Infanticide in the male rat: the role of the vomeronasal organ.
The present study constitutes the first demonstration that vomeronasal chemoreception plays a role in the response of the virgin male rat to conspecific newborn. Specifically, it shows that virgin males, after removal of the vomeronasal organ, exhibit a decrease in the incidence of infanticidal behavior. This finding is discussed in terms of how responsiveness to young can be affected by changes in the accessory olfactory system.
D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008326:Mammillary Bodies / Q000502:physiology; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000294:innervation*; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000502:physiology; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D010332:Paternal Behavior; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains