Amos Nadler , Matthias Wibral , Thomas Dohmen , Armin Falk , Alessandro Previtero , Bernd Weber , Colin Camerer , Anna Dreber , Gideon Nave
{"title":"Does a single dose of testosterone increase willingness to compete, confidence, and risk-taking in men? Evidence from two randomised placebo-controlled experiments funding","authors":"Amos Nadler , Matthias Wibral , Thomas Dohmen , Armin Falk , Alessandro Previtero , Bernd Weber , Colin Camerer , Anna Dreber , Gideon Nave","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105659","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105659","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sex steroid hormone testosterone regulates aggression and display of dominance in non-human animals. According to the Challenge Hypothesis, these effects arise from context-sensitive testosterone increases that facilitate inter-male competitions over resources, status, and mates. A growing body of literature documents similar testosterone effects on behaviors related to competition and risk-taking in humans, though the findings have been mixed. Here, we report two randomised double-blind placebo-controlled testosterone administration experiments (<em>N</em><sub><em>1</em></sub> = 91, <em>N</em><sub><em>2</em></sub> = 242) designed independently by researchers in Europe and the US. Both experiments investigated the effect of a single dose of testosterone (at 4 h and 21–24 h post administration) on men's willingness to compete, confidence, and risk-taking in economic tasks. We estimate weak treatment effects that are statistically indistinguishable from zero for all behavioral outcomes across the two experiments. Our findings cast doubt on the proposition that there is an overall effect of a single dose of testosterone administration on the dimensions of economic behavior studied. If such effects existed, detecting them experimentally via pharmacological studies would require very large samples. We discuss different explanations for our results, including the possibility that context and individual difference factors moderate the effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 105659"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142619123","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":"The aged female rhesus macaque as a translational model for human menopause and hormone therapy","authors":"Steven G. Kohama, Henryk F. Urbanski","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105658","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105658","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Progress in understanding the causes of physiological and behavioral changes in post-menopausal women is hampered by the paucity of animal models that accurately recapitulate these age-associated changes. Here we evaluate the translational potential of female rhesus macaques (<em>Macaca mulatta</em>). Like women, these long-lived diurnal primates show marked neuroendocrine changes during aging, as well as perturbed sleep-wake cycles and cognitive decline. Furthermore, the brains of old rhesus macaques show some of the same pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease as do humans, including amyloidosis and tauopathology. Importantly, unlike humans, rhesus macaques can be maintained under tightly controlled environmental conditions, such as photoperiod, temperature and diet, and tissues can be collected with zero postmortem interval; this makes them especially suitable for studies aimed at elucidating underlying molecular mechanisms. Recent findings from female macaques are helping to elucidate how sex-steroids influence gene expression within the brain and contribute to the maintenance of cognitive function and amelioration of age-associated pathologies. Taken together, these findings emphasize the translational value of female rhesus macaques as a model for elucidating causal mechanisms that underlie normative and pathological changes in post-menopausal women. They also provide a pragmatic platform upon which to develop safe and effective therapies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 105658"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142619043","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}
Kaja S. Arusha, Krystle D. Boadi, Sabrina S. Ellah, Daniela Kim, Carolyn M. Bauer
{"title":"Sibling presence during fostering ameliorates endocrine stress profile changes in a social rodent species (Octodon degus) in a sex-specific manner","authors":"Kaja S. Arusha, Krystle D. Boadi, Sabrina S. Ellah, Daniela Kim, Carolyn M. Bauer","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105660","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105660","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During early life, disruption of the parent-offspring bond can substantially impact development of offspring physiology and behavior. In rodents, it has been well-documented that parental separation, reduction in parental care, and cross-fostering can affect development of the endocrine stress response. For social species, however, several social factors may mitigate the stress of cross-fostering, such as remaining with other known adult caregivers or siblings. In this study, we cross-fostered a social rodent species (<em>Octodon degus</em>) with or without their siblings at postnatal day (PND) 8 and measured their endocrine stress response immediately after fostering (PND9) and at weaning (PND28). We found that female singly-fostered offspring displayed elevated baseline cortisol levels and reduced weight gain immediately after fostering. At weaning, female singly-fostered offspring continued to display elevated baseline cortisol levels compared to non-fostered female offspring, while singly-fostered males demonstrated weaker cortisol negative feedback strength compared to male offspring that were not fostered or were fostered with their siblings. These results suggest that sibling presence may help mitigate the stress of fostering, and that future studies should further examine other social conditions that may help reduce developmental consequences of long-term parental bond disruption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 105660"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142579040","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}
Georgia K. Young , Diana Chernyak , Gautam A. Naik , Stephen Eun Song , Annaliese K. Beery
{"title":"Prairie voles seek social contact with peer companions during immune challenge","authors":"Georgia K. Young , Diana Chernyak , Gautam A. Naik , Stephen Eun Song , Annaliese K. Beery","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105653","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105653","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Selection for group living has occurred across taxa, despite inherent risk of disease transmission. Behavioral and immune responses to sickness affect social interactions and can be altered by social contexts. However, the majority of research on sickness behavior has focused on species that do not form selective social relationships. Prairie voles (<em>Microtus ochrogaster</em>) form selective social relationships with mates and peers and provide a useful study system to examine effects of sickness on social seeking in established relationships. We used peripheral injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of <em>E. coli</em> to stimulate the innate immune system and verified effects on activity, core temperature, and corticosterone concentrations for 6 h following treatment. We demonstrated that male and female same-sex pairs of prairie voles increase social contact when sick and that this increase persists when contact is initiated by the sick vole. Finally, we assessed social motivation following immune challenge using operant choice chambers equipped with two levers and side chambers. Voles worked to gain access to chambers with social and non-social rewards. While overall effort decreased following LPS injection, only immune-challenged voles worked significantly harder for their companion than for a non-social chamber. LPS treatment also increased proportion of rewards earned for the partner versus a stranger and again led to increased huddling behavior. Prior studies in other rodent species have shown decreased social interaction when sick; the present results demonstrate an alternative outcome of sickness in the context of dyadic bonds and lay the foundation for future work in peer companions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 105653"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142499359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Usan Dan , Meghan F. Maciejewski , Emma Schwaiger , Alison M. Bell
{"title":"Oxytocin influences parental care in male threespine stickleback across multiple time scales","authors":"Usan Dan , Meghan F. Maciejewski , Emma Schwaiger , Alison M. Bell","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105652","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105652","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Oxytocin (OXT) and its homologs are known to regulate parental care in vertebrates, but it is unknown what role these neuropeptides may play in the evolutionary loss of care. Here, we compared two recently diverged ecotypes of threespine stickleback (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em>) that differ in parental care. Males of the common ecotype provide obligate, uniparental care to their offspring, whereas males of the white ecotype abandon their offspring after fertilization. To test if OXT plays a role in the loss of care, we manipulated OXT in males of both ecotypes via intraperitoneal injection of a vehicle control, OXT single- or double-dose, or an OXT antagonist. We observed the behavioral response to injection at two time points for commons (0 and 4 days post-fertilization (dpf)) and one for whites (0 dpf). Our results suggest that, in commons, OXT promotes the onset of care but not its maintenance. Notably, commons that ultimately terminated their clutches did not respond to OXT at 0 dpf, which may have contributed to their failure to transition to a state of care. Whites responded to OXT manipulation in a different manner than commons, suggesting that the loss of care in whites is not due to a loss of sensitivity to OXT, or insufficient levels of OXT ligand, but rather an evolutionary change to the underlying parental circuit that OXT is acting on. These results provide evidence that ancient hormonal systems like OXT can contribute to losses of care over multiple timescales</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 105652"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142437663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Oxytocin and shared intentionality are positively associated with cooperation in children","authors":"Jennifer McClung , Zegni Triki , Monica Lancheros Pompeyo , Romain Fassier , Yasmin Emery , Adrian Bangerter , Fabrice Clément , Redouan Bshary","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105651","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While humans cooperate with unrelated individuals to an extent that far outstrips any other species, we also display extreme variation in decisions about whether to cooperate or not. A diversity of cognitive, affective, social, and physiological mechanisms interact to shape these decisions. For example, group membership, shared intentionality talk (i.e. talk about shared goals), and natural initial oxytocin levels are linked to cooperation in adults in an optimal foraging paradigm that is loosely modelled on the iterated prisoner's dilemma. In this ‘egg hunt’, shared intentionality talk was key to achieving cooperation, and it drove cooperation more between participants who shared the same group membership (and who also had higher initial oxytocin levels). Such complex interactions raise the question of the age at which humans develop the necessary mechanisms to cooperate effectively in the egg hunt game. Here, we tested children in secondary school aged between 10 and 14 years. We found that, as for adults, shared intentionality talk was crucial for successful cooperation. Furthermore, initial oxytocin levels correlated with cooperation through shared intentionality talk. In contrast, group membership did not affect behaviour. Finally, pre- and post-experiment oxytocin levels showed various interactions with group membership and sex. Thus, children's performance was relatively similar to adults while showing some differences with respect to underlying mechanisms. Our study is a rare contribution to further our understanding of the role of oxytocin in early adolescent social behaviour.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 105651"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142419187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jiahao Luo , Zhenni Wei , Yadong Liu , Kaige Guo , Xiaolin Zhao , Yipeng Ren , Yan Wu , Juan Yang
{"title":"Role of interdependent self-construal in predicting acute salivary cortisol response, hair cortisol concentrations, and their associations","authors":"Jiahao Luo , Zhenni Wei , Yadong Liu , Kaige Guo , Xiaolin Zhao , Yipeng Ren , Yan Wu , Juan Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105650","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105650","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous studies have associated interdependent self-construal (InterSC) with heightened acute salivary cortisol stress responses in collectivist cultures. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is an important biomarker of chronic stress and is associated with acute salivary cortisol stress response. However, few studies have explored the association between InterSC and HCC. This study aimed to investigate the role of InterSC in the acute salivary cortisol stress response, HCC, and their associations. Seventy-seven healthy Chinese participants underwent assessments of InterSC, social anxiety, and HCC. The ScanSTRESS paradigm was used to induce an acute stress response and saliva samples were collected. These results replicated earlier findings showing that InterSC was associated with rapid salivary cortisol reactivity and recovery during acute stress. Additionally, InterSC was positively correlated with HCC, and social anxiety mediated this association. Importantly, InterSC moderated the HCC–acute salivary cortisol stress response association. Specifically, high HCC predicted a blunted acute salivary cortisol stress response in participants with low InterSC, including a slow salivary cortisol response during the acute stress reactivity phase and a small overall acute salivary cortisol response. However, this blunting effect was not observed with high InterSC participants, indicating that high InterSC buffered the blunting effect of HCC on the acute salivary cortisol stress response. In conclusion, this study provided new insights into how InterSC is associated with the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis stress system and revealed the dual-faceted role of InterSC for acute salivary cortisol stress and HCC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 105650"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142400179","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}
Camila Calvino , Mariana Macedo de Almeida , Clara Figueredo Reis-Gomes , Brenda da Silva Andrade , Gilda Angela Neves , Carmen Cabanelas Pazos-Moura , Isis Hara Trevenzoli
{"title":"Maternal obesity induces sex-specific changes in the endocannabinoid system of the hypothalamus and dorsal hippocampus of offspring associated with anxiety-like behavior in adolescent female rats","authors":"Camila Calvino , Mariana Macedo de Almeida , Clara Figueredo Reis-Gomes , Brenda da Silva Andrade , Gilda Angela Neves , Carmen Cabanelas Pazos-Moura , Isis Hara Trevenzoli","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105648","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105648","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maternal obesity during perinatal period increases the risk of metabolic and behavioral deleterious outcomes in the offspring, since it is critical for brain development, maturation, and reorganization. These processes are highly modulated by the endocannabinoid system (ECS), which comprises the main lipid ligands anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1R and CB2R), and several metabolizing enzymes. The ECS is overactivated in obesity and it contributes to the physiological activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, promoting stress relief. We have previously demonstrated that maternal high-fat diet during gestation and lactation programmed the food preference for fat in adolescent male offspring and adult male and female offspring. In the present study, we hypothesized that maternal diet-induced obesity would induce sex-specific changes of the ECS in the hypothalamus and dorsal hippocampus of rat offspring associated with dysregulation of the HPA axis and stress-related behavior in adolescence. Rat dams were fed a control (C) or an obesogenic high-fat high-sugar diet (OD) for nine weeks prior to mating and throughout gestation and lactation. Maternal obesity differentially altered the CB1R in the hypothalamus of neonate offspring, with significant increase in male but not in female pups, associated with decreased CB2R prior to obesity development. In adolescence, maternal obesity induced anxiety-like behavior only in adolescent females which was associated with increased content of CB1R in the dorsal hippocampus. Our findings suggest that the early origins of anxiety disorders induced by maternal exposome is associated with dysregulation of the brain ECS, with females being more susceptible.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 105648"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142371733","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}
Michael A. Kelberman , Kelly E. Winther , Yana M. Medvedeva , Zoe R. Donaldson
{"title":"Aging leads to sex-dependent effects on pair bonding and increased number of oxytocin-producing neurons in monogamous prairie voles","authors":"Michael A. Kelberman , Kelly E. Winther , Yana M. Medvedeva , Zoe R. Donaldson","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105647","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105647","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pair bonds powerfully modulate health, which becomes particularly important when facing the detrimental effects of aging. To examine the impact of aging on relationship formation and response to loss, we examined behavior in naive 6-, 12-, and 18-month male and female prairie voles, a monogamous species that forms mating-based pair bonds. We found that older males (18-months) bonded quicker than younger voles, while similarly aged female voles increased partner directed affiliative behaviors. Supporting sex differences in bonding behaviors, we found that males were more likely to sample both partner and stranger voles while females were more likely to display partner preference during the initial 20 min of the test. We also found that male voles of all ages show enduring bonding behavior despite four weeks of partner separation while females show an overall decrease in partner-directed affiliation, including an erosion of partner preference in 12-month females. Finally, we found that the number of oxytocin, but not vasopressin, cells in the paraventricular hypothalamus increased at 18 months of age. These results establish prairie voles as a novel model to study the effects of normal and abnormal aging on pair bonding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 105647"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142345712","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}
Lina M. Giraldo-Deck , Jasmine L. Loveland , Wolfgang Goymann , David B. Lank , Clemens Küpper
{"title":"A supergene affects androgen concentrations during early development in a bird with alternative reproductive morphs","authors":"Lina M. Giraldo-Deck , Jasmine L. Loveland , Wolfgang Goymann , David B. Lank , Clemens Küpper","doi":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105645","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105645","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Species with alternative reproductive tactics typically show pronounced phenotypic variation between and within sexes. In some species, this variation culminates in discrete reproductive morphs that are genetically determined, facilitating studies on how genetic variation translates into phenotypic variation. In ruffs (<em>Calidris pugnax</em>), an autosomal inversion polymorphism underlies three reproductive morphs (Independents, Satellites and Faeders), which differ in circulating steroid concentrations in adults. Yet, it remains unknown whether morph differences in steroid concentrations already arise before adulthood. We examined variation in circulating testosterone, androstenedione and progesterone concentrations between morphs and sexes in ruff chicks and juveniles and compared the differences to those in adults. Since measured hormone concentrations only provide momentary states and show high within- and between-individual variation, we took repeated measurements to compare means, variances and skewness between groups. We found clear differences between morphs but not the sexes in early life. Between morphs, androgen concentrations in young ruffs differed in variance and skewness, but not in their means. For testosterone, Independents had a higher variance than Satellites/Faeders, whereas for androstenedione, we observed the opposite pattern. For progesterone, we did not detect clear differences between groups. Skewness values mirrored differences in morph variances. Compared to adults, premature ruffs had lower androgen concentrations. In both life stages, we detected morph-specific associations between androgen concentrations: androstenedione concentrations increased with testosterone concentrations more in Satellites/Faeders than in Independents. These observed morph differences during early life are consistent with a supergene-mediated regulation of androgen variation that underlies the diversification of adult behavioural phenotypes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13001,"journal":{"name":"Hormones and Behavior","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 105645"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142345711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}