title: Effects of repeated aggressive encounters on approach to a female and plasma testosterone in male mice.
abstract: Effects of repeated experience of aggression accompanied by social victories or social defeat in 10 daily agonistic confrontations on testosterone levels in and the behavioral response of CBA/Lac male mice exposed to a receptive female from behind a perforated transparent partition have been examined. Testosterone levels were not changed significantly in the mice that had consistently been victorious over 10 days (winners) or in the mice that had consistently been defeated over 10 days (losers). Losers and controls (mice that had been caged individually for 5 days) responded with increased levels of behavioral activity near the partition and elevated testosterone. Winners showed a significantly poorer behavioral and hormonal response. It is concluded that the repeated display of aggression by male mice led to a reduction in both their behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to an estrous female.
authors.affiliation: Neurogenetics of Social Behaviors Sector, Institute of Cytology and Genetics SD RAS, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia. natnik@bionet.nsc.ru
authors.forename: Natalia N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Kudryavtseva
authors.forename: Tamara G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Amstislavskaya
authors.forename: Sergej
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kucheryavy
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001070:Appetitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D004291:Dominance-Subordination; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone