Female Behavior Research Articles

Relationship between bullying victimization and murderous behaviors and impulsivity's mediating role: Evidence from Chinese early adolescents.

Evidence suggests a robust relationship between experiencing bullying victimization (BV) and engaging in murderous behaviors among adolescents. However, the potential mediating effect of impulsivity on the relationship between BV and murderous behaviors in early adolescents remains underexplored. A total of 5724 adolescents, with a mean age of 13.5years, were enrolled from three middle schools in Anhui Province, China. Participants completed self-report questionnaires detailing their experiences with bullying, impulsiveness, and murderous behaviors. To assess the relationship between BV and murderous behaviors, multivariate logistic regression and Poisson regression analyses were conducted. Mediation analysis was performed using structural equation modeling. After controlling for confounding factors, a positive association was found between experiencing BV and engaging in murderous behaviors (p<0.05). Mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of BV on the occurrence of murderous behaviors through impulsivity (indirect effect=0.027, 95% CI: 0.021, 0.033). BV appears to heighten levels of impulsivity, which in turn increases the likelihood of murderous behaviors. Additionally, sex-specific analysis indicated that impulsivity played a greater mediating role in the link between verbal and relational BV and murderous behaviors in females, while physical and cyber BV were more significant in males. Our findings underscore the necessity of early targeted interventions for adolescents experiencing BV and exhibiting high levels of impulsivity to mitigate their risk of engaging in murderous behaviors.

Investigating the Significance of the Transgenerational Impact of High and Repeated Doses of Ivermectin: Effects on Paternal Testis Histopathology, Pups' Development, and Sexual Behavior

Paternal exposure to environmental challenges is critical for the offspring's future health, and the transmission of acquired traits through generations increases the risk of offspring developing diseases. Ivermectin (IVM) is widely used in veterinary and human medicine to treat parasitosis. Our previous studies showed that IVM acute administration induced disorganization of the germinal epithelium and could cause damage to sperm production. Thus, this study investigated the effects of paternal exposure to repeated high ivermectin doses on paternal testis histology. After mating, their pups' development and sexual behavior in adult rats were examined. Method: Two groups of male rats were treated with IVM or its vehicle once a week for three weeks. We observed these males' body weight, organs and testis histology, and testosterone levels. These rats were mated with females without any treatment: the reproductive performance, the offspring development, and the male and female sexual behavior observed in adulthood. Relative to controls, the IVM paternal testis histology showed hypertrophy and hyperplasia of Leydig cells and increased diameter of the seminiferous tubules—no impairment in reproductive performance. In males and females, the physical and reflexes were modified. In adult age, female rats of the IVM group showed reduced sexual behavior and sexual preferences for the same sex, while male sexual behavior was not altered. Thus, it is possible that paternal exposure to IVM interfered with pups' hormonal and growth factors during development and in adult age. Further studies are needed to explore IVM transgenerational effects identifying possible mechanisms underpinning behavioral effects.

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Self-Concept And Self-Esteem And The Behavior Of Female Students In Reproductive Health Maintenanceat The District Islamic Boarding School Batanghari Multicenter Study

Reproductive health is a serious problem throughout human life. Vaginal discharge is one of the reproductive health problems of adolescents, especially one that women often complain about. Survey results show that 65% of teenage girls in Indonesia experience vaginal discharge. Self-esteem is an important component in forming a person's self-concept, where self-concept is an important thing in determining a person's behavior, including maintaining reproductive health. This research aims to determine the relationship between self-concept and self-esteem and the behavior of female students in maintaining reproductive health in Islamic boarding schools in Batanghari Regency. This research is a correlative descriptive quantitative research with a cross-sectional, multi-centre research design involving 3 Islamic boarding schools in Batanghari Regency. Sampling used random sampling. The total sample was 98 respondents. The data analysis used includes univariate analysis (respondent characteristics, self-concept, self-esteem, student behavior), as well as bivariate analysis to measure the relationship between self-concept and self-esteem. The results of the research showed that 63.3% of respondents had poor female student behavior in maintaining reproductive health. There is a relationship between self-concept (p-value: 0.008), Self-Esteem (p-value: 0.006) and the behavior of female students in maintaining reproductive health. The research results showed that of the 56 respondents with a negative self-concept, 44 (74.6%) respondents had poor behavior among female students in maintaining reproductive health. Of the 39 respondents with positive self-concept, 18 (46.2%) respondents had good female behavior in maintaining reproductive health. Efforts are needed from Islamic boarding schools to conduct training and health promotion for female students in maintaining reproductive health regarding self-concept and self-esteem.

