Gender-specific social experiences and the development of aggressive and sexual behavior in male mice

Abstract

This study examined influences of gender‐specific social experiences on the development of aggressive and sexual behavior in male mice. To determine the effects of gender‐specific social experience three different types of groups were constituted after the animals had been weaned. The subjects were randomly assigned to different treatments. Female groups were composed of one experimental male and three female cohabitants. Male groups were composed of five experimental males each, and the mixed‐sex groups were composed of two experimental males and of two females. The experimental subjects stayed in these groups until the age of approximately three months, when the testing for sexual and aggressive behavior commenced. For the sexuality tests, a receptive female was placed in the home cage of the experimental male for ten minutes. A nonaggressive male was placed in the home cage of the experimental male for seven minutes for the aggression tests. The experimental males were administered both sexuality and aggression tests, the sequence of testing sexual and aggressive behavior was systematically varied in order to control the influence of the two different types of behavioral tests. The results showed that males with only male social experiences showed fewer responses and were less active in both the aggression and sexuality tests than the males from the two other types of groups. Significant positive correlations between activity during aggression and sexual tests were obtained for all three groups. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Olfaction variation in mouse husbandry and its implications for refinement and standardization: UK survey of animal scents

“…3,10,42 For example, mice exposed to cat urine for 10 days failed to show habituation and continued to show inhibition of sexual behaviour and over a three-fold elevation of plasma corticosterone throughout this time. 9,14,15,19,43 However, the effect of rat scents on mouse habituation has not been studied, and further research on the onset, length and magnitude of this phenomenon would be beneficial.…”

“…Transfer of human scents to mice can occur during husbandry procedures, particularly when it involves handling the animals with bare hands (30%). Recently published studies 9,14,15,25,43 have shown that male and female mice exposed to human males or their scents (who share a similar androgen-dependent pheromonal make-up as males of other species) display behaviours associated with stress (increased thigmotaxis in the open field and increased defecation), signs of pain inhibition (decreased facial grimacing after injection of inflammatory agents), and physiological changes indicating hypothalamic activation (increased plasma corticosterol levels and hyperthermia). Additionally, rodents seem to be able to perceive differences between the olfactory identities of the people who interact with them.…”

“…In females, male urine induces changes in reproductive physiology such as the oestrus synchronization or 'Whitten Effect'. [11][12][13] Female urine can initiate fights in group-housed male mice, 14,15 and suppress oestrus in other females in a phenomenon known as 'the Lee-Boot Effect'. 16 Species-specific odours called 'kairomones' derived, for example, from the fur, urine, faeces and anal gland secretions of other species, 17 enable predators and prey to detect each other at a distance.…”

Olfaction variation in mouse husbandry and its implications for refinement and standardization: UK survey of animal scents

“…3,10,42 For example, mice exposed to cat urine for 10 days failed to show habituation and continued to show inhibition of sexual behaviour and over a three-fold elevation of plasma corticosterone throughout this time. 9,14,15,19,43 However, the effect of rat scents on mouse habituation has not been studied, and further research on the onset, length and magnitude of this phenomenon would be beneficial.…”

“…Transfer of human scents to mice can occur during husbandry procedures, particularly when it involves handling the animals with bare hands (30%). Recently published studies 9,14,15,25,43 have shown that male and female mice exposed to human males or their scents (who share a similar androgen-dependent pheromonal make-up as males of other species) display behaviours associated with stress (increased thigmotaxis in the open field and increased defecation), signs of pain inhibition (decreased facial grimacing after injection of inflammatory agents), and physiological changes indicating hypothalamic activation (increased plasma corticosterol levels and hyperthermia). Additionally, rodents seem to be able to perceive differences between the olfactory identities of the people who interact with them.…”

“…In females, male urine induces changes in reproductive physiology such as the oestrus synchronization or 'Whitten Effect'. [11][12][13] Female urine can initiate fights in group-housed male mice, 14,15 and suppress oestrus in other females in a phenomenon known as 'the Lee-Boot Effect'. 16 Species-specific odours called 'kairomones' derived, for example, from the fur, urine, faeces and anal gland secretions of other species, 17 enable predators and prey to detect each other at a distance.…”

Territorial Behaviour and Social Organization as a Function of the Level of Aggressiveness in Male Mice

“…Two lines of mice differing in aggressiveness have been established through an ongoing sequence of selective breeding from an outbred Swiss albino foundation stock (LAGERSPETZ 1964;SANDNABBA 1990SANDNABBA , 1996. The subjects were male mice of the 51st and 52nd generation of selection for high (Turku Aggressive, TA) and low (Turku Non-Aggressive, TNA) levels of aggressiveness; 40 males of each line were used.…”

“…The level of aggressiveness of the animals was assessed at the age of approximately 3 mo by means of one individual test with a non-aggressive standard opponent (LAGERSPETZ 1964;SANDNABBA 1986~) prior to heing introduced to the colony environment and one individual test 2 d after they had been taken away from this enclosure. Each standard opponent was used for testing only once daily.…”

