Abstract
Male mice were housed either in wire-mesh cages placed adjacent to one another or in similar cages separated by wooden partitions. A higher level of adrenocortical function, measured by relative adrenal weights and adrenal ascorbic acid depletion, was found in the mice which had been allowed partial social contact. These results demonstrate that the adrenal cortex not only responds to social stimuli traditionally regarded as stressors but is also sensitive to more subtle changes in the social invironment.
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Supported by Science Research Council studentship, and by grant from the Wellcome trust. I thank Dr. J. H. Crook for critical comments and discussion.
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Archer, J. Effects of social stimuli on the adrenal cortex in male mice. Psychon Sci 14, 17–18 (1969). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336402
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336402