The effects of early isolation on sexual behavior and c-fos expression in naïve male Long-Evans rats.
Previous findings have demonstrated that the maternal environment is important for the development of male sexual behavior. The present study examined the effects of complete early life isolation and replacement 'stroking' stimulation on male sexual behavior and neural activation as seen by Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR). Animals were either artificially reared (AR) with minimal (AR-MIN) or maximal (AR-MAX) body simulation, or maternally reared (MR). In adulthood, animals were either given an exposure to an estrous female (EXP) or left undisturbed (NoEXP). No significant effects of early development were found in sexual behavior; however differences in activation in response to this exposure were observed. AR-MIN animals showed lower Fos-IR in the medial preoptic area and the ventromedial hypothalamus compared to MR animals. AR-MAX animals were not significantly different from either condition. These findings demonstrate that although there are no differences in the quality of the first copulatory exposure between AR and MR animals, the brain's response to this exposure differs in sites within the brain that subserve sexual behavior.
Akbari
E M
EM
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, ON Canada L5L 1C6.
Budin
R
R
Parada
M
M
Fleming
A S
AS
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003259:Consummatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012737:Sex Factors; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology*; D012934:Social Isolation; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D014697:Ventromedial Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology
D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D013739:Testosterone