The adrenal gland and the pre and post castrational aggressive behavior of male mice

Abstract

Abstract Adrenalectomized and sham-operated Swiss-Webster mice without previous fighting experience were paired with nonaggressive stimulus castrate males and observed for the spontaneous display of aggression. No differences were reported for the two groups on latency to first attack, attack frequency, attack rate, tail rattling frequency, or latency to submission by the stimulus castrate. Adrenalectomized and sham-operated mice which had displayed aggression were then paired against each other and observed for the establishment of a dominance-submission relationship. Again, no differences in fighting efficiency were observed as measured by initiation of aggression or achievement of dominance. In the second experiment, adrenalectomized and sham-operated mice were castrated and paired in aggression tests against a stimulus castrate. Both adrenalectomized and sham-operated subjects continued to display aggression for as long as 8 weeks after castration. These findings suggest that the adrenal secretions contribute little to the spontaneous display of aggression by inexperienced fighters as well as to the postcastrational maintenance of aggression by mice with fighting experience.