title: Prenatal maternal programming determines testosterone response during social challenge.
abstract: The present study investigated in domestic guinea pigs whether the effects of prenatal social stress are pathological consequences of adverse social conditions; or whether mothers adjust their offspring to the environment they experience during pregnancy. As a prenatal stressor social instability was used: we studied male guinea pig offspring whose mothers lived in a stable social environment (SE-sons) or in an unstable social environment (UE-sons) during pregnancy. Eight experimental groups were established, consisting of one SE-son, one UE-son and five females, respectively. All experimental groups remained in a stable group composition for the whole investigation time. We hypothesized that if mothers prenatally adapt their offspring, in a stable social environment SE-sons will be dominant, display agonistic and courtship behavior more frequently, have higher body weights, be less stressed and have higher testosterone concentrations than UE-sons. Our results show no significant differences between SE- and UE-sons concerning behavior, body weight or plasma-cortisol concentrations. Hence no evidence exists that an unstable social environment during pregnancy has pathological consequences for the male offsprings' phenotype. However, SE-sons had significantly higher plasma testosterone concentrations than UE-sons in phases when females were receptive. A higher reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis might enable SE-males to adjust testosterone levels to the present social situation: they are significantly elevated in decisive phases of female receptivity, but remain on a lower level before and after reproductive challenge. Thus, mothers who experienced social stability during pregnancy provide their sons prenatally with a promising reproductive strategy in competitive situations later in life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestrasse 13, 48149 Münster, Germany. kemme@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kemme
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sachser
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D000378:Agonistic Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000097:blood; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D012930:Social Dominance; D012931:Social Environment; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone