Cited by 74Stress Responses and CortisolNeuroendocrine regulation and behaviorAdrenal Hormones and Disorders

Ultradian Corticosterone Rhythm and the Propensity to Behave Aggressively in Male Rats

Haller, J., Halasz, J., Mikics, É., Kruk, M. R., Makara, G. B.·2000·Journal of Neuroendocrinology

Abstract

Ultradian fluctuations in plasma glucocorticoids have been demonstrated in a variety of species including humans. The significance of such rhythms is poorly known, although disorganized ultradian glucocorticoid rhythms have been associated with behavioural disorders. Here we report that ultradian glucocorticoid rhythms may establish the propensity to behave aggressively in male rats. Male rats were significantly more aggressive in the increasing phase of their corticosterone fluctuation when confronting a male intruder than counterparts in the decreasing phase of their corticosterone fluctuations facing such opponents. Corticosterone fluctuations were mimicked by a combination of treatments with the corticosterone synthesis inhibitor metyrapone and corticosterone. Again, males with increased plasma corticosterone levels were more aggressive than counterparts with a decreased plasma corticosterone concentration. These data suggest that the behavioural response to an aggressive challenge may vary in the same animal across the day due to the pulsating nature of corticosterone secretion. Aggressive behaviour is also episodic in humans; moreover, intermittent explosive behaviour is recognized as a psychological disorder. It can be hypothesized that a temporal coincidence between the occurrence of a challenge and a surge in plasma corticosterone concentration may be one of the factors that promote episodic aggressive outbursts.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2000.00568.x

Cites

36 of 36 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • The time-dependent Jacobian results are consistent with rat experiments [16, 17] showing more aggressive behavior when rats are perturbed on the upward slope of corticosterone.

    “The time-dependent Jacobian provided insight into experimental phenomena, explaining why rats respond differently to perturbations during corticosterone secretion's upward versus downward slopes.”

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Haller, J., Halasz, J., Mikics, É., Kruk, M. R., & Makara, G. B.
Affiliations
  • HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine (HU)
  • Leiden University (NL)
Corresponding author
Haller, J.
Venue
Journal of Neuroendocrinology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2000-10
Volume
12
Issue
10
Pages
937-940
ISSN
  • 0953-8194 (ISSN-L)
  • 1365-2826
OpenAlex
W2098550241
Cited by
73
References
36
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
FWCI
1.25
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
Keywords
ultradian rhythms, corticosterone, glucocorticoids, aggression, male rats, metyrapone, plasma corticosterone, intermittent explosive disorder, diurnal variation
MeSH terms
Activity Cycles, Aggression, Animals, Behavior, Animal, Corticosterone, Drug Synergism, Male, Oscillometry, Osmolar Concentration, Pyridines, Rats

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review