Early-life stress increases the survival of midbrain neurons during postnatal development and enhances reward-related and anxiolytic-like behaviors in a sex-dependent fashion.

•Maternal separation (MS) increased the survival of midbrain neurons during lifespan.•The effects of MS were sex-specific and revealed in the VTA and SNc of male rats.•MS affected postnatal fate of TH-negative neurons in the VTA and SNc.•MS increased sucrose preference and induced anxiolytic-like behavior in adult males.