Hybrid vigour and maternal environment in mice. II. Water escape learning, open-field activity and spatial memory

A combination of ovarian grafting and fostering was used to study the effects of pre- and postnatal maternal factors on adult behaviour. Inbred mice (BALB/c and C57BL/6) and F 1 hybrids were compared to assess differential sensitivity to early maternal effects. In addition to the peculiar behavioural profile of BALB mice, results revealed the existence of a cognitive process in mice and confirmed the greater ability of F 1 mice to adopt efficient escape strategies. Only postnatal maternal factors were shown to exert long lasting effects on behaviour, appearing to affect the general ability to react to a new situation rather than specific psychological functions. F 1 hybrids proved less sensitive to such effects than inbred mice.