Attempts to characterise and isolate aggression reducing olfactory signals from the urine of female mice Mus musculus L.

Evans, Charles M.; Mackintosh, J. H.; Kennedy, John F.; Robertson, Stephen M.

doi:10.1016/0031-9384(78)90064-1

Cited by 23 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Other investigators examining the effects of female mouse urine on males in different experimental contexts have reported certain relations similar to our own. Evans, Mackintosh, Kennedy, and Robertson (1978), for example, presented evidence supporting the existence of a factor in female mouse urine that facilitates male sexual behavior. Similar to the ultrasound-eliciting factor, the sex-facilitating factor is relatively heat resistant and nonvolatile, and ontogenetically, it makes its appearance at puberty.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Elicitation of male mouse (Mus musculus) ultrasonic vocalizations: I. Urinary cues.

Nyby

Wysocki²,

Whitney³

et al. 1979

Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology

109

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Eighteen experiments examined the physical characteristics and physiological modulation of the ultrasound-eliciting property of female urine. Experiments 1 and 2 indicated that an excitatory factor exists in female urine and that male urine is essentially neutral with regard to ultrasound elicitation. Experiments 3, 4, and 5 indicated that the ultrasound-eliciting factor is relatively nonvolatile and heat resistant, although extreme heat will destroy its activity. The results of Experiments 6,7,8, 9, and 12 suggested a minor modulating effect of ovarian hormones upon ultrasound-eliciting potency; however, ovarian hormones accounted for only a small proportion of the variability between females and males. Adrenal hormones also appeared relatively unimportant (Experiment 13). Experiment 10 demonstrated that exogenous androgen suppresses female urinary ultrasound-eliciting activity; however, this effect may not be directly relevant to normal male-female differences in urinary potency. Castration of males in adulthood (Experiments 11 and 12) or on the day of birth (Experiment 15) did not improve the ability of their adult urine to elicit ultrasounds. Nor did administration of androgen to neonatal females suppress the ability of their adult urine to elicit ultrasounds (Experiment 14). Experiments 16,17, and 18 indicated that hypophysectomy eliminates the ultrasound-eliciting properties of female urine, which suggests that the dimorphism in ultrasound elicitation may be regulated by pituitary hormones.Male mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations male begins mounting the female, decline when courting and copulating with females, across intromissions, and cease altogether by The ultrasounds are most prominent during ejaculation. Whether subsequent ejaculainitial investigatory behavior and temporally tory sequences in a mating bout also contain correlate with male behaviors that indicate male ultrasounds is not known. Females, a high degree of sexual motivation (Sales, however, seldom emit ultrasounds during 1972). The ultrasounds continue after the male-female encounters (Whitney, Coble, Stockton, & Tilson, 1973). This investigation was supported by National Science , Sever , al indirect lines of evidence suggest Foundation Grant BNS77-15265, by National Insti-that male ultrasounds may serve a courtship tute of Mental Health Training Grant MH 11218, and function. In addition to the temporal corby Research Service Award P32 NS05259 from the relation of ultrasounds with male sexual National Institute of Neurological and Communicative arousal the motivation to pro duce ultra-Disorders and stroke. , .

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Elicitation of male mouse (Mus musculus) ultrasonic vocalizations: I. Urinary cues.

Nyby

Wysocki²,

Whitney³

et al. 1979

Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology

109

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…This hypothesis is consistent with the fact that females in Lepri and Vandenbergh's [251 experiment were exposed to a continuous barrage of fresher excreta than females in the current experiments and, without direct contact, were reproductively activated. But this is not the most likely explanation, because a number of important rodent pheromones are not volatile [35][36][37][38]. Alternatively, since pine voles spend time climbing and hanging from cage lids (N.G.…”

Section: Experiments 6: Effect Of Chemical Cues and Contact On Reprodumentioning

confidence: 92%

Chemical Cues are Necessary but Insufficient for Reproductive Activation of Female Pine Voles (Microtus pinetorum)1

Solomon

Vandenbergh²,

Wekesa³

et al. 1996

Biology of Reproduction

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Among various arvicoline rodents, reproduction is influenced to varying degrees by social factors, including behavioral or chemical cues. Since previous research suggested that chemosignals from adult males reproductively activate female pine voles (Microtus pine-torum), we sought to determine specifically what types of stimuli promote the activation response. In these experiments, female were exposed to unfamiliar adult males, or to some combination of cues from males, or were housed alone. Using uterine mass as a measure of reproductive activation, we found that females were not activated by exposure either to male urine by itself or to male-soiled bedding by itself, but full contact with a male clearly resulted in heavier uteri. Females whose vomeronasal organs were surgically excised failed to undergo reproductive activation when housed with males. Finally, females allowed physical contact by being housed directly underneath males had heavier uteri than did females whose housing allowed contact only with the chemical cues from males. Among female arvicoline rodents, it appears that there exists a physiological continuum between absolute dependence on both contact and chemical cues from males vs. absolute independence for reproductive activation. The present results place female pine voles closer to the former extreme than to the latter.

