Social context-dependent relationships between mouse dominance rank and plasma hormone levels
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The associations between social status and endogenous testosterone and corticosterone have been well-studied across taxa, including rodents. Dominant social status is typically associated with higher levels of circulating testosterone and lower levels of circulating corticosterone but findings are mixed and depend upon numerous contextual factors. Here, we determine that the social environment is a key modulator of these relationships in Mus musculus. In groups of outbred CD-1 mice living in stable dominance hierarchies, we found no evidence of simple linear associations between social rank and corticosterone or testosterone plasma levels. However, in social hierarchies with highly despotic alpha males that socially suppress other group members, testosterone levels in subordinate males were significantly lower than in alpha males. In less despotic hierarchies, where all animals engage in high rates of competitive interactions, subordinate males had significantly elevated testosterone compared to agonistically inhibited subordinates from despotic hierarchies. Subordinate males from highly despotic hierarchies also had elevated levels of corticosterone compared to alpha males. In pair-housed animals, the relationship was the opposite, with alpha males exhibiting elevated levels of corticosterone compared to subordinate males. Notably, subordinate males living in social hierarchies had significantly higher levels of plasma corticosterone than pair-housed subordinate males, suggesting that living in a large group is a more socially stressful experience for less dominant individuals. Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering social context when analyzing physiological data related to social behavior and using ethologically relevant behavioral paradigms to study the complex relationship between hormones and social behavior.
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In some studies subordinate mice form linear hierarchies, while in others ranking is more despotic.
“In some studies the subordinates form linear hierarchies, 136,138,141 while in others ranking is more despotic.80,97,142”
From Ecological validity of social interaction tests in rats and mice (2019) · cites this paper as [142]
The relationship between social domination and cortisol level in mice is complicated, because cortisol is regulated by interaction of rank, group size and type of social organization (despotic versus more competitive).
“Just as in case of rats, the relationship between social domination and cortisol level is complicated, because the latter is regulated by interaction of rank, group size and type of social organization (despotic vs more competitive 142 ; see also Reference 131).”
From Ecological validity of social interaction tests in rats and mice (2019) · cites this paper as [142]
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- Authors
- Williamson, C. M., Lee, W., Romeo, R. D., & Curley, J. P.
- Affiliations
- Columbia University (US)
- Barnard College (US)
- Corresponding author
- Curley, James P.
- Venue
- Physiology & Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-03
- Volume
- 171
- Pages
- 110-119
- ISSN
- 0031-9384 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2570450681
- Cited by
- 120
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 6
- FWCI
- 15.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ (am, 318 d)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-017 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-012 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-004 (stm-asf)
- Locations
- Physiology & Behavior (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (DGE-16-44869)
- Samsung Scholarship Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Keywords
- testosterone, corticosterone, social hierarchy, subordinate males, social stress, group size, pair housing, competitive interactions, hormone-behavior relationship, ICR mice
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Corticosterone, Male, Mice, Inbred ICR, Social Behavior, Social Dominance, Statistics as Topic, Testosterone, Time Factors, Mice
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