations, potentially affecting the grandchildren or even great-grandchildren.
- Generational Effects: Studies on animals, and increasingly in humans, suggest that the effects of prenatal stress can be seen across multiple generations. For example, the children of mothers who experienced severe stress during pregnancy may exhibit behavioral or emotional difficulties, and these effects can sometimes be observed in their grandchildren as well.
- Human Studies: There is evidence from human studies, such as those looking at children born to mothers who experienced significant stress during events like natural disasters or wars, that supports the idea of intergenerational transmission of stress effects. However, the exact mechanisms and the extent of these effects are still being researched.
In summary, while the idea that stress and anxiety can be passed down across generations is supported by research, it’s important to note that many factors influence these outcomes, and not every child exposed to prenatal stress will experience negative effects. Environmental factors, genetics, and postnatal care also play crucial roles in shaping an individual’s development and mental health.