MiRNAs targeted transcription factors HaGATAa/b to mediate the post-mating switch in Helicoverpa armigera female reproductive behavior.

The process of mating induces significant shifts in female reproductive behavior across various species, with the postmating behavioral switch playing a crucial role in insect reproduction. Previous studies have demonstrated the regulatory role of GATA transcription factors in vitellogenin transcription and egg formation in insects, while miRNAs have been implicated in modulating GATA expression and insect reproductive processes. Nevertheless, the precise regulatory mechanism underlying the interaction between miRNAs and GATA transcription factors in the postmating behavioral switch remains largely unexplored. In this study, we identified two key GATA transcription factors, HaGATAa and HaGATAb, as central players in orchestrating the postmating behavior of H. armigera using transcriptomics and RNAi technologies. HaGATAa was found to act upstream of HaGATAb, regulating its expression. Furthermore, we observed a postmating increase in miR-282 levels in females, targeting HaGATAa to regulate egg-laying capacity. Conversely, the decreased expression of miR-2 following mating functioned as a negative feedback regulator, influencing the expression of HaGATAb and thus impacting the postmating behavior of female individuals. Our results revealed a signal-mediated feedback regulatory mechanism that sustains female postmating behavior in H. armigera. These findings not only establish a strong basis for understanding the postmating behavior mechanisms in female moths, but also offer valuable insights for identifying potential targets for pest control strategies. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Ancestral neural circuits potentiate the origin of a female sexual behavior in Drosophila

Courtship interactions are remarkably diverse in form and complexity among species. How neural circuits evolve to encode new behaviors that are functionally integrated into these dynamic social interactions is unknown. Here we report a recently originated female sexual behavior in the island endemic Drosophila species D. santomea, where females signal receptivity to male courtship songs by spreading their wings, which in turn promotes prolonged songs in courting males. Copulation success depends on this female signal and correlates with males’ ability to adjust his singing in such a social feedback loop. Functional comparison of sexual circuitry across species suggests that a pair of descending neurons, which integrates male song stimuli and female internal state to control a conserved female abdominal behavior, drives wing spreading in D. santomea. This co-option occurred through the refinement of a pre-existing, plastic circuit that can be optogenetically activated in an outgroup species. Combined, our results show that the ancestral potential of a socially-tuned key circuit node to engage the wing motor circuit facilitates the expression of a new female behavior in appropriate sensory and motivational contexts. More broadly, our work provides insights into the evolution of social behaviors, particularly female behaviors, and the underlying neural mechanisms.

Condition‐Dependent Female Aggression and Its Effects on Mating Success and Sexual Cannibalism in Jumping Spiders

ABSTRACTPre‐copulatory sexual cannibalism is an extreme form of aggression toward potential mates. In this study, we examined condition‐dependent female aggression and its effects on mating success and frequency of pre‐copulatory sexual cannibalism in the jumping spider Phidippus audax Hentz 1845. We examined two of the leading hypotheses of why sexual cannibalism may occur, (1) female mate choice and (2) adaptive female foraging. We separated 137 adult virgin female P. audax into three feeding treatments: (1) well‐fed spiders, (2) 14‐day food deprived, and (3) 28‐day food deprived. We recorded weight loss (14‐ and 28‐day treatments) and survival rates. We conducted mating trials to measure the proportion of non‐aggressive and aggressive male and female behaviors, male mating success, and pre‐copulatory sexual cannibalism. Females deprived of food had higher weight loss and lower survival rates than well‐fed females. In addition, food deprived female spiders exhibited higher proportions of aggressive behaviors and pre‐copulatory sexual cannibalism, and lower mating success compared to well‐fed spiders. We found that as male size increased females were less likely to cannibalize males, but we found no effect of male body condition on whether a male mated with or was cannibalized by a female. Our results are consistent with the adaptive foraging hypothesis and corroborates prior research on pre‐copulatory sexual cannibalism.

