Post-weaning social isolation of male rats reduces the volume of the medial amygdala and leads to deficits in adult sexual behavior
Abstract
At 21 days of age, gonadally intact male Long Evans rats were weaned and placed into standard laboratory conditions (three per cage) or housed singly. They were tested for noncontact erections and sexual performance at 90 and 220 days of age. Rats raised in isolation displayed significantly fewer noncontact erections in response to sensory cues from an estrous female and fewer intromissions when allowed to mate with a female than did males raised in groups. The volume of the posterodorsal component of the medial amygdala (MePD) and the size of neurons within the MePD were significantly smaller in the isolated males than in socially housed males. Similarly, neurons in the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) were smaller in isolate animals than in controls. As both MePD volume and SDN-POA soma size are responsive to sex steroids, these differences could result if the isolates experienced lower testosterone levels. Finally, the volume of the overall medial amygdala (MeA) correlated significantly with the number of noncontact erections, a relationship that was not explained by housing condition. These findings highlight the role of social experience as a factor in the sexual differentiation of the brain and suggest a positive relationship between the volume of a brain structure and the display of sexual behaviors.
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Participating in play is essential to appropriate behavior and reproductive success in adulthood.
“While its exact function is debated, various rodent studies on the effects of juvenile social isolation suggest that participating in play is essential to appropriate behavior and reproductive success in adulthood.”
From Social play experience in juvenile rats is indispensable for appropriate socio-sexual behavior in adulthood in males but not females (2023) · cites this paper as Cooke et al., 2000
Juvenile social isolation in rats leads to impairments in sexual behavior.
“sexual behavior (Gerall et al., 1967; Cooke et al., 2000)”
From Social play experience in juvenile rats is indispensable for appropriate socio-sexual behavior in adulthood in males but not females (2023) · cites this paper as Cooke et al., 2000
Cites
Cortical afferents to the extended amygdala
McDONALD, A. J., SHAMMAH‐LAGNADO, S. J., SHI, C., & DAVIS, M. (1999) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1999.tb09275.x · Cited by 306 · see citing works
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Burgdorf, J., Kroes, R. A., Moskal, J. R., Pfaus, J. G., Brudzynski, S. M., & Panksepp, J. (2008) · Journal of Comparative Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0012889 · Cited by 469 · see citing works
Hari Dass, S., & Vyas, A. (2014) · Frontiers in Zoology · doi:10.1186/1742-9994-11-42 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Lonstein, J. S., Rood, B. D., & De Vries, G. J. (2005) · Endocrinology · doi:10.1210/en.2004-1315 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Marquardt, A. E., VanRyzin, J. W., Fuquen, R. W., & McCarthy, M. M. (2023) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1076765 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“, 2013; Yusufishaq and Rosenkranz, 2013), and sexual behavior (Gerall et al., 1967; Cooke et al., 2000), increases anxiety- and depression-like behavior (Parker and Morinan, 1986; Wright et al.”
Background
- Authors
- Cooke, B. M., Chowanadisai, W., & Breedlove, S. M.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- Corresponding author
- Breedlove, S.Marc
- Venue
- Behavioural Brain Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2000-12
- Volume
- 117
- Issue
- 1-2
- Pages
- 107-113
- ISSN
- 0166-4328 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2133369344
- Cited by
- 67
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 2.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behavioural Brain Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH058703, MH 58703)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Keywords
- social isolation, medial amygdala, posterodorsal medial amygdala, sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area, adult sexual behavior, intromission, sexual differentiation of the brain, testosterone, social experience, male rats
- MeSH terms
- Age Factors, Amygdala, Animals, Estrus, Female, Male, Penile Erection, Random Allocation, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Social Isolation, Testosterone, Rats, Long-Evans, Rats
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