Olfaction variation in mouse husbandry and its implications for refinement and standardization: UK survey of animal scents

“…3,10,42 For example, mice exposed to cat urine for 10 days failed to show habituation and continued to show inhibition of sexual behaviour and over a three-fold elevation of plasma corticosterone throughout this time. 9,14,15,19,43 However, the effect of rat scents on mouse habituation has not been studied, and further research on the onset, length and magnitude of this phenomenon would be beneficial.…”

“…Transfer of human scents to mice can occur during husbandry procedures, particularly when it involves handling the animals with bare hands (30%). Recently published studies 9,14,15,25,43 have shown that male and female mice exposed to human males or their scents (who share a similar androgen-dependent pheromonal make-up as males of other species) display behaviours associated with stress (increased thigmotaxis in the open field and increased defecation), signs of pain inhibition (decreased facial grimacing after injection of inflammatory agents), and physiological changes indicating hypothalamic activation (increased plasma corticosterol levels and hyperthermia). Additionally, rodents seem to be able to perceive differences between the olfactory identities of the people who interact with them.…”

“…In females, male urine induces changes in reproductive physiology such as the oestrus synchronization or 'Whitten Effect'. [11][12][13] Female urine can initiate fights in group-housed male mice, 14,15 and suppress oestrus in other females in a phenomenon known as 'the Lee-Boot Effect'. 16 Species-specific odours called 'kairomones' derived, for example, from the fur, urine, faeces and anal gland secretions of other species, 17 enable predators and prey to detect each other at a distance.…”

Territorial Behaviour and Social Organization as a Function of the Level of Aggressiveness in Male Mice

“…Two lines of mice differing in aggressiveness have been established through an ongoing sequence of selective breeding from an outbred Swiss albino foundation stock (LAGERSPETZ 1964;SANDNABBA 1990SANDNABBA , 1996. The subjects were male mice of the 51st and 52nd generation of selection for high (Turku Aggressive, TA) and low (Turku Non-Aggressive, TNA) levels of aggressiveness; 40 males of each line were used.…”

“…The level of aggressiveness of the animals was assessed at the age of approximately 3 mo by means of one individual test with a non-aggressive standard opponent (LAGERSPETZ 1964;SANDNABBA 1986~) prior to heing introduced to the colony environment and one individual test 2 d after they had been taken away from this enclosure. Each standard opponent was used for testing only once daily.…”

Olfaction variation in mouse husbandry and its implications for refinement and standardization: UK survey of animal scents

“…3,10,42 For example, mice exposed to cat urine for 10 days failed to show habituation and continued to show inhibition of sexual behaviour and over a three-fold elevation of plasma corticosterone throughout this time. 9,14,15,19,43 However, the effect of rat scents on mouse habituation has not been studied, and further research on the onset, length and magnitude of this phenomenon would be beneficial.…”

“…Transfer of human scents to mice can occur during husbandry procedures, particularly when it involves handling the animals with bare hands (30%). Recently published studies 9,14,15,25,43 have shown that male and female mice exposed to human males or their scents (who share a similar androgen-dependent pheromonal make-up as males of other species) display behaviours associated with stress (increased thigmotaxis in the open field and increased defecation), signs of pain inhibition (decreased facial grimacing after injection of inflammatory agents), and physiological changes indicating hypothalamic activation (increased plasma corticosterol levels and hyperthermia). Additionally, rodents seem to be able to perceive differences between the olfactory identities of the people who interact with them.…”

“…In females, male urine induces changes in reproductive physiology such as the oestrus synchronization or 'Whitten Effect'. [11][12][13] Female urine can initiate fights in group-housed male mice, 14,15 and suppress oestrus in other females in a phenomenon known as 'the Lee-Boot Effect'. 16 Species-specific odours called 'kairomones' derived, for example, from the fur, urine, faeces and anal gland secretions of other species, 17 enable predators and prey to detect each other at a distance.…”

Territorial Behaviour and Social Organization as a Function of the Level of Aggressiveness in Male Mice

“…Two lines of mice differing in aggressiveness have been established through an ongoing sequence of selective breeding from an outbred Swiss albino foundation stock (LAGERSPETZ 1964;SANDNABBA 1990SANDNABBA , 1996. The subjects were male mice of the 51st and 52nd generation of selection for high (Turku Aggressive, TA) and low (Turku Non-Aggressive, TNA) levels of aggressiveness; 40 males of each line were used.…”

“…The level of aggressiveness of the animals was assessed at the age of approximately 3 mo by means of one individual test with a non-aggressive standard opponent (LAGERSPETZ 1964;SANDNABBA 1986~) prior to heing introduced to the colony environment and one individual test 2 d after they had been taken away from this enclosure. Each standard opponent was used for testing only once daily.…”