Sensitivity of male, female, and androgenized female rats to testosterone during extinction of a conditioned taste aversion.
Experiment 1 tested the hypothesis that male and female rats differ in the amount of testosterone (T) required to prolong extinction of a conditioned taste aversion. Gonadectomized male and female rats were implanted with empty or 30-, 60-, or 120-mm T-filled capsules. The males had slower extinction rates than females when both were implanted with 30-mm and 60-mm capsules but not when implanted with 120-mm capsules. The dimorphic sensitivity was not due to differences in plasma T levels: the levels for males and females were not different. Experiment 2 tested the hypothesis that the presence of T during the perinatal period results in a greater sensitivity to T in adulthood. Females exposed to T during the perinatal period showed prolonged extinction when given a 30-mm T-filled capsule as an adult, whereas unexposed females did not. These results support the hypothesis that the amount of T required to activate the prolonged extinction in an adult depends on perinatal exposure to T.
Sengstake
C B
CB
Department of Psychology, Portland State University, Oregon 97201.
Chambers
K C
KC
D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000502:physiology*; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000502:physiology*
D013739:Testosterone