The Differences in Anger Expressions Between Males and Females Among Qassimi Adolescents in the Context of Football Match: A Social Appraisal Perspective

Most studies that focus on studying male and female behavior have not found any gender differences in the expression of anger. Even the claim that men express anger more frequently than women has only been discussed in a few studies. Some studies have found that women express anger more than men or show no gender differences. In this regard, the researcher aimed to explore the gender differences between males and females from a social appraisal perspective in expressing their anger and what males and females use these anger expressions among Qassimi adolescents in the context of football matches. The researcher hypothesises that men and women differ in their social evaluations of expressing and interpreting anger. The present study's findings are significant in exploring the anger expressions used by females and males and their differences in the context of Saudi football matches among Qassimi adolescents in Saudi Arabia. Results from this study were collected using observation and thematic analysis as a research tool to achieve the overall purpose of this study. The results reveal that males were more likely to use violent, bullying, and idiomatic, sarcastic expressions of anger while watching the Saudi football match, specifically in the scene of their favourite team losing, than females. In addition, both male and female participants expressed the extent to which they were aware of social appraisal and the extent of their influence on their actions and words in expressing anger.

Beneficial Effects of Ginger Root Extract on Pain Behaviors, Inflammation, and Mitochondrial Function in the Colon and Different Brain Regions of Male and Female Neuropathic Rats: A Gut-Brain Axis Study.

Neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction have been implicated in the progression of neuropathic pain (NP) but can be mitigated by supplementation with gingerol-enriched ginger (GEG). However, the exact benefits of GEG for each sex in treating neuroinflammation and mitochondrial homeostasis in different brain regions and the colon remain to be determined. Evaluate the effects of GEG on emotional/affective pain and spontaneous pain behaviors, neuroinflammation, as well as mitochondria homeostasis in the amygdala, frontal cortex, hippocampus, and colon of male and female rats in the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) NP model. One hundred rats (fifty males and fifty females) were randomly assigned to five groups: sham + vehicle, SNL + vehicle, and SNL with three different GEG doses (200, 400, and 600 mg/kg BW) for 5 weeks. A rat grimace scale and vocalizations were used to assess spontaneous and emotional/affective pain behaviors, respectively. mRNA gene and protein expression levels for tight junction protein, neuroinflammation, mitochondria homeostasis, and oxidative stress were measured in the amygdala, frontal cortex, hippocampus, and colon using qRT-PCR and Western blot (colon). GEG supplementation mitigated spontaneous pain in both male and female rats with NP while decreasing emotional/affective responses only in male NP rats. GEG supplementation increased intestinal integrity (claudin 3) and suppressed neuroinflammation [glial activation (GFAP, CD11b, IBA1) and inflammation (TNFα, NFκB, IL1β)] in the selected brain regions and colon of male and female NP rats. GEG supplementation improved mitochondrial homeostasis [increased biogenesis (TFAM, PGC1α), increased fission (FIS, DRP1), decreased fusion (MFN2, MFN1) and mitophagy (PINK1), and increased Complex III] in the selected brain regions and colon in both sexes. Some GEG dose-response effects in gene expression were observed in NP rats of both sexes. GEG supplementation decreased emotional/affective pain behaviors of males and females via improving gut integrity, suppressing neuroinflammation, and improving mitochondrial homeostasis in the amygdala, frontal cortex, hippocampus, and colon in both male and female SNL rats in an NP model, implicating the gut-brain axis in NP. Sex differences observed in the vocalizations assay may suggest different mechanisms of evoked NP responses in females.

