Abstract
Recent work showed that when previously isolated male mice are housed in proximity with one another, their adrenals become heavier than those of mice remaining in isolation. The present experiment revealed that this adrenal hypertrophy no longer occurred when the differential housing period was longer, i.e., 9 weeks instead of 2 weeks. These results suggest that the adrenal response was associated with the reaction of strange animals to one another, rather than the chronic effects of social stimulation.
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I thank S.R.C, and the Wellcome Trust for financial assistance, and Dr. J. D. Goss-Custard for critical comments and discussion. Special thanks are also due to Dr. B. L. Welch (University of Tennessee) for commenting on an earlier draft of this paper.
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Archer, J. Chronic effects of social stimuli on adrenocortical function in male mice. Psychon Sci 16, 23–24 (1969). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03331893
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03331893