Hi there! I'm writing a pretty long essay on how early neglect can affect development in infants and was wondering if you had any interesting studies or investigations from a neuroscience point of view. Thanks! :)

The name Harry Harlow immediately came to mind; if you don’t already know about him (which you probably do), check out his wiki page and the list of references at the bottom. Here are a few others you might find useful:

Gammie et al., 2008 on altered dopamine signalling after maternal neglect

Griffin & Harlow, 1966: Effects of Three Months of Total Social Deprivation on Social Adjustment and Learning in the Rhesus Monkey

McCormack et al., 2006: Maternal Care Patterns and Behavioral Development of Rhesus Macaque Abused Infants in the First 6 Months of Life

Golub et al., 1981: Mother-Infant Interaction in Rhesus Monkeys Treated Chronically with Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol

Suomi, 1978: Maternal Behavior by Socially Incompetent Monkeys: Neglect and Abuse of Offspring

Mastripieri & Carroll, 1998: Risk Factors for Infant Abuse and Neglect in Group-Living Rhesus Monkeys