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Barradas-Moctezuma M, Herrera-Covarrubias D, García LI, Carrillo P, Pérez-Estudillo CA, Manzo J, Pfaus JG, Coria-Avila GA. Cohabitation with receptive females under D2-type agonism in adulthood restores partner preference and brain dimorphism in the SDN-POA following neonatal gonadectomy in male rats. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 163:106988. [PMID: 38342055 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.106988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
Perinatal testosterone, or its metabolite estradiol, organize the brain toward a male phenotype. Male rodents with insufficient testosterone during this period fail to display sexual behavior and partner preference for receptive females in adulthood. However, cohabitation with non-reproductive conspecifics under the influence of a D2 agonist facilitates the expression of conditioned partner preference via Pavlovian learning in gonadally intact male rats. In the present experiment, three groups of neonatal PD1 males (N = 12/group) were either gonadectomized (GDX), sham-GDX, or left intact and evaluated for social preferences and sexual behaviors as adults. We then examined whether the effects of GDX could be reversed by conditioning the males via cohabitation with receptive females under the effects of the D2 agonist quinpirole (QNP) or saline, along with the size of some brain regions, such as the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA), suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), posterior dorsal medial amygdala (MeApd) and ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). Results indicated that neonatal GDX resulted in the elimination of male-typical sexual behavior, an increase in same-sex social preference, and a reduction of the area of the SDN-POA. However, GDX-QNP males that underwent exposure to receptive females in adulthood increased their social preference for females and recovered the size in the SDN-POA. Although neonatal GDX impairs sexual behavior and disrupts partner preference and brain dimorphism in adult male rats, Pavlovian conditioning under enhanced D2 agonism ameliorates the effects on social preference and restores brain dimorphism in the SDN-POA without testosterone.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luis I García
- Instituto de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | | | | | - Jorge Manzo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - James G Pfaus
- Center for Sexual Health and Intervention, Czech National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic; Department of Psychology and Life Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Genaro A Coria-Avila
- Instituto de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.
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Hernandez Scudder ME, Weinberg A, Thompson L, Crews D, Gore AC. Prenatal EDCs Impair Mate and Odor Preference and Activation of the VMN in Male and Female Rats. Endocrinology 2020; 161:5874569. [PMID: 32692847 PMCID: PMC7448938 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) disrupt hormone-dependent biological processes. We examined how prenatal exposure to EDCs act in a sex-specific manner to disrupt social and olfactory behaviors in adulthood and underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Pregnant rat dams were injected daily from embryonic day 8 to 18 with 1 mg/kg Aroclor 1221 (A1221), 1 mg/kg vinclozolin, or the vehicle (6% DMSO in sesame oil). A1221 is a mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls (weakly estrogenic) while vinclozolin is a fungicide (anti-androgenic). Adult male offspring exposed to A1221 or vinclozolin, and females exposed to A1221, had impaired mate preference behavior when given a choice between 2 opposite-sex rats that differed by hormone status. A similar pattern of impairment was observed in an odor preference test for urine-soaked filter paper from the same rat groups. A habituation/dishabituation test revealed that all rats had normal odor discrimination ability. Because of the importance of the ventrolateral portion of the ventromedial nucleus (VMNvl) in mate choice, expression of the immediate early gene product Fos was measured, along with its co-expression in estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) cells. A1221 females with impaired mate and odor preference behavior also had increased neuronal activation in the VMNvl, although not specific to ERα-expressing neurons. Interestingly, males exposed to EDCs had normal Fos expression in this region, suggesting that other neurons and/or brain regions mediate these effects. The high conservation of hormonal, olfactory, and behavioral traits necessary for reproductive success means that EDC contamination and its ability to alter these traits has widespread effects on wildlife and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy Weinberg
- Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Lindsay Thompson
- Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - David Crews
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Andrea C Gore
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Correspondence: Andrea C. Gore, PhD, University of Texas at Austin, 107 W. Dean Keeton St., Box C0875, Austin, TX, 78712. E-mail:
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Díaz-Estrada VX, Barradas-Moctezuma M, Herrera-Covarrubias D, Manzo J, Coria-Avila GA. Nature and nurture of sexual partner preference: Teachings from prenatal administration of acetaminophen in male rats. Horm Behav 2020; 124:104775. [PMID: 32422195 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The organizational-activational hypothesis indicates that activation of adult sexual behavior in males depends on organization of the masculine brain during the perinatal sensitive period. In the medial preoptic area such masculinization depends on a neuroendocrine cascade that includes exposure to testosterone, aromatization to estradiol, activation of estrogen receptors, synthesis of cyclooxygenase (COX), increase of prostaglandins, release of glutamate, and activation of AMPA receptors that result in the formation of more dendritic spines. Thus, in the present study we assessed the sexual partner preference (SPP) of adult male rats prenatally treated with acetaminophen (APAP), an analgesic/antipyretic drug that inhibits COX-2 and is commonly used and prescribed during pregnancy. Female rats received either saline (2 ml/kg s.c.) or APAP (50 mg/kg s.c.) every 12 h, during days 16-20 of pregnancy. At postnatal day PD60 half of the male offspring were exposed to sexual experience with receptive females during 5 trials, and the other half remained sexually naïve. At PD90 all them were tested for SPP with one sexually receptive female and one stud male. The results indicated that only APAP-naïve males failed to display SPP. However, APAP-experienced males displayed SPP for females. We discuss the effects of prenatal APAP in the disruption of unconditioned responses towards females (nature mechanisms), and the effects of sexual experience (nurture mechanisms) in the development of conditioned heterosexual preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- V X Díaz-Estrada
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - M Barradas-Moctezuma
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - D Herrera-Covarrubias
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - J Manzo
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - G A Coria-Avila
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190 Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
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Martins GW, Chagas GS, Patrício FC, Lira ADO, Fragoso J, Santos AB, Leandro CG. Can the frequency of defensive posture adoption influence the expression of active behavior of adult rats? Behav Processes 2020; 177:104151. [PMID: 32473278 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
During the youth, rats spend a long time in play fighting (PF), and asymmetries are observed in terms of the frequency of adoption of the supine posture. This study investigated the effects of asymmetry in adopting supine posture during PF on the time spent in locomotor activity-related contextual behaviors during youth and adulthood. Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups according to the number of times of their adoption of a defensive supine (S) posture: low (LS, n = 10), intermediary (IS, n = 10) and high (HS, n = 10). Rats aged 21-62 days were placed in voluntary physical active cages (VPAC) with running wheels. The time spent in social play (SP), play fighting (PF), voluntary physical activity (VPA), spontaneous physical activity (SPA) and resting (Rest) were recorded daily. During adulthood (63-92 days of age), rats were placed individually in the VPAC, with daily quantification of VPA. The average time spent in PF was not different among the groups, but was age-dependent. LS and IS rats spent more time in VPA than the HS rats, between days 49-62 (intragroup analyses) and 72-78 (individual analyses) days of age. However, LS and IS animals spent less time in SPA than HS rats from 42-48 days of age. In conclusion, the expressions of VPA and SPA are influenced by the asymmetries in adoption of the supine posture of members within a social group, remaining even after the separation of the social groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerffeson Willian Martins
- Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, CAV, Federal University of Pernambuco, 55608-680, Recife, PE, Brazil; Laboratory of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Neuroplasticity - Academic Center of Vitória - Federal University of Pernambuco, Vitória De Santo Antão, 55608-680, PE, Brazil.
| | - Guilherme Souza Chagas
- Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, CAV, Federal University of Pernambuco, 55608-680, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Franciele Conceição Patrício
- Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, CAV, Federal University of Pernambuco, 55608-680, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Allan de Oliveira Lira
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, 50670-901, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Jéssica Fragoso
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, 50670-901, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Adriano Bento Santos
- Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, CAV, Federal University of Pernambuco, 55608-680, Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Carol Gois Leandro
- Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, CAV, Federal University of Pernambuco, 55608-680, Recife, PE, Brazil; Laboratory of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Neuroplasticity - Academic Center of Vitória - Federal University of Pernambuco, Vitória De Santo Antão, 55608-680, PE, Brazil.
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