Effect of maternal deprivation on milk intake in normal and bilaterally facial nerve-injured developing rats.

We examined effect of maternal deprivation (2, 4 and 6h) on milk intake in developing rats. Milk intake was obtained by body weight gain after 1h lactation. The amounts of milk intake significantly differed depending on the duration of the deprived periods at P7 and P14 with proportional increase by longer deprivation. Further, milk intake was measured in the bilaterally facial nerve-injured neonatal rats. The results show that milk intake is increased during development affected by maternal deprivation, and that milk intake of the facial nerve-injured group is decreased by 35% (2h), 7% (4h) and 7% (6h) at P7, and 25% (2h), 20% (4h) and 27% (6h) at P14 compared to that of the control group.