Testosterone and persistence of social investigation in laboratory rats.
Abstract
In a series of experiments, mature male and female rats were individually exposed in their home cages to sexually immature conspecifics. A prominent sex difference was observed in duration of social investigation prior to a criterion of neglect. When pups were 5 days of age, no sex difference was observed, but when pups were 8 days of age and older, mature males consistently investigated them for significantly longer intervals than did mature females. Furthermore, intact males investigated prepuberal conspecifics for significantly longer intervals than did castrated males, castrated females, or intact females; none of the latter three groups differed significantly from each other. Following testosterone treatment, castrated males investigated unfamiliar, prepuberal conspecifics for a significantly longer duration than did untreated castrated control animals. The combined results support the conclusion that gonadal testosterone effects a greater perseveration of social investigation in males.
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Testosterone has been suggested to be involved in sex differences in the duration of social investigation.
“testosterone has been suggested to be involved [15–17]”
From Effects of sex and gonadectomy on social investigation and social recognition in mice (2015) · cites this paper as [16]
Thor and co-workers reported very similar results in rats investigating pups and pre-pubertal conspecifics in their home cage.
“This notion is strengthened by the fact that Thor and co-workers reported very similar results in rats investigating pups and pre-pubertal conspecifics in their home cage [15, 16].”
From Effects of sex and gonadectomy on social investigation and social recognition in mice (2015) · cites this paper as [16]
Neonatal androgenisation further increased the sensitivity to exogenous testosterone of female rats as measured by social investigation in adulthood.
“and neonatal androgenisation further increased the sensitivity to exogenous testosterone of female rats as measured by social investigation in adulthood [15, 16].”
From Effects of sex and gonadectomy on social investigation and social recognition in mice (2015) · cites this paper as [16]
Previous studies found no difference in social investigation between intact and GDX females.
“Moreover, social investigation did not differ between intact and GDX females in the present or in previous studies [15, 16]”
From Effects of sex and gonadectomy on social investigation and social recognition in mice (2015) · cites this paper as [16]
Testosterone treatment of adult female rats fully reversed the sex difference in social investigation.
“Interestingly, the studies by Thor et al. also showed that testosterone treatment of adult female rats fully reversed the sex difference [15, 16]”
From Effects of sex and gonadectomy on social investigation and social recognition in mice (2015) · cites this paper as [16]
Estrogen treatment did not increase social investigation in previous studies.
“nor was it increased by estrogen treatment [15, 16].”
From Effects of sex and gonadectomy on social investigation and social recognition in mice (2015) · cites this paper as [16]
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Social memory of the male laboratory rat.
Thor, D. H., & Holloway, W. R. (1982) · Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology · doi:10.1037/0735-7036.96.6.1000 · Cited by 375 · see citing works
Self-citationNeuroendocrinology of social information processing in rats and mice
Choleris, E., Clipperton-Allen, A. E., Phan, A., & Kavaliers, M. (2009) · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2009.05.003 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Dumais, K. M., Bredewold, R., Mayer, T. E., & Veenema, A. H. (2013) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.08.012 · Cited by 201 · see citing works
Effects of sex and gonadectomy on social investigation and social recognition in mice
Karlsson, S. A., Haziri, K., Hansson, E., Kettunen, P., & Westberg, L. (2015) · BMC Neuroscience · doi:10.1186/s12868-015-0221-z · Cited by 72 · see citing works
“Although our results are concurrent with those from rats investigating pups [15, 16] as well as same-sex conspecifics [26], it may be speculated—since we used GDX and intact females, as stimuli—that the observed sex difference in social investigation depends on the sex of the stimulus animals and using males as stimul…”
BackgroundResultInfluential
- Authors
- Thor, D. H.
- Corresponding author
- Thor, D. H.
- Venue
- Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology
- Published
- 1980
- Volume
- 94
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 970-976
- ISSN
- 0021-9940 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2074957156
- Cited by
- 57
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 5.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Keywords
- testosterone, social investigation, social behavior, sex differences, gonadal hormones, castration, social neglect
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Castration, Female, Male, Sexual Maturation, Social Behavior, Testosterone, Rats
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