| Title: | Sexually stimulated testosterone release in male mice (Mus musculus): roles of genotype and sexual arousal |
| Author(s): | James PJ; Nyby JG; Saviolakis GA; |
| Address: | "Department of Biological Sciences, 111 Research Drive, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.05.004 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0018-506X (Print) 0018-506X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "In virtually every mammalian species examined, some males exhibit reflexive testosterone release upon encountering a novel female (or female-related stimulus). At the same time, not every individual male (or every published study) provides evidence for reflexive testosterone release. Four experiments using house mice (Mus musculus) examined the hypothesis that both the male's genotype and his degree of sexual arousal (as indexed by ultrasonic mating calls) are related to such variability. In Experiment 1, CF-1 males exhibited reflexive testosterone elevations 30 min after encountering female urine. CK males, on the other hand, did not exhibit testosterone elevations 20, 30, 50, 60, or 80 min after encountering female urine (Experiments 1 and 2) suggesting this strain incapable of reflexive release. In Experiment 3, we measured both mating calls and reflexive testosterone release in response to female urine in CF-1 and CK males. Most males of both strains called vigorously to female urine but not to water. But, only CF-1 males exhibited significant testosterone elevations to female urine. In Experiment 4, DBA/2J males called vigorously to females followed by testosterone elevations 30 min later. The first 3 experiments support the hypothesis that male genotype is an important variable underlying mammalian reflexive testosterone release. Statistically significant correlations between mating calls in the first minute after stimulus exposure and testosterone elevations 30 min later (Experiments 3 and 4) support the hypothesis that, in capable males, reflexive testosterone release is related to the male's initial sexual arousal" |
| Keywords: | "Analysis of Variance Animals Arousal/*physiology Female Genotype Male Mice Mice, Inbred Strains Pheromones/urine Physical Stimulation/methods Sexual Behavior, Animal/*physiology Smell/physiology *Social Environment Species Specificity Testosterone/*blood/;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineJames, Peter J Nyby, John G Saviolakis, George A eng R15MH065956/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/ Comparative Study Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural 2006/07/11 Horm Behav. 2006 Sep; 50(3):424-31. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.05.004. Epub 2006 Jul 7" |
