Songbird tests may offer insights on human development
Friday, October 22, 2010
The research, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, could offer insights into the importance of the quality of early development on humans as well as animals, according to Grindstaff.
“In animals, as well as humans, the quality of maternal and developmental environments can impact traits from learning and memory to heart disease and immune responses,” said Grindstaff. “The primary goal of this research is to evaluate the effect of differences in the quality of developmental and adult environments on adult health and behavior.”
Grindstaff will test finches to see if fitness is maximized when developmental and adult environments are similar, or if individuals from high quality developmental environments have higher fitness than those from low quality developmental environments, regardless of adult environmental quality.
Ultimately, the research should provide insight into the developmental origins of adult diseases and variation in behavioral responses. It also will help provide predictive information about the children most at risk from a low quality maternal or developmental environment and the most likely impacts on physiology and behavior.