Hormone-dependent adolescent organization of socio-sexual behaviors in mammals

Abstract

The adolescent transition from childhood to adulthood requires both reproductive and behavioral maturation as individuals acquire the ability to procreate. Gonadal steroid hormones are key players in the maturation of behaviors required for reproductive success. Beyond activating behavior in adulthood, testicular and ovarian hormones organize the adolescent brain and program adult- and sex-typical expression of sociosexual behaviors. Testicular hormones organize sexual and agonistic behaviors, including social proficiency—the ability to adapt behavior as a function of social experience. Ovarian hormones organize behaviors related to energy balance and maternal care. These sex differences in the behaviors that are programmed by gonadal hormones during adolescence suggest that evolution has selected for hormone-dependent sex-specific organization of behaviors that optimize reproductive fitness.

The neurobiology of the emotional adolescent: From the inside out

“…However, more recent conceptualizations point to a second organizational wave that occurs during puberty (see Gur and Gur, this issue and Schulz and Sisk, this issue; Sisk, 2016). Animal models have demonstrated that both specific reproductive behaviors and non-sexual social behaviors such as dominance and play with conspecifics and parental behavior in adulthood are critically dependent on presence of gonadal hormones during the developmental period that comprises adolescence.…”

“…For example, patterns of peer interaction and sexual behavior during early adolescence tend to persist into adulthood (Dishion et al, 2012; Sisk, 2016) and adoption of group social norms and group culture tends to be much more profound during childhood and adolescence than during adulthood (Cheung et al, 2011). Furthermore, at a mechanistic level, many of the processes that underlie brain maturation can also mediate learning across the lifespan.…”

“…Thus, the brain may be in a state of localized hyper-plasticity as circuits mature during adolescence. Because many of the brain circuits involved in social information processing continue to develop throughout the teenage years, adolescence may represent a sensitive period for the long-term organization of social behavior (Blakemore and Mills, 2014; Sisk, 2016; see reviews by Gur and Gur, this issue; Schulz and Sisk, this issue).…”

“…Animal models have demonstrated that both specific reproductive behaviors and non-sexual social behaviors such as dominance and play with conspecifics and parental behavior in adulthood are critically dependent on presence of gonadal hormones during the developmental period that comprises adolescence. Replacing steroids in adulthood that were absent during the typical pubertal window does not restore normative patterns of these behaviors (see Schulz and Sisk, this issue; Sisk, 2016). These animal models have further revealed organizational effects in brain regions such as the lateral septum and medial amygdala that depend critically on presence of gonadal steroids during puberty (see Schulz and Sisk, this issue; Sisk, 2016).…”

Influence of Sex Steroid Hormones on the Adolescent Brain and Behavior: An Update

“…Thus, puberty and adolescence appear to be closely linked, considering that the brain constitutes a target organ that responds to the presence of a number of hormones whose concentration increases during puberty. To date, solid evidence suggests that gonadal hormones have a different influence on the socio-sexual behavior of men and women during adolescence (Sisk 2016). Thus, during male adolescent development, testosterone programs the ability to make behavioral adaptations to social experience that improve reproductive efficience and avoid aggression, leading to better reproductive fitness.…”