Impact of first impressions on female consumer behavior and adapting sales psychology in the automotive industry in semi-urban Vijayawada, India

Owing to the immense population of India (approximately 1,428,627,663) and the high drive towards advancing transportation, India has become a hot spot for the automobile industry to prove itself and witness extreme growth. This growth is fueled by the high profitability of customers, distributors, and consumers in their target market, attracting globally successful brands like Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota (Das, 2021). In the United States, women buy 62% of all new cars sold and influence more than 85% of all car purchases. Interestingly, in India, a report by Spinny indicates that 80% of passenger-car buying decisions are taken by women in the family. Additionally, 46% of second-hand car buyers are women (Mukherjee, 2016). As the sales industry and psychology collaborate to boost profitability, this paper is a study highlighting the current female consumer behavior in India and the techniques used to adapt sales psychology to increase profitability in the female consumer market.

Assessing avian incubation behavior in response to environmental pollution with temperature-humidity loggers

The negative impact of environmental pollution on avian physiology and breeding success is well documented. However, pollution-related behavioral changes during reproduction remain underexplored, despite behavior often being one of the earliest indicators of environmental disturbances and having significant life-history consequences. For example, altered food availability in a polluted environment could potentially perturb the incubation behavior of income breeders. These birds typically alternate between staying in the nest and heating eggs (on-bout) and taking foraging trips (off-bout). In this two-year study (2020 and 2022), we investigated how the incubation behavior of an insectivorous passerine, the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), varied with environmental pollution levels around a Cu-Ni smelter. Additionally, we compared two different metrics – temperature and humidity within the nest – to evaluate their use as indicators of incubation rhythm. We found that temperature- and humidity-based incubation rhythm parameters correlated, but those based on humidity matched better the true incubation behavior documented by simultaneous video recording. This was because the humidity curve showed a more immediate and intensive response to the female's incubation behavior. Birds in the polluted area took slightly more (11%) but shorter (11%) off-bouts, possibly reflecting smaller energetic constraints or better food availability in the polluted area. However, we found no difference in total incubation intensity between polluted and control areas, with F. hypoleuca females incubating their eggs 75% of the daytime in both environments. Hence, incubating females in the polluted area did not allocate more time for gathering their energy reserves than the birds in the control area, and there was also no difference in the hatching success. Our study is the first to use humidity variation to record incubation rhythm, and our results indicate that measuring humidity inside the nest is a promising technique to test and develop further. For example, further studies are needed to test if this method would work in different types of nests. From an environmental protection standpoint, our results also contribute valuable insights to the relatively limited information on pollution-related behavioral changes.

Sperm depletion and mate choice of the crab spider, Ebrechtella tricuspidata (Fahricius)

Abstract Mounting evidence suggests that male sperm may be gradually depleted after consecutive matings, resulting in the decline of female reproductive output in insect species. It is predicted that females may employ adaptive strategies to avoid the sperm-depleted males, such as mating multiply with different males and/or discriminating against previously mated males (MMs). Similarly, males may exhibit adaptive behaviors toward females varying in mating status. However, in spiders with males lacking primary copulatory organs and their pedipalps modified to transfer sperm, there are few studies on male mating potential and previous mating experience on their subsequent mate choice. In this study, we used a polyandrous crab spider, Ebrechtella tricuspidata, a sit-and-wait predator with female-biased sex ratio as a model system to ascertain whether 1) male mating experiences influence female reproductive fitness; 2) females respond differently to males varying in mating status; and 3) males respond differently to females varying in mating status. Our results showed that female fecundity was independent of male mating experiences, but female fertility markedly declined with the increase of male previous mating experiences in the first eggsac. Counter to our predictions, females preferred to choose and mate with the larger males, regardless of their mating status. In contrast, male mating status influenced their mating preference toward females. Virgin males did not show any preference between virgin and mated females; however, MMs were more likely to prefer the virgin females over the mated ones. Overall, our results indicated that female choice depended primarily on male relative size rather than male mating status, whereas male choice depended on female mating status. Depending on the investigation of reproductive dynamics and mate choice in E. tricuspidata, the study will provide valuable insights into the adaptive behaviors of both males and females exhibiting toward mates varying in mating status.

