Even Rats Need Dads…
A well-fathered rat?
Researchers at the University of Magdeburg, Germany, found that fathers encourage brain development—in rats.
Not generally considered the most paternal species, some rat fathers huddle with their offspring, lick them and even give them piggyback rides. In father-deprived rat babies the networking between brain cells in certain ‘higher associative forebrain areas’ was reduced by a third.
In the study published in ‘Brain Research’ researchers Ovtsharoff, Helmeke and Braun conclude that “Our results query the general assumption that a father has less impact on the synaptic maturation of his offspring’s brain than the mother.”
