Anosmia and play fighting behavior in prepubescent male and female rats

Abstract

Prepubescent male and female rats were paired after intranasal treatment with isotonic zinc sulfate or saline solutions to determine the influence of peripheral anosmia upon play fighting behavior. In Experiment 1, male isolate residents pinned intruders significantly more often than intruders pinned residents but anosmia treatment had no influence on pinning behavior. In Experiment 2, males and females differed significantly in all major categories of play fighting but anosmia treatment had no influence on play fighting of either males or females. In Experiment 3, male groups matched for play fighting behavior prior to intranasal zinc or saline treatment were paired with like-treated males. All males in all pairings engaged in play behavior but anosmic males played less than controls. Evidently, intranasal zinc treatment depresses play behavior only when both members of a pair are anosmic. Play behavior is more markedly affected by resident-intruder status and by gender than by peripheral anosmia.