Gender-Based Analysis of Online Shopping Patterns on Shopee in Malaysia: A J48 Decision Tree Approach

The purpose of this study is to investigates the gender differences of Shopee platform for online shopping behavior by using the J48 decision tree algorithm to classify and predict shopping frequency among male and female consumers for Malaysia context. WEKA software was used in this study to analyze the datasets. From the experiments, the majority of Shopee user were female consumers. The findings shows that female consumer behavior is more complicated and more varied regarding purchasing behavior. The study's findings demonstrate the potential of gender specific insights to enhance e-commerce strategies, particularly in product recommendations and targeted marketing. Although the J48 model performed well in predicting male shopping patterns, it was less effective for females, indicating the need for more advanced modeling techniques is used to better capture the complexities of female consumer behavior. This research also emphasizes the significance of using machine learning tools like the J48 decision tree to analyze consumer data, providing valuable insights for improving customer satisfaction and business performance. However, limitations such as sample size and the focus on a single platform suggest that further research is needed, including the exploration of alternative algorithms and broader demographic factors.

Gene regulation by mating depends on time, diet, and body region in female Aedes aegypti

Aedes aegypti is a major vector of several arboviruses that cause human mortality and morbidity. One method for controlling the spread of these viruses is to control mosquito reproduction. During mating, seminal fluid molecules and sperm are transferred and these stimuli influence female post-mating physiology and behavior. Yet, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these post-mating responses. To fill this gap, short-read RNA sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed genes between unmated (control) and mated females in the head/thorax (HT), abdomen (Ab) and the lower reproductive tract (LRT), of mosquitoes reared with 3% and 12% sucrose. The results revealed that at 3% sucrose, four, 408 and 415 significantly differential expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the HT, Ab and LRT at six hours post mating (hpm). The number of DEGs dropped dramatically at 24 hpm with no DEGs in the HT, three in the Ab, and 112 in the LRT. In contrast, the number of DEGs was lower at 6 hpm than 24 hpm in the LRT at 12% sucrose. Comparing our results to a similar study which used 10% sucrose revealed evidence in support of condition-dependent regulation of gene expression by mating in this species. This study shows that mating-induced transcriptional changes depend on time point after mating, body region, and diet. Our results provide foundational knowledge for future functional analyses to identify genes and pathways involved in the post-mating behavioral and physiological changes of female mosquitoes.

Rodent reproductive behavior among males and females after exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Sexual reproduction-from both physiological and behavioral perspectives-is dependent upon appropriate connections between a diverse, hormone-modulated network of neural regions. Importantly, these substrates are regulated by hormones across the lifespan from early development to adulthood, making them targets of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Rodents, such as mice and rats, are invaluable to the characterization of EDCs because of their sex-specific, stereotyped appetitive and consummatory reproductive behaviors. Phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and EDC mixtures pose a salient risk to the health of humans, wildlife, and livestock because these synthetic compounds are ubiquitous due to their widespread use in mass production of consumer and industrial goods. This review outlines how the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis regulates male and female sexual behaviors, and how phthalates and BPA can perturb appetitive and consummatory behaviors and impact neural substrates that modulate reproductive behavior. We will then discuss how to progress toward a clearer understanding of the reproductive and neurobiological changes that occur due to EDC exposure.

Sex differences in exploratory behavior of rats successfully performing the object-in-place recognition memory test

Male and female rodents display unique search strategies when exploring new and familiar environments. Sex differences are well-documented in the literature and may be observed in tasks that rely on spontaneous exploration (e.g., recognition memory tests). Therefore, we assessed patterns of male and female rat behavior in the object-in-place (OiP) test, a common recognition memory paradigm involving object-location associations. Twelve male and 12 female adult Long Evans rats were tested four times in the 1-h OiP test and exploratory behaviors were compared during habituation, sample, and test phases. Results revealed that females moved faster and farther than males, showed increased immobility frequency and reduced immobility duration, reduced outer zone mobility duration, and increased inner zone entrances, compared to males during habituations. During sample phases, female rats moved faster than males, displayed reduced immobility frequency in the inner zone, and demonstrated consistent distance travelled across repeated sessions; conversely, male rats moved less in later sessions and exhibited increased mobility frequency in the outer zone. Analyses comparing test phase behavior revealed females continued to move faster than males; however, no other sex differences were observed. These findings are consistent with previous literature highlighting unique sex differences in explorative behaviors during recognition testing. Sex differences in locomotion and mobility state behaviors may be more indicative of individual motivation and search strategy between the sexes and less indicative of recognition memory.

