Characterizing the Interaction among Testosterone, Social Dominance Position and Neurogenesis in Male Mice
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2010
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Haverford College. Department of Psychology
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
Inter-male aggression, and the resultant social dominance hierarchies, is the predominant form of sexual selection in mice. The most dominant males gain preferential access to females and have been found to display a number of physiologic differences from the more submissive males. The adrenal stress hormone, corticosterone is found in higher levels in the more submissive males suggesting that the dominant animals experience less stress than their submissive counterparts. In contrast, the androgen testosterone, which plays a critical role in the maintenance of aggression, is generally found in higher levels in more dominant males. Finally, research has found that dominant animals also display higher levels of hippocampus neurogenesis; the formation of new neuron's within the dentate gyrus. We investigated the relationship of these three factors; testosterone, social stress and neurogenesis by controlling testosterone levels through hormonal manipulation and social stress through the use of individual and group housing conditions. We found that while testosterone does play a role in an animal's position in a social dominance hierarchy there are other factors that also contribute. The animals consistently formed dominance hierarchies as evidenced by both behavioral and hormonal data. However, neither testosterone level nor social dominance position was found to influence hippocampal neurogenesis. These neurogenesis findings differ from previous studies and suggest testosterone and corticosterone may exhibit their effects on neurogenesis through a previously unknown mediating factor.