Simultaneous and successive olfactory bulb removal: Influences on the mating behavior of male mice

Abstract

Simultaneous olfactory bulb removal abolished mating behavior in sexually experienced male mice. In contrast to simultaneous bulbectomy, removal of both olfactory bulbs in two operations separated by an interval of 30 days had no effect on the mating behavior of male mice. In successively bulbectomized males, the occurrence or nonocurrence of the opportunity for mating behavior in the interval between the removal of each bulb had no influence on the degree to which mating behavior was spared. It was concluded that the abolition of mating behavior produced by simultaneously removing both olfactory bulbs in male mice is not a consequence of a sensory deficit, but is due to the destruction of tissues directly involved in the mediation of sexual behavior.