Abstract
The effects of neonatal and adult administrations of gonadal hormones were investigated on the activity of regional brain choline acetylase (ChAc) and fighting behavior in the mouse. It was found that, generally, the hormonal treatments resulted in consistent increases in hypothalamic and hippocampal ChAc, and inconsistent changes in cortical ChAc. Increases in enzyme activity were not accompanied by similar increases in fighting. There was a lack of positive correlation between a particular gonadal hormone used, the increase in ChAc and fighting A number of hypotheses are proposed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barraclough, C. A.: Production of anovulatory, sterile rats by single injections of testosterone propionate. Endocrinology 68, 62–67 (1961).
Beeman, E. A.: The effect of male hormone on aggressive behavior in mice. Physiol. Zool. 20, 373–405 (1947).
Bennett, E. L., Diamond, M. C., Krech, D., Rosenzweig, M. R.: Chemical and anatomical plasticity of brain. Science 146, 610–619 (1964).
Bennett, E. L., Krech, D., Rosenzweig, M. R.: Reliability and regional specificity of cerebral effects of environmental complexity and training. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 57, 440–441 (1964).
Bronson, F. H., Desjardins, C.: Aggression in adult mice: modification by neonatal injections of gonadal hormones. Science 161, 705–706.
Connor, R. L., Levine, S.: Hormonal influences on aggressive behavior. In: S. Garattini and E. B. Sigg, eds.: Aggressive behavior, p. 161. Amsterdam: Excerpta Medica Foundation 1969.
Edwards, D. A.: Mice: fighting by neonatally androgenized females. Science 161 1027–1028 (1968).
Edwards, D. A.: Early androgen stimulation and aggressive behavior in male and female mice. Physiol. Behav. 4, 333–338 (1969).
Eisenfeld, A. J.: Computer analysis of the distribution of (3H) estradiol. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 136, 498–507 (1967).
Eisenfeld, A. J., Axelrod, J.: Selectivity of estrogen distribution in tissues. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 105, 469–475 (1965).
Eleftheriou, B. E., Zolovick, A. J.: The forebrain of the deermouse in stereotaxic coordinates. Kans. Agr. exp. Sta. Tech. Bull. No 146 (1965).
Fonnum, F.: A radiochemical method for the estimation of choline acetyltransferase Biochem. J. 100, 479–484 (1966).
Fonnum, F.: The compartmentation of choline acetyltransferase within the synaptosome. Biochem. J. 103, 262–270 (1967).
Gorski, R. A.: Localization and sexual differentiation of the nervous structure which regulate ovulation. J. Reprod. Fertil. Suppl. 1, 67–88 (1966).
Harris, C. W., Levine, S.: Sexual differentiation of the brain and its experimental control. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 181, 379–400 (1965).
Karlson, P.: New concepts on the mode of action of hormones. Perspect. Biol. Med. 6, 203–224 (1963).
Levine, S., Mullins, R. F., Jr.: Hormonal influence on brain organization in infant rats. Science 152, 1585–1592 (1966).
McCaman, R. E., Arnaiz, G. R. de L., de Robertis, E.: Species differences in subcellular distribution of choline acetylase in the CNS. J. Neurochem. 12, 927–936 (1965).
McCaman, R. E., Hunt, J. M.: Microdetermination of choline acetylase in nervous tissue. J. Neurochem. 12, 253–260 (1965).
McEwen, B. S., Weiss, J. M., Schwartz, L. S.: Selective retention of corticosterone by limbic structures in rat brain. Nature (Lond.) 220, 911–912 (1968).
Rosenzweig, M. R., Krech, D., Bennett, E. L.: A search for relations between brain chemistry and behavior. Psychol. Bull. 57, 476–492.
Rosenzweig, M. R., Krech, D., Bennett, E. L., Diamond, M. C.: Effects of environmental complexity and training on brain chemistry and anatomy: A replication and extension. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 55, 429–437 (1962).
Sidman, R., Angevine, J. B., Taber, E., Pierce, S.: Atlas of the mouse brain and spinal cord. Boston: Harvard Universitiy Press 1970.
Stumpf, W. E.: Autoradiographic techniques and the localization of estrogen, androgen, and glucocorticoid in the pituitary and brain. Amer. Zool. 11, 725 to 739 (1971).
Stumpf, W. E.: Estrogen, androgen and glucocorticosteroid concentrating neurons in the amygdala, studies by dry autoradiography. In: B. E. Eleftheriou, ed.: The neurobiology of the amygdala, pp. 763–774. New York: Plenum Press 1972.
Stumpf, W. E., Sar, N.: Distributions of radioactivity in hippocampus and amygdala after injection of 3H-estradiol by dry-mount autoradiography. Physiologist 12, 386 (1970).
Suchowsky, G. K., Pegrassi, L., Bousighori, A.: Effect of steroids on aggressive behavior in isolated male mice. In: S. Garattini and E. B. Sigg, eds.: Aggresssive behavior, p. 164. Amsterdam: Excerpta Medica Foundation 1969.
Tollman, J., King, J. A.: The effects of testosterone propionate on aggression in male and female C57BL/10J mice. Brit. J. Anim. Behav. 4, 147–152 (1956).
Whalen, R. E., Edwards, D. A.: Hormonal determinants of the development of masculine and feminine behavior in male and female rats. Anat. Rec. 157, 173–180 (1967).
Winer, B. J.: Statistical principles in experimental design, p. 75. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This investigation was supported in part by an allocation from General Research Support Grant FR-05545 from the Division of Research Resources to The Jackson Laboratory and in part by Training Grant GY-7614 from the National Science Foundation.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Eleftheriou, B.E., Dobson, C.L. Effects of neonatal and adult treatments with gonadal hormones on choline acetylase activity in brain regions of male mice after fighting. Psychopharmacologia 27, 45–52 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421955
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00421955