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Sex differences in behavioral consequences of defeat in the rat are not organized by testosterone during early development
Author(s) -
Swanson Heidi H.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
aggressive behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.223
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1098-2337
pISSN - 0096-140X
DOI - 10.1002/1098-2337(1990)16:5<341::aid-ab2480160505>3.0.co;2-8
Subject(s) - testosterone propionate , testosterone (patch) , psychology , aggression , endocrinology , medicine , physiology , developmental psychology , androgen , hormone
Male and female rats react differently to losing an aggressive encounter, the presence of testosterone (at the time of confrontation) being a critical factor in the manifestation of this sex difference. Female rats were androgenized by 250 μg testosterone propionate sc on days 1 and 5 after birth. When adult they received a sc testosterone proprionate (TP) implant and were subjected to repeated defeats by being placed in the cage of an aggressive resident female. In contrast to males, which freeze and become permanently submissive, androgenized females showed no freezing or other signs of submission. The sex difference in response to defeat is therefore not dependent on the presence of testosterone during the period of post‐natal sexual differentiation.