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H H Feder

Publications and source records attributed to H H Feder.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Role of monoamines in sexual behavior of the female guinea pig.

Ovariectomized guinea pigs, rendered sexually receptive by injections of estradiol benzoate and progesterone, were treated with drugs that are known to affect monoamine receptor activity. Treatment with the dopamine receptor stimulant apomorphine or the serotonin agonist LSD resulted in a suppression of lordosis behavior that lasted for several hours. The noradrenergic receptor stimulant chlonidine potentiated the performance of lordosis (i.e., increased the duration of individual lordosis responses), while the noradrenergic receptor blocker phenoxybenzamine abolished sexual receptivity. Administration of dopaminergic or serotonergic receptor blockers (pimozide and methysergide, respectively) did not facilitate lordosis. In fact, methysergide produced a brief inhibition of sexual behavior. The results indicate that noradrenergic neurons may be involved in the induction of female sexual behavior in the guinea pig. Dopamine, and possibly serotonin, may serve as transmitters that inhibit lordosis in this species.

Animals↗

Relation between individual differences in sexual behavior and plasma testosterone levels in the guinea pig.

After 3 tests for male sex behavior, adult male guinea pigs were classified as either low-activity (LA, no ejaculations) or high-activity (HA, ejaculation during at least 2 behavior tests). In one experiment, resting levels of peripheral plasma testosterone (T), measured by radioimmunoassay, did not differ between the groups (LA=2.22 +/- 0.17 ng/ml, HA=2.09 +/- 0.11 ng/ml, X +/- SEM). However, plasma T levels were significantly higher