Laura Pasquier, Violette Wallart, Louis Audebert, Séverine Devers, Joël Meunier, Charlotte Lécureuil
{"title":"Juvenile hormone and maternal egg care in the European earwig (part II): Precocene exposure reduces post-oviposition egg care behaviours.","authors":"Laura Pasquier, Violette Wallart, Louis Audebert, Séverine Devers, Joël Meunier, Charlotte Lécureuil","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105839","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105839","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parental care is a critical behaviour that enhances offspring survival and development across the animal kingdom. In insects, several studies have suggested that juvenile hormone (JH), a key regulator of their development and reproduction, also plays an important role in the regulation of parental care. However, recent findings in the European earwig Forficula auricularia challenge this view. In this study, we experimentally manipulated JH levels in 496 post-oviposition earwig females by exposing them to JHIII, two JH agonists (Methoprene, Pyriproxyfen), or a JH-production inhibitor (Precocene I). We then quantified the effects of these treatments on three key maternal care behaviours: egg gathering, egg guarding, and egg grooming. Consistent with a positive role of JH in promoting maternal care, we found that inhibiting JH synthesis via Precocene I led to a reduction in all three forms of maternal care. In contrast, supplementation with JHIII or exposure to JH agonists had no detectable effect on these care behaviours. The observed effects of Precocene I were specific to maternal care, as we found no effect on non-care behaviours (self-grooming, general activity), female body mass, egg development time, or nymph weight at hatching. These effects were also likely to result from changes in maternal JH titres, as our molecular analyses confirmed that Precocene I reduced the expression of two key genes involved in the JH pathway, JHAMT and Kr-h1, while exposure to JHIII and JH agonists had no effect on gene expression. Together, these results provide both experimental and molecular evidence that JH plays a positive role in regulating maternal care after oviposition in the European earwig. More generally, our findings open new avenues for understanding the hormonal basis and evolutionary diversification of parental care strategies in insects.</p>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"176 ","pages":"105839"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145307873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ariadna Rangel-Negrín, Jacob C Dunn, Alejandro Coyohua-Fuentes, David Roberto Chavira-Ramírez, Pedro A D Dias
{"title":"Acoustic correlates of physiological stress in a wild primate.","authors":"Ariadna Rangel-Negrín, Jacob C Dunn, Alejandro Coyohua-Fuentes, David Roberto Chavira-Ramírez, Pedro A D Dias","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105840","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105840","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vocalizations potentially encode information about physiological states, yet there is little direct evidence linking vocal parameters to physiological stress in non-humans, including primates. We investigated whether male mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) loud calls reflect physiological stress by analyzing the relationships between the acoustic parameters of loud calls and fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations. Howler monkeys produce loud calls primarily in the context of intergroup competition, which has the potential to elicit physiological stress responses. We expected that elevated fGCM would be associated with loud call acoustics through changes in laryngeal tension (increasing fundamental frequency and vocal perturbations), respiratory control (affecting call duration and temporal patterning), and vocal tract configuration (modifying spectral properties). We analyzed 93 high-quality loud calls and assayed 242 fecal samples collected over a 10-year period from 23 adult males across seven groups in Los Tuxtlas (Mexico). We calculated 26 loud call acoustic measurements including spectral, temporal, and non-linear variables. Mixed-effects modeling revealed that acoustic features collectively explained 71 % of the variation in fGCM. Loud calls produced at higher fGCM were characterized by increased pitch, greater pitch instability, altered vocal tract resonances, increased voice roughness, and reduced tonal clarity. Among these features, changes in pitch showed the strongest association with fGCM. These findings establish a link between stress physiology and vocal production in howler monkeys, suggesting that internal physiological states manifest in acoustic signals that could convey information about caller condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"176 ","pages":"105840"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145307915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Isabel Jaramillo, Jonathan Mamo-Wilhelmy, Luisa Bergunde, Marlene Karl, Kerstin Weidner, Susan Garthus-Niegel, Susann Steudte-Schmiedgen
{"title":"The role of paternal hair testosterone and cortisol levels in father-child bonding across the perinatal period in first-time fathers.","authors":"Isabel Jaramillo, Jonathan Mamo-Wilhelmy, Luisa Bergunde, Marlene Karl, Kerstin Weidner, Susan Garthus-Niegel, Susann Steudte-Schmiedgen","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105838","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105838","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Previous research has linked short-term measures of the steroid hormones testosterone and cortisol to differences in parenting behavior in fathers. However, little research has focused on father-child bonding, the emotional dimension of the father-child relationship.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to investigate the associations of long-term testosterone and cortisol levels with father-child bonding during the postpartum period. In addition, we examined the change in cumulative testosterone levels during the transition to fatherhood.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>As part of the prospective cohort study DREAM<sub>HAIR</sub>, (expectant) fathers provided hair samples during their partners' pregnancy and at 8 weeks postpartum to quantify their long-term integrated testosterone and cortisol levels in the scalp-near 2 cm hair segment. Father-child bonding was assessed using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire at 8 weeks and 14 months postpartum.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the current sample of highly educated fathers with relatively low bonding difficulties, regression analyses, controlling for depressive symptoms, revealed no significant associations between postpartum hair testosterone, the change in hair testosterone from pregnancy to 8 weeks postpartum, and postpartum hair cortisol with father-child bonding. Further, we found no interaction between hair cortisol and testosterone or the change in hair testosterone from pregnancy to 8 weeks postpartum on father-child bonding.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results indicate that long-term postpartum testosterone, its change from pregnancy to 8 weeks postpartum, and long-term postpartum cortisol are not associated with self-reported father-child bonding. Further research is needed to examine the differences of short and long-term steroids in relation to father-child bonding in heterogeneous samples. Additionally, conceptual research is necessary to examine the differences to mother-child bonding and to caregiving behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"176 ","pages":"105838"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145307925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura Pasquier, Violette Wallart, Séverine Devers, Joël Meunier, Charlotte Lécureuil
{"title":"Juvenile hormone and maternal egg care in the European earwig (part I): Manipulation of JH, agonist, and precocene fails to induce the onset of egg care.","authors":"Laura Pasquier, Violette Wallart, Séverine Devers, Joël Meunier, Charlotte Lécureuil","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105841","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105841","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parental care is a crucial behaviour in animals. Yet the mechanisms regulating its initiation remain poorly understood, particularly in insects. Juvenile hormone (JH) is widely recognized as a key hormonal regulator in insects that influences a broad diversity of physiological and behavioural traits, including parental care after oviposition. However, its role in triggering the onset of egg care remains unexplored. To address this, we experimentally manipulated JH levels in 194 pre-ovipositing European earwig females and tested whether they initiated care towards foreign eggs. Contrary to our predictions, topical application or injection of JH, methoprene (a JH analogue), precocene (a JH production inhibitor) or acetone (control) at varying doses failed to induce egg care or to prevent egg cannibalism. This rejection of foreign eggs was not due to experimental stress, as positive control females that had previously laid eggs cared for new foreign eggs, even after acetone exposure. These results demonstrate that neither the presence or absence of JH nor the mere presence of eggs is sufficient to induce maternal care in pre-ovipositing females. Instead, our findings suggest that additional signals beyond JH modulation and/or alternative hormonal pathways may be critical for initiating care behaviours in earwigs. Overall, this study advances our understanding of the complex regulatory mechanisms underlying parental care and the multifaceted role of JH in insect behaviour.</p>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"176 ","pages":"105841"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145299794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Navina D. Liebermann-Lilie , Benedikt Schniedermeyer , Anabel Kröhnert , Sepand Riyahi , Sylvia Kaiser , Tim Schmoll , Peter Korsten
{"title":"Adjustment of paternal care in response to experimental variation in extra-pair mating opportunity in male zebra finches","authors":"Navina D. Liebermann-Lilie , Benedikt Schniedermeyer , Anabel Kröhnert , Sepand Riyahi , Sylvia Kaiser , Tim Schmoll , Peter Korsten","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105834","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105834","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Extra-pair paternity is prevalent in socially monogamous bird species with biparental care. Male extra-pair matings may coincide with paternal care provisioned to within-pair offspring. This may lead to a trade-off between obtaining additional fertilizations and securing offspring growth and survival through paternal care. In this pre-registered study, we manipulated the social environment of zebra finches to investigate how males trade off extra-pair mating versus providing paternal care. We compared paternal care provision between a social environment where two pairs bred together in a cage—resulting in an opportunity for extra-pair mating (Double-pair group)—to one with single breeding pairs (Single-pair group). We additionally measured plasma testosterone and corticosterone to identify hormonal correlates of male behavioral responses. To further increase the opportunity for extra-pair mating for the focal males from the Double-pair group we removed the male of the non-focal pair during chick rearing by the focal males. Contrary to our predictions, Double-pair males incubated more than Single-pair males. While we found substantial extra-pair paternity in the Double-pair group after removal of the non-focal males, male brood provisioning, chick growth and survival, and testosterone levels were not affected by the experimental increase in male extra-pair mating opportunity. Corticosterone levels were higher in Single-pair males between the first and replacement clutch. Refuting common assumptions, our findings provide no experimental evidence for a trade-off between extra-pair mating and paternal care. Males were able to pursue extra-pair fertilizations while they simultaneously secured the growth and survival of their within-pair offspring.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 105834"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juliane Damm , Pedro A.D. Dias , Ariadna Rangel-Negrín , Colleen M. Schaffner , Fabrizio Dell'Anna , Filippo Aureli
{"title":"Endocrine and behavioral responses to ecological and social challenges in wild Geoffroy's spider monkeys","authors":"Juliane Damm , Pedro A.D. Dias , Ariadna Rangel-Negrín , Colleen M. Schaffner , Fabrizio Dell'Anna , Filippo Aureli","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105824","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105824","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To maintain homeostasis during external and internal challenges, vertebrates activate allostatic systems, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Additionally, animals can use behavioral responses to address such challenges, which may result in the reduction of allostatic processes. We assessed whether HPA activation is influenced by subgroup formation patterns during ecological and social challenges. We selected Geoffroy's spider monkeys (<em>Ateles geoffroyi</em>) as study subjects, because they are characterized by a high degree of fission-fusion dynamics. We expected spider monkeys to address challenges by being in smaller subgroups when food availability is lower, in larger subgroups when perceived predation risk is higher, and either in larger subgroups or in proximity of more individuals when the likelihood of between-group encounters is higher. For 20 months, we collected behavioral data and fecal samples from 30 wild adult and subadult spider monkeys at the Otoch Ma'ax Yetel Kooh reserve in the Yucatán peninsula, Mexico, and assessed food availability in their home range. In support of our predictions, fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations were negatively associated with food availability, and they were lower when in smaller subgroups than in larger subgroups during low food availability. Fecal GCM concentrations were positively associated with alarm call rates and were lower when in larger subgroups than when in smaller subgroups during high perceived predation risk. We found no evidence for an association between fGCM concentrations and the likelihood of between-group encounters. Overall, subgroup formation patterns interact with HPA activity to successfully address ecological challenges in wild Geoffroy's spider monkeys. Our study highlights the importance of assessing ecological challenges and behavioral responses when interpreting HPA activation in the wild.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 105824"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chronic social isolation, crowding, and instability distinctly impact reproductive function in adult female Wistar rats","authors":"Marilou Poitras , Adèle Labonté , Aliya F. Qureshi , Cassandra Blackburn , Zoé M.I. Gracovetsky , Rutaaba Fasih , Hélène Plamondon","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105835","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105835","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social stressors represent highly relevant stress models which remain understudied in females. Concordantly, little is known of the impact of different types of social stress on female reproductive functioning, despite close interactions between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of reproductive functioning in female rats following exposure to three social stress paradigms. 112 regularly cycling adult female Wistar rats were exposed to 21 days of isolation, crowding, social instability, control housing (daily cage changes) or regular housing. Rats were then euthanized (in proestrus or diestrus) or underwent paced-mating and fertility assessments. Estrous cyclicity, uterine horn weight, hypothalamic expression of kisspeptin (Kiss1), gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), estrogen receptors alpha (ERα), and glucocorticoid receptors (GR), serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4), and corticosterone (CORT), as well as ovarian follicle counts were assessed. Findings show isolation to increase hopping behaviors, decrease early follicle counts, uterine weight, and GnIH, as well as increase FSH levels. In crowded rats, expression of GnIH and ERα were reduced, paralleled by fewer days spent in proestrus and increased hopping behaviors. Following instability, rats presented decreased estrous cyclicity, reduced uterine weight, and diminished ovarian reserve, despite minimal changes at the hypothalamic level. Paced mating exposure increased CORT in all groups except instability and crowding. Overall, social stressors presented distinct consequences on reproduction, highlighting their relevance as stress models and the importance of gaining a better understanding of social stress-induced reproductive dysfunction in females.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 105835"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A.K. Janse van Vuuren , T. Süess , Kyle Finn , N. Hagenah , A. Ganswindt , D.W. Hart , N.C. Bennett
{"title":"Hormonal lockdown: How mole-rat societies enforce infertility in helpers","authors":"A.K. Janse van Vuuren , T. Süess , Kyle Finn , N. Hagenah , A. Ganswindt , D.W. Hart , N.C. Bennett","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105836","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105836","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reproductive suppression is a defining feature of cooperative breeding, yet the hormonal mechanisms regulating infertility in non-breeding individuals remain poorly understood. This study examines associations between circulating prolactin (PRL) and faecal metabolites of androgens (fAM), glucocorticoids (fGCM), and progesterone (fPM) in relation to socially induced infertility in two closely related cooperatively breeding mole-rat subspecies: the highveld (<em>Cryptomys hottentotus pretoriae</em>) and Natal mole-rat (<em>C. hottentotus natalensis</em>). Our results reveal a fundamental dichotomy in reproductive suppression strategies. Highveld mole-rats exhibited seasonally elevated circulating PRL in non-breeders during the dry season, coinciding with reduced pituitary responsiveness to exogenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and lower gonadal steroid metabolites. These associations are consistent with PRL involvement in physiological suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, but causality cannot currently be inferred. In stark contrast, Natal mole-rats showed relatively low and stable PRL levels across reproductive groups and seasons, with breeders exhibiting higher androgen and progesterone metabolites compared to non-breeders, a pattern consistent with behavioural suppression through incest avoidance, aggression or social dominance. These findings highlight the adaptive flexibility of cooperatively breeding systems and provide new insights into the hormonal architecture of reproductive suppression. Although the present findings do not establish causality, they delineate key hormonal and behavioural pathways that warrant future investigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 105836"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145212500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hormones and BehaviorPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-08-06DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105801
Breanna N Harris, Christine M Prater, Ryann Lockwood, Allison Kennedy, M Ghufran Murtuza, James A Carr
{"title":"Tectal CRF receptors modulate the behavioral response of Xenopus laevis to live prey but not visual prey cues.","authors":"Breanna N Harris, Christine M Prater, Ryann Lockwood, Allison Kennedy, M Ghufran Murtuza, James A Carr","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105801","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105801","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tradeoffs between feeding and defensive behaviors are critical for survival, but their physiological underpinnings are not well known. Here, we investigate how a satiety peptide, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), acts within a novel location, the visual system (the optic tectum, OT), to modulate multisensory prey detection and the microstructure of feeding behavior. The OT has CRF-producing interneurons and CRF receptors, threat exposure increases OT CRF concentrations, and that CRF acts on receptors in the OT to decrease feeding behavior. We hypothesized that CRF in the OT may impact visual, lateral line, and/or multiple sensory processing to alter feeding. We predicted that OT CRF decreases responses to 1) a purely visual prey cue and 2) a live, multisensory prey item. We microinjected one of four doses of CRF bilaterally into the tecta of newly metamorphosed Xenopus laevis. We then exposed frogs to visual prey cues and then to live, multi-sensory prey (worms). We repeated the behavioral assays after 72 h to determine if any effects were long-lasting. Overall, frogs robustly responded to live and visual prey cues. CRF did not alter behavioral responses to the visual prey cues but did decrease select prey-capture behaviors and increase select avoidance-like behaviors following exposure to live prey. Our results suggest visual processing is not the primary sensory modality impacted by tectal CRF. These data provide a novel (i.e., extrahypothalamic) location for satiety peptide action and link neuroendocrine responses to ecological context of feed/flee tradeoffs.</p>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"175 ","pages":"105801"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144798956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hormones and BehaviorPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-08-08DOI: 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
{"title":"Pregnancy modulates responses to male odors in house mice.","authors":"Caitlin H Miller, Tess M Reichard, Jay Yang, Brandon Carlson-Clarke, Caleb C Vogt, Melissa R Warden, Michael J Sheehan","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105802","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105802","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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.</p>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"175 ","pages":"105802"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144811974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}