Exploring Stigma Communication About Urinary Tract Infections in the United States

ABSTRACT Urinary tract infections (UTIs) have steadily increased in prevalence and severity among women in the United States and can lead to serious complications if left untreated. Yet, women are often reluctant to discuss such infections due to potential stigmatization. Indeed, UTI treatment and prevention often involves communication with intimate partners and physicians, and this communication can require stigma management. Further, stigma communication can influence women’s experiences with UTI symptoms and treatment. The theory of stigma management communication is well-suited to explore how stigma-related communication unfolds about the experience, diagnosis, and treatment of UTIs. The current study uses in-depth interviews conducted in 2022 to learn about experiences with stigma communication surrounding UTIs. Findings reveal that participants perceived UTIs as stigmatized due to associations between UTIs and female gender, sexual behavior, genital health, and hygiene. Participants described using stigma management strategies to accept, ignore, avoid, reduce responsibility for, and challenge stigmas related to UTIs. This analysis has implications for theorizing choice in stigma management research and for provider-patient interactions surrounding UTIs.

Salinity limits mosquitofish invasiveness by altering female activity during mate choice

Biological invasions of freshwater habitats are of increasing biological and economical concern, and both, salinity and parasites are considered to be key contributors to invasion success. Salinity, for example, influences the distribution of invasive mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) and native killifish (Aphanius fasciatus) in Europe, with the latter now predominantly confined to high-salinity habitats. Here, we examined how salinity might affect female activity and preference for large and non-parasitized males in multiple populations of mosquitofish and killifish in Sardinia, Italy. We predicted that (1) females of both species would associate preferentially with larger and uninfected males, and that (2) female behavior in both species would be significantly influenced by salinity. We used dichotomous choice tests, in which we presented focal females with video animations of photos of the same male but differing in body size and presence/absence of an ectoparasite (Lernaea cyprinacea). We calculated female preference based on association time and quantified female inactivity as time spent in the central neutral zone during trials. Contrary to prediction 1, females did not prefer the large or uninfected male stimuli over their counterparts in any of the populations. However, while salinity did not significantly affect female preferences, it did significantly affect their activity, with mosquitofish becoming more inactive at higher salinities and killifish exhibiting the opposite pattern, matching prediction 2. These results suggest that salinity limits mosquitofish invasiveness by reducing their activity and thus provides a refuge for the Mediterranean killifish.

Женщины-оборотни: от образа в сказке до сюжетного мотива в литературе

&lt;p&gt;The article deals with the phenomenon of female werewolfism in Russian folklore and Russian-language literature. The image of a female werewolf in Russian folklore is divided into three categories: 1. Wonderful wives; 2. Bewitched lovers; 3. Substituted wife or bride. The image of a female werewolf in fairy tales is analyzed, functional diversity is revealed. The mythological origin of the image, connected with the idea of "otherworldliness" and anthropomorphic perception of the world, is studied. In Russian folklore, the female werewolf appears either in the image of a victim, who by nature is a human being, or she is asserted to have the function of salvation and improvement of the surrounding world. The transformation into various animals is not only an expression of totemism of Old Russian ancestors, but also a hidden manifestation of otherworldliness. At the same time, the female werewolf is the companion of the male protagonist, the key to the other world and a test for his marriage. The dual nature of woman in Russian fairy tales is eventually overcome, and the woman finally enters the hero's world. Further written literature transforms the worldview aspect into a metaphor describing the complexity and ambiguity of female behavior. N.V. Gogol again actualizes ideas about werewolves-witches, in Soviet literature the phenomenon of werewolfism will appear in the works of P.P. Bazhov, and in modern literature &amp;mdash; in the novels of Victor Pelevin. Female werewolves in modern literature are often portrayed as characters with complex emotions and inner conflicts, as unusual creatures, but with human essence and emotions, or acquire them in the process of communication. The connection between werewolfism and the otherworld has always been maintained.&lt;/p&gt;

Estrous cycle-dependent modulation of sexual receptivity in female mice by estrogen receptor beta-expressing cells in the dorsal raphe nucleus

The sexual receptivity of female mice, shown as lordosis response, is mainly regulated by estradiol action on estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ), depending on the day of the estrous cycle. Previous studies revealed that ERα in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) plays an essential role in the induction of lordosis on the day of estrus (Day 1). However, the mechanisms of the transition to non-receptive states on the day after estrus (Day 2) are not completely understood. In the present study, we investigated the possible role of ERβ, which is highly expressed in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), in lordosis expression. We found that ERβ-Cre female mice, which were ovariectomized and primed with estradiol and progesterone to mimic the estrous cycle, showed high levels of lordosis on Day 2 when ERβ-expressing DRN (DRN-ERβ+) neuronal activity was chemogenetically suppressed. This finding suggests that excitation of DRN-ERβ+ neurons is necessary for the decline of lordosis on Day 2. Fiber photometry recordings during female-male behavioral interactions revealed that DRN-ERβ+ neuronal activation in response to male intromission was significantly more prolonged on Day 2 compared to Day 1. Chemogenetic over-stimulation of DRN-ERβ+ neurons induced c-Fos expression in brain areas known to be inhibitory for lordosis expression, even though they did not express anterogradely labeled fibers of DRN-ERβ+ cells. These findings collectively suggest that DRN-ERβ+ neuronal excitation serves as an inhibitory modulator and is responsible for the decline in receptivity during non-estrus phases.Significance StatementIn females, switching from a sexually receptive state to a non-receptive phase during the estrous cycle is essential for effective behavioral interactions with males and successful reproduction. Here, we delineate the possible brain regions that regulate the decline in receptive behavioral responses, such as lordosis, from those shown on the day of estrus to those on the day after estrus. We found that excitation of neurons expressing estrogen receptor (ER) β in the midbrain dorsal raphe nucleus is crucial for the suppression of lordosis during the day after estrus. This is contrasted with the facilitatory action of ERα, another type of ER, and provides new insights for understanding the neural basis of the adaptive expression of female reproductive behavior.

Effects of double neonatal stress on female rat sexual behaviour

Neonatal stress affects psychological and physiological development and may be associated with affective disorders. The aim was to examine the effects of double neonatal stress (DNS) – a combination of limited bedding and nesting (LBN) and repeated maternal separation (MS) – on the oestrous cycle and sexual behaviour of adult female rats. LBN was achieved by removing part of the wood shavings from the boxes. In the control group, each box was lined with 100 g of wood shavings, while in the experimental group there were only 10 g of wood shavings. MS was performed from P1 (P0 = day of birth) to P15. At P90, the sexual response of females in oestrus was evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey's test. The size and profile of the oestrous cycle and the sexual behaviour of female rats submitted to the DNS were considered, as well as the influence of female behaviour on the sexual response of male rats. Female rats submitted to DNS showed a reduction in the lordosis quotient, suggesting a reduction in female receptivity. These rats also showed a reduction in the number of hops and darts, the number of ear wiggles, and the genital exploration time rate, suggesting a reduction in proceptivity. The males that interacted with the females of the DNS group showed a reduction in intromission ratio. Experimental model that mimics neonatal factors that affect adult female sexual response will allow more effective interventions to prevent and treat such changes. In addition, analysis of the female sexual response makes it possible to assess the general state of health and quality of life. In female rats, DNS exerted inhibitory effects on sexual behaviour. LBN was probably the most important factor. In conclusion, combating childhood poverty can be a key measure to prevent problems in the sex life of adults and improve overall health.