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“…In female house mice, both nonvolatile and volatile chemosignals are thought to exist in the urine. Factors in the urine of female mice that elicit male courtship vocalizations (Nyby, Wysocki, Whitney, Dizinno, & Schneider, 1979), promote male social and sexual behavior (Evans, Mackintosh, Kennedy, & Robertson, 1978), and reduce male aggression (Evans et al, 1978) appear to be of low volatility. On the other hand, more volatile factors in the urine of female mice are attractive to males (Johnston & Bronson, 1982).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Male mouse (Mus musculus) attraction to airborne urinary odors of conspecifics and to food odors: Effects of food deprivation.

Nyby

Kay²,

Bean³

et al. 1985

Journal of Comparative Psychology

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Five experiments were conducted to examine the preferences of male mice for the airborne urinary odors of conspecifics and for airborne food odors. These preferences were then used to make inferences about the attractiveness of the odors. All five experiments demonstrated that males were strongly attracted to the urinary odors of females; Experiments 1-3 demonstrated that male urinary odors were considerably less attractive. Comparing Experiments 1 and 2 revealed that the strong attraction to female urinary odors that male mice had did not require that the males have postweaning experience with females. Experiments 3-5 demonstrated that males with continuous access to food and water were much more strongly attracted to female urinary odors than to the airborne food odors of rat chow, mouse chow, peanut butter, or sunflower seeds. Female urinary odors remained more attractive than food odors after 24 hr of deprivation (Experiments 3, 4, and 5), and only after 48 hr of food deprivation (Experiment 5) did the attractiveness of food odors approximate that of female urine. Although 48 hr of food deprivation appeared to equalize the attractiveness of urinary and food odors, this regimen did so not by diminishing the attractiveness of female urine but rather by increasing the attractiveness of food odors. It is argued that the attraction that male mice exhibited to female urinary odors in this odor-testing apparatus reflected, at least in part, a biologically important precopulatory communication system.Many researchers examining mamma-dating from the earliest days of chemocomlian chemocommunication have permitted munication research, that pheromones their animal subjects to make nose-to-stim-(chemosignals) should be volatile (see Wilulus contact with the odor source. Unfor-son & Bossert, 1963). However, evidence is tunately, such a design feature does not now consistent with the idea that female permit inferences concerning chemosignal rodents produce nonvolatile as well as volvolatility. We suggest that this procedure atile chemosignals (see review by Nyby, in many cases has reflected an assumption, 1983). Rat, hamster, guinea pig, and mouse females all appear to produce both a che-_ This research was supported in part by National nwsignal of very low volatility, which Science Foundation Grant BNS-8111344.serves, at least in part, as a short-range We thank Neal Simon, Murray Itzkowitz, and Mar-stimulator of male reproductive behavior tin Richter for critically reading an earlier version of and physiology, and a more volatile airthe manuscript.borne chemosignal, which probably serves, Requests for reprints should be sent to John Nyby, ^ i A • ^ 1 1 . , Department of Psychology, Chandler-Ullmann Build-at least m P art ' as a longer distance sex ing 17, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania attractant. Hence we think that many in-18015.stances of chemocommunication described This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.This article is intended solely for the ...

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Attempts to characterise and isolate aggression reducing olfactory signals from the urine of female mice Mus musculus L.

Cited by 23 publications

References 12 publications

Elicitation of male mouse (Mus musculus) ultrasonic vocalizations: I. Urinary cues.

Elicitation of male mouse (Mus musculus) ultrasonic vocalizations: I. Urinary cues.

Chemical Cues are Necessary but Insufficient for Reproductive Activation of Female Pine Voles (Microtus pinetorum)1

Male mouse (Mus musculus) attraction to airborne urinary odors of conspecifics and to food odors: Effects of food deprivation.

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