Hormones and Behavior (HORM BEHAV)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Winning and losing in public: Audiences direct future success in Japanese quail.

  Katharina Hirschenhauser, Manfred Gahr, Wolfgang Goymann
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  ABSTRACT: Among vertebrates, winning a fight enhances the probability of future victories and vice versa and the role of post-conflict testosterone in mediating this 'winner effect' is widely accepted. In a series of staged fights of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) we tested both opponents' pre-fight and post-conflict testosterone, behavior and dominance status after returning to their social groups. We found that the presence of a familiar mixed-sex audience during the encounter modulated both the testosterone response and the long-term success after a fighting experience. 'Public losers' but not 'public winners' lacked a post-conflict testosterone response, whereas without an audience both winners and losers increased testosterone metabolite levels. Long-lasting winner and loser effects exclusively occurred when the performance information was perceived by a mixed-sex audience. In further experiments we manipulated the testosterone responsiveness of either the loser or the winner. An artificial post-conflict testosterone surge after having lost a fight effectively reversed the loser effect in Japanese quail. In contrast, the 'winner effect' was not changed by blocking testosterone after the fight. Overall, male Japanese quails' post-conflict testosterone was connected to the audiences and thus, own or the observers' perception of the challenge rather than to winning or losing a fight.
  Hormones and Behavior 02/2013; 63:625-633.
• Article: Year-round territorial aggression is independent of plasma DHEA in the European nuthatch Sitta europaea

  Meta M Landys, Wolfgang Goymann, Kiran K Soma, Tore Slagsvold
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  ABSTRACT: Plasma testosterone can play an important role in promoting aggressive behaviors relating to territory defense in breeding male birds. Some birds defend territories also during the non-breeding phase, when testosterone circulates at basal levels. In such species, plasma levels of the pro-hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) may support non-breeding territoriality by acting as a local substrate for sex steroids. To test this possible role of plasma DHEA, we examined the seasonal DHEA profile of male (and female) European nuthatches Sitta europaea: a male and female nuthatch pair will defend an all-purpose territory throughout the year. We hypothesized that plasma DHEA would be detectable in wintering nuthatches with a territory. However, only ca. half of the territorial wintering males (and females) displayed detectable DHEA levels, suggesting that plasma DHEA is not a major sex steroid precursor during non-breeding. Further, among hatching-year birds, plasma DHEA was significantly lower in territorial birds than in “floaters”, i.e., subordinate birds without a territory. To experimentally examine the role of DHEA in non-breeding territoriality, we treated adult wintering males with DHEA and measured effects on aggressive responses to conspecific challenge. DHEA treatment elevated plasma levels of DHEA (and testosterone), but did not enhance territorial behaviors or their persistence. Taken together, our data suggest that DHEA (and, indeed, sex steroids per se) do not regulate non-breeding territoriality in the nuthatch. Given that territorial aggression in nuthatches is expressed year-round, a hormone for its activation may be redundant.
  Hormones and Behavior 01/2013; 63(1):166-172.
• Article: Effects of oxytocin on human social approach measured using intimacy equilibriums

  Jean CJ Liu, Adam J Guastella, Mark R Dadds
  Hormones and Behavior 09/2012; 62(5):585-591.
• Article: Men's preference for the ovulating female is triggered by subtle face shape differences

  Cora Bobst, Janek S Lobmaier
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  ABSTRACT: Recent studies have revealed that there may be perceptible cues to ovulation in humans. This study aims at extending these findings by using female faces that were shape transformed towards a late follicular (fertile) and a luteal (non-fertile) prototype. Fertile prototypes were created by averaging 25 photographs taken of females during ovulation (as determined by ovulation tests); non-fertile prototypes were reated by averaging 25 photographs of the same women during the luteal phase. Twenty different (new) female faces were then shape transformed towards the luteal prototype and towards the follicular prototype in 50% and 100% steps. The two 50% transforms and the two 100% transforms were paired, resulting in stimulus pairs of two different difficulties. Thirty-six male participants were asked to choose the more attractive (Task 1), the more caring (Task 2), and the more flirtatious face (Task 3). In a final task the participants were asked to choose the woman with which the participant would have better chances to get a date (Task 4). For all tasks we found a significant preference for the follicular face. In trials with a 100% transformation towards the shape of the prototype, the preference for the follicular stimulus was significantly stronger than in trials with a 50% transformation. We conclude that subtle shape differences in faces are sufficient to trigger men's preference for a woman in her fertile cycle phase.
  Hormones and Behavior 07/2012;
• Article: Temperament and ovarian reproductive hormones in women: Evidence from a study during the entire menstrual cycle

  Ziomkiewicz, Wichary S, Bochenek D, Pawlowski B, Jasienska G
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  ABSTRACT: Personality and temperament were hypothesized to function as important factors affecting life history strategies. Recent research has demonstrated the association between temperamental traits and reproduction in humans, however, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. This study presents evidence for an association between temperamental traits and woman's fecundity, as indicated by levels of ovarian steroid hormones during the menstrual cycle. On a large sample of urban, reproductive age women (n=108) we demonstrated that activity, endurance and emotional reactivity are associated with levels of estrogen and with a pattern of change of progesterone levels. Women high in activity, high in endurance and low in emotional reactivity had up to twice as high estradiol levels and more favorable progesterone profiles as women low in activity, low in endurance and high in emotional reactivity. The temperamental traits we measured highly overlap with extraversion, neuroticism and negative emotionality that were reported to correlate with reproductive success. Our findings thus suggest a possible explanation for these relationships, linking personality and women's reproductive success through a hormonal pathway.
  Hormones and Behavior 01/2012;
• Article: Breastfeeding reduces odor detection thresholds: On the moderation of chemosensory perception by Oxytocin

  Robert Miller, Thomas Hummel, Clemens Kirschbaum
  Hormones and Behavior 01/2011;
• Article: Testosterone-mediated sex differences in the face shape during adolescence: Subjective impressions and objective features

  K. Marečková, Z. Weinbrand, M.M. Chakravarty, C. Lawrence, R. Aleong, G. Leonard, M. Perron, G.B. Pike, L. Richer, S. Veillette
  Hormones and Behavior 01/2011;
• Article: Androgens in health and disease: an overview.

  Cynthia L Jordan, Lydia Doncarlos
  Hormones and Behavior 06/2008; 53(5):589-95.
• Article: AR, apoE, and cognitive function.

  Jacob Raber
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  ABSTRACT: Reduced androgen levels in aged men and women might be risk factors for age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Ongoing clinical trials are designed to evaluate the potential benefit of estrogen in women and of testosterone in men. In this review, we discuss the potential beneficial effects of androgens and androgen receptors (ARs) in males and females. In addition, we discuss the hypothesis that AR interacts with apolipoprotein (apoE)4, encoded by epsilon4 and a risk factor for age-related cognitive decline and AD, and the potential consequences of this interaction.
  Hormones and Behavior 06/2008; 53(5):706-15.
• Article: The spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus: firsts in androgen-dependent neural sex differences.

  Dale R Sengelaub, Nancy G Forger
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  ABSTRACT: Cell number in the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) of rats was the first neural sex difference shown to differentiate under the control of androgens, acting via classical intracellular androgen receptors. SNB motoneurons reside in the lumbar spinal cord and innervate striated muscles involved in copulation, including the bulbocavernosus (BC) and levator ani (LA). SNB cells are much larger and more numerous in males than in females, and the BC/LA target muscles are reduced or absent in females. The relative simplicity of this neuromuscular system has allowed for considerable progress in pinpointing sites of hormone action, and identifying the cellular bases for androgenic effects. It is now clear that androgens act at virtually every level of the SNB system, in development and throughout adult life. In this review we focus on effects of androgens on developmental cell death of SNB motoneurons and BC/LA muscles; the establishment and maintenance of SNB motoneuron soma size and dendritic length; BC/LA muscle morphology and physiology; and behaviors controlled by the SNB system. We also describe new data on neurotherapeutic effects of androgens on SNB motoneurons after injury in adulthood.
  Hormones and Behavior 06/2008; 53(5):596-612.
• Article: A genetic approach to dissect sexually dimorphic behaviors.

  Scott A Juntti, Jennifer K Coats, Nirao M Shah
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  ABSTRACT: It has been known since antiquity that gender-specific behaviors are regulated by the gonads. We now know that testosterone is required for the appropriate display of male patterns of behavior. Estrogen and progesterone, on the other hand, are essential for female typical responses. Research from several groups also indicates that estrogen signaling is required for male typical behaviors. This finding raises the issue of the relative contribution of these two hormonal systems in the control of male typical behavioral displays. In this review we discuss the findings that led to these conclusions and suggest various genetic strategies that may be required to understand the relative roles of testosterone and estrogen signaling in the control of gender-specific behavior.
  Hormones and Behavior 06/2008; 53(5):627-37.
• Article: Neuroendocrine consequences of androgen excess in female rodents.

  Eileen M Foecking, Melissa A McDevitt, Maricedes Acosta-Martínez, Teresa H Horton, Jon E Levine
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  ABSTRACT: Androgens exert significant organizational and activational effects on the nervous system and behavior. Despite the fact that female mammals generally produce low levels of androgens, relative to the male of the same species, increasing evidence suggests that androgens can exert profound effects on the normal physiology and behavior of females during fetal, neonatal, and adult stages of life. This review examines the effects of exposure to androgens at three stages of development--as an adult, during early postnatal life and as a fetus, on reproductive hormone secretions in female rats. We examine the effects of androgen exposure both as a model of neuroendocrine sexual differentiation and with respect to the role androgens play in the normal female. We then discuss the hypothesis that androgens may cause epigenetic modification of estrogen target genes in the brain. Finally we consider the clinical consequences of excess androgen exposure in women.
  Hormones and Behavior 06/2008; 53(5):673-92.
• Article: Central pattern generators for social vocalization: androgen-dependent neurophysiological mechanisms.

  Andrew H Bass, Luke Remage-Healey
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  ABSTRACT: Historically, most studies of vertebrate central pattern generators (CPGs) have focused on mechanisms for locomotion and respiration. Here, we highlight new results for ectothermic vertebrates, namely teleost fish and amphibians, showing how androgenic steroids can influence the temporal patterning of CPGs for social vocalization. Investigations of vocalizing teleosts show how androgens can rapidly (within minutes) modulate the neurophysiological output of the vocal CPG (fictive vocalizations that mimic the temporal properties of natural vocalizations) inclusive of their divergent actions between species, as well as intraspecific differences between male reproductive morphs. Studies of anuran amphibians (frogs) demonstrate that long-term steroid treatments (wks) can masculinize the fictive vocalizations of females, inclusive of its sensitivity to rapid modulation by serotonin. Given the conserved organization of vocal control systems across vertebrate groups, the vocal CPGs of fish and amphibians provide tractable models for identifying androgen-dependent events that are fundamental to the mechanisms of vocal motor patterning. These basic mechanisms can also inform our understanding of the more complex CPGs for vocalization, and social behaviors in general, that have evolved among birds and mammals.
  Hormones and Behavior 06/2008; 53(5):659-72.
• Article: Adolescents and androgens, receptors and rewards.

  Satoru M Sato, Kalynn M Schulz, Cheryl L Sisk, Ruth I Wood
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  ABSTRACT: Adolescence is associated with increases in pleasure-seeking behaviors, which, in turn, are shaped by the pubertal activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. In animal models of naturally rewarding behaviors, such as sex, testicular androgens contribute to the development and expression of the behavior in males. To effect behavioral maturation, the brain undergoes significant remodeling during adolescence, and many of the changes are likewise sensitive to androgens, presumably acting through androgen receptors (AR). Given the delicate interaction of gonadal hormones and brain development, it is no surprise that disruption of hormone levels during this sensitive period significantly alters adolescent and adult behaviors. In male hamsters, exposure to testosterone during adolescence is required for normal expression of adult sexual behavior. Males deprived of androgens during puberty display sustained deficits in mating. Conversely, androgens alone are not sufficient to induce mating in prepubertal males, even though brain AR are present before puberty. In this context, wide-spread use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) during adolescence is a significant concern. AAS abuse has the potential to alter both the timing and the levels of androgens in adolescent males. In hamsters, adolescent AAS exposure increases aggression, and causes lasting changes in neurotransmitter systems. In addition, AAS are themselves reinforcing, as demonstrated by self-administration of testosterone and other AAS. However, recent evidence suggests that the reinforcing effects of androgens may not require classical AR. Therefore, further examination of interactions between androgens and rewarding behaviors in the adolescent brain is required for a better understanding of AAS abuse.
  Hormones and Behavior 06/2008; 53(5):647-58.
• Article: Androgen receptor and Kennedy disease/spinal bulbar muscular atrophy.

  Douglas Ashley Monks, Pengcheng Rao, Kaiguo Mo, Jamie Ann Johansen, Gareth Lewis, Michael Quentin Kemp
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  ABSTRACT: Kennedy Disease/Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (KD/SBMA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by genetic polyglutamine expansion of the androgen receptor. We have recently found that overexpression of wildtype androgen receptor in skeletal muscle of transgenic mice results in a KD/SBMA phenotype. This surprising result challenges the orthodox view that KD/SBMA requires expression of polyglutamine expanded androgen receptor within motoneurons. Theories relating to the etiology of this disease drawn from studies of human patients, cellular and mouse models are considered with a special emphasis on potential myogenic contributions to as well as the molecular etiology of KD/SBMA.
  Hormones and Behavior 06/2008; 53(5):729-40.
• Article: An alternate pathway for androgen regulation of brain function: activation of estrogen receptor beta by the metabolite of dihydrotestosterone, 5alpha-androstane-3beta,17beta-diol.

  Robert J Handa, Toni R Pak, Andrea E Kudwa, Trent D Lund, Laura Hinds
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  ABSTRACT: The complexity of gonadal steroid hormone actions is reflected in their broad and diverse effects on a host of integrated systems including reproductive physiology, sexual behavior, stress responses, immune function, cognition, and neural protection. Understanding the specific contributions of androgens and estrogens in neurons that mediate these important biological processes is central to the study of neuroendocrinology. Of particular interest in recent years has been the biological role of androgen metabolites. The goal of this review is to highlight recent data delineating the specific brain targets for the dihydrotestosterone metabolite, 5alpha-androstane, 3beta,17beta-diol (3beta-Diol). Studies using both in vitro and in vivo approaches provide compelling evidence that 3beta-Diol is an important modulator of the stress response mediated by the hypothalmo-pituitary-adrenal axis. Furthermore, the actions of 3beta-Diol are mediated by estrogen receptors, and not androgen receptors, often through a canonical estrogen response element in the promoter of a given target gene. These novel findings compel us to re-evaluate the interpretation of past studies and the design of future experiments aimed at elucidating the specific effects of androgen receptor signaling pathways.
  Hormones and Behavior 06/2008; 53(5):741-52.
• Article: The role of androgen receptors in the masculinization of brain and behavior: what we've learned from the testicular feminization mutation.

  Damian G Zuloaga, David A Puts, Cynthia L Jordan, S Marc Breedlove
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  ABSTRACT: Many studies demonstrate that exposure to testicular steroids such as testosterone early in life masculinizes the developing brain, leading to permanent changes in behavior. Traditionally, masculinization of the rodent brain is believed to depend on estrogen receptors (ERs) and not androgen receptors (ARs). According to the aromatization hypothesis, circulating testosterone from the testes is converted locally in the brain by aromatase to estrogens, which then activate ERs to masculinize the brain. However, an emerging body of evidence indicates that the aromatization hypothesis cannot fully account for sex differences in brain morphology and behavior, and that androgens acting on ARs also play a role. The testicular feminization mutation (Tfm) in rodents, which produces a nonfunctional AR protein, provides an excellent model to probe the role of ARs in the development of brain and behavior. Tfm rodent models indicate that ARs are normally involved in the masculinization of many sexually dimorphic brain regions and a variety of behaviors, including sexual behaviors, stress response and cognitive processing. We review the role of ARs in the development of the brain and behavior, with an emphasis on what has been learned from Tfm rodents as well as from related mutations in humans causing complete androgen insensitivity.
  Hormones and Behavior 06/2008; 53(5):613-26.