Ovariectomy does not attenuate aggression by primiparous lactating female rats.
Nulliparous female hooded rats were allowed to cohabit with a sexually active male in a large living cage. Aggression toward an unfamiliar female was assessed during the second and third week of pregnancy. Within 12 to 24 h following parturition females were ovariectomized (n = 7) or sham-ovariectomized (n = 6) in a manner that balanced previous aggression scores. Aggression was assessed at 48 h following ovariectomy and at three weekly intervals thereafter. Ovariectomized and sham-ovariectomized females did not differ in the number of attacks, number of bites, duration of on-top, or frequency of piloerection on any test day following parturition. These results indicate that circulating levels of ovarian steroids do not influence the level of aggression by a primiparous lactating female toward an unfamiliar female conspecific.
Albert
D J
DJ
Psychology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Jonik
R H
RH
Walsh
M L
ML
D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000378:Agonistic Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D010052:Ovariectomy; D010053:Ovary / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012931:Social Environment
D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones