Abstract
It is well known that prenatal stress induces behavioral demasculinization and/or feminization in male offspring during adulthood. In this study, four different stressors were prenatally applied to rats. Pregnant rats were subjected to immobilization, unavoidable electric foot shocks, rapid eye movement sleep deprivation (REMd), or immersion in cold water. During adulthood, male offspring were tested for masculine and feminine sexual behavior. The results corroborated the fact that immobilization induced an impairment of masculine sexual behavior and a facilitation of feminine sexual behavior. Electric shocks showed only minor differences in masculine behavior when compared to intact controls, and no signs of lordosis behavior were observed. The REMd group displayed a major impairment of masculine behavior, even greater than that observed within the immobilization group. However, lordosis behavior was only induced with estradiol. On the other hand, water immersion seems to have a facilitatory effect on several parameters of masculine behavior and did not show lordosis behavior even with hormonal treatment. These results strongly suggest that changes in sex behavior induced by prenatal stress are linked to the nature of the stressor.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
