Pregnancy modulates responses to male odors in house mice.

IF 2.4 3区 医学 Q2 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Hormones and Behavior Pub Date : 2025-10-01 Epub Date: 2025-08-08 DOI:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105802
Caitlin H Miller, Tess M Reichard, Jay Yang, Brandon Carlson-Clarke, Caleb C Vogt, Melissa R Warden, Michael J Sheehan
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Pregnancy induces widespread physiological and behavioral changes, yet its impact on social decision-making remains poorly understood. Here, we show that reproductive status modulates female responses to male odors in house mice, revealing striking status-specific behavioral patterns. Estrous females displayed attraction to novel male odors, consistent with a motivation to mate. In contrast, pregnant females exhibited strong aversion - an anticipatory shift likely aimed at avoiding future infanticidal males. This status-dependent approach-avoidance response was recapitulated to the male urinary pheromone darcin, highlighting its robustness as a male signal. These findings suggest that reproductive status modulates odor-driven decision-making, balancing mating opportunities with offspring protection. This shift is likely mediated by hormonal fluctuations such as rising progesterone and estrogen, that act on neural circuits involved in olfaction, threat detection, and social motivation. Behavioral responses were further shaped by the richness and context of social odors, supporting combinatorial processing of urinary pheromones. This aligns with mechanisms such as stud odor imprinting and self-referential matching for inbreeding avoidance. Overall, our results point to anticipatory behavioral adaptations during pregnancy that prepare females for the challenges of motherhood.

怀孕调节家鼠对雄性气味的反应。
怀孕引起广泛的生理和行为变化,但其对社会决策的影响仍然知之甚少。在这里,我们展示了生殖状态调节雌性对雄性气味的反应,揭示了惊人的状态特定行为模式。发情的雌性对雄性的新奇气味表现出吸引力,这与交配的动机是一致的。相比之下,怀孕的雌性表现出强烈的厌恶——一种预期的转变,可能是为了避免未来的杀婴雄性。这种状态依赖的方法-回避反应被概括为男性尿信息素darcin,突出了其作为男性信号的稳健性。这些发现表明,生殖状态调节气味驱动的决策,平衡交配机会和后代保护。这种转变可能是由激素波动介导的,比如黄体酮和雌激素的上升,它们作用于涉及嗅觉、威胁检测和社会动机的神经回路。社会气味的丰富性和背景进一步塑造了行为反应,支持尿信息素的组合处理。这与种马气味印记和自我参照匹配等机制一致,以避免近亲繁殖。总的来说,我们的研究结果表明,怀孕期间的预期行为适应使女性为母亲的挑战做好了准备。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Hormones and Behavior
Hormones and Behavior 医学-行为科学
CiteScore
6.70
自引率
8.60%
发文量
139
审稿时长
91 days
期刊介绍: Hormones and Behavior publishes original research articles, reviews and special issues concerning hormone-brain-behavior relationships, broadly defined. The journal''s scope ranges from laboratory and field studies concerning neuroendocrine as well as endocrine mechanisms controlling the development or adult expression of behavior to studies concerning the environmental control and evolutionary significance of hormone-behavior relationships. The journal welcomes studies conducted on species ranging from invertebrates to mammals, including humans.
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