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. 2007 May 16;91(1):1-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.01.005. Epub 2007 Jan 18.

Partner preference in male hamsters: steroids, sexual experience and chemosensory cues

Cortney L Ballard  1 , Ruth I Wood
Affiliations

Partner preference in male hamsters: steroids, sexual experience and chemosensory cues

Cortney L Ballard et al. Physiol Behav. .

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of gonadal steroids on sexual motivation in male Syrian hamsters, using partner preference as a model. Male hamsters were assigned to 5 groups: control (n=4), Intact-->Orchx (n=8), Orchx-->Orchx+T (n=7), olfactory bulbectomy (BulbX, n=5), and vomeronasal organ lesion (VnoX, n=8). Each male was tested for partner preference before and after sexual experience. Unlike rats, sexually-inexperienced gonad-intact male hamsters preferred the receptive female to a stimulus male. However, sexual experience did not enhance preference for the stimulus female. Castration (Orchx) reduced sexual motivation: Orchx males showed no significant preference for the stimulus female. Subsequently, intact males were castrated (Intact-->Orchx) and Orchx males received a testosterone implant (Orchx-->Orchx+T) to determine the time course of gonadal hormones on partner preference and mating behavior. Partner preference changed significantly in both groups within 6 weeks. In Intact-->Orchx males, preference for the stimulus female decreased while Orchx-->Orchx+T males increased their preference for the stimulus female. However, significant changes in mating behavior preceded the alterations in partner preference. Chemosensory cues are also important for partner preference. After BulbX, preference for the stimulus female significantly decreased. However, VnoX failed to block partner preference. These results show that partner preference may be even more dependent on testosterone than is sexual behavior. Furthermore, while chemosensory cues are essential for sexual motivation, the vomeronasal organ is not required for partner preference.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Top: Schematic of apparatus for testing partner preference in male hamsters. Middle: Timeline for partner preference and copulation tests in male hamsters before and after sexual experience and castration (orchX). Bottom: Time (mean±SEM) with an estrous female (black bars) or male stimulus animal (white bars) in 10-minute partner preference tests before (n=12, shaded area) and after castration (n=8) in male Syrian hamsters. Asterisk indicates significant effect of time post-castration. Gray symbols indicate behavior of gonad-intact control males tested at the same intervals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Top: Timeline for partner preference and copulation tests in castrated (OrchX) male hamsters before and after sexual experience and testosterone replacement (OrchX+T). Bottom: Time (mean±SEM) with an estrous female (black bars) or male stimulus animal (white bars) in 10-minute partner preference tests before and after (shaded area) testosterone replacement in male Syrian hamsters (n=8).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Top: Timeline for partner preference and copulation tests in male hamsters before and after olfactory bulbectomy (BulbX) or vomeronasal organ removal (VnoX). Bottom: Time (mean±SEM) with an estrous female (black bars) or male stimulus animal (white bars) in 10-minute partner preference tests before and after surgery or sexual experience in male Syrian hamsters (n=8/group). Asterisk indicates significant effect of BulbX on partner preference.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Copulatory behaviors (mean±SEM) in male Syrian hamsters (n=8) before (black symbols, shaded) and at 5 and 7 weeks after castration (white symbols). Numbers in parentheses reflect the number of animals expressing behavior at each time point.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Copulatory behaviors (mean±SEM) in castrated male Syrian hamsters (n=8) before (white symbols) and at 5 and 7 weeks after testosterone replacement (black symbols, shaded). Numbers in parentheses reflect the number of animals expressing behavior at each time point.
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