Development of sociosexual approach behavior in male laboratory rats.

Eliasson, Mona; Meyerson, Bengt J.

doi:10.1037/h0077752

Cited by 38 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In order to mimic the physiological process of sexual maturation, testosterone replacement therapy was initiated approximately at the age at which the testes first start secreting high concentrations of androgens (Ottinger and Brinkley, 1979). Studies conducted in young rats and zebra finches revealed that the amount of time males spend looking at females as compared to males, family members or a neutral area gradually increases as they get older (Adkins-Regan and Leung, 2006; Eliasson and Meyerson, 1981). In rats, the amount of approach behavior towards females stabilizes at an age when sexual hormones have reached their adult concentrations (Ojeda and Urbanski, 1988).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In rats, the amount of approach behavior towards females stabilizes at an age when sexual hormones have reached their adult concentrations (Ojeda and Urbanski, 1988). Interestingly, the magnitude of the preference for females appears to be altered by castration (Eliasson and Meyerson, 1981). In zebra finches, experimental manipulations of sex steroid hormones concentrations during the late juvenile development (prior to sexual maturation) resulted in a premature shift in the relative interest of males towards females as compared to family members (Adkins-Regan and Leung, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of social experience on subsequent sexual performance in naïve male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Cornil

Ball

2010

Hormones and Behavior

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On their first sexual encounter, naïve male Japanese quail will attend to and approach a female; they sometimes mount but they do not always copulate. During the second encounter, most males successfully copulate. Although sexual experience facilitates subsequent sexual interactions, sensory cues provided by females, independent of any sexual encounter, may also enhance sexual performance. To investigate whether previous exposure to a conspecific affects subsequent sexual behavior, we allowed inexperienced males to observe an empty box, or a conspecific consisting of either an experienced female or male for 2.5 min/day on 7 days. Measures of appetitive sexual behavior were recorded during these tests. On day 8, subjects were allowed to copulate with a novel female for 5 min. On the following days, all subjects were repeatedly provided with visual access to a female and allowed to mate. In the pre-copulatory trials males initially exhibited a high frequency of appetitive responses that dissipated with repetition. Pre-copulatory experience also significantly affected motivation to mate with subjects exposed to females copulating more quickly than other subjects. Post-copulatory appetitive behavior also differed between groups: control subjects showed the highest behavioral frequency followed by males exposed to females and finally males exposed to males. These data indicate that pre-copulatory social experience profoundly influences subsequent sexual behavior and probably reproductive success. This experience effect is independent of any hormonal effect (such as one resulting from changes in secretion following different social interactions) given that the subjects were castrates chronically treated with testosterone.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of social experience on subsequent sexual performance in naïve male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Cornil

Ball

2010

Hormones and Behavior

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“…Prepuberal or castrated males display no sexual approaches. 9,30,31 The same is the case with males that are sexually exhausted because of prolonged copulation, as mentioned earlier. 8 Only males in an appropriate state react to the sexualincentive stimuli emitted by the female.…”

Section: Sexual Attractionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Under some conditions, males do not approach sexually receptive females. Prepuberal or castrated males display no sexual approaches 9,30,31 . The same is the case with males that are sexually exhausted because of prolonged copulation, as mentioned earlier 8 .…”

Section: Sexual Attractionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Motivational Influences on the Degree and Direction of Sexual Attraction

Hernández‐González

Guevara

Ågmo

2008

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

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Motivation can be defined as a class of central nervous processes determining the likelihood of display of a behavior and the intensity of the behavior if displayed. All behavior is, according to this definition, caused and controlled by motivation. Although the concept of motivation eventually could be replaced by an entirely mechanistic explanation of the causes of behavior, in terms of neural events, such explanations would be overly complex for everyday use. This is particularly the case with regard to the momentaneous fluctuations in the intensity of a behavior, like those occurring during copulation in rats. Thus, the concept of motivation will remain useful even when mechanistic explanations become available. Even though the propensity to perform sexual responses is determined by sexual motivation, another element is required for the execution of such responses. This other element is an appropriate stimulus, a sexual incentive. For a male rat, an appropriate incentive could be a sexually receptive female. For a human, it could be a mental representation of a sexual partner. The incentive activates approach behaviors, and the intensity of these behaviors will be determined by motivation and by the quality of the incentive stimulus, its attractivity. Much work has been done with the purpose of identifying the nature of the incentive stimulus or stimuli emitted by rats and other mammals. While visual stimuli seem to be of limited importance, auditory and particularly olfactory stimuli have been found to have incentive properties. Soluble chemicals may be important for some aspects of copulation, but copulatory motor patterns are basically under the control of tactile stimuli. The processing of sexual incentives in the rat brain has been studied with electroencephalographic techniques, and data show that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) participates in the identification of sexual incentives. Furthermore, there are important differences between the medial and orbital frontal cortices. The medial PFC, as well as the ventral tegmental area, also seem to participate in the generation of pelvic thrusting.

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“…Thus, older male voles may have more urine to contribute to producing overmarks than do younger male voles. Older adult male voles may be better than younger male voles at identifying the scent marks of sexually receptive female conspecifics, which allows older males to over-mark more of their over-marks (i.e., Eliasson & Meyerson 1981;Doty et al 1984;Mencio-Wszalek et al 1992). It is also possible that the accuracy with which an adult male deposits its scent marks on top of or near to those deposited by a female conspecific improves with age.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age Affects Over‐Marking of Opposite‐Sex Scent Marks in Meadow Voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus

Ferkin¹

2009

Ethology

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Models of age-related effects on behavior predict that among short-lived species younger adults are more attractive and attracted to opposite-sex conspecifics than are older adults, whereas the converse is predicted for long-lived species. Although most studies of age-related effects on behavior support these predictions, they are not supported by many studies of scent marking, a behavior used in mate attraction. Over-marking, a form of scent marking, is a tactic used by many terrestrial mammals to convey information about themselves to opposite-sex conspecifics. The present study tested the hypothesis that the age of meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus; a microtine rodent, affects their over- and scent marking behaviors when they encounter the marks of opposite-sex conspecifics. Sex differences existed in the over-marking behavior of adult voles among the three different age groups that were tested. Male voles that were 5-7 mo-old and 10-12 mo-old over-marked a higher proportion of the marks of females than did 2-3 mo-old male voles. Female voles that were 2-3 mo-old, 5-7 mo-old, and 10-12 mo-old over-marked a similar number of marks deposited by male voles. Overall, the data were not consistent with models predicting the behavior of short-lived animals such as rodents when they encounter the opposite sex. The differences in over-marking displayed by older and younger adult male voles may be associated with life history tradeoffs, the likelihood that they will encounter sexually receptive females, and being selected as mates.

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Development of sociosexual approach behavior in male laboratory rats.

Cited by 38 publications

References 6 publications

Effects of social experience on subsequent sexual performance in naïve male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Effects of social experience on subsequent sexual performance in naïve male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Motivational Influences on the Degree and Direction of Sexual Attraction

Age Affects Over‐Marking of Opposite‐Sex Scent Marks in Meadow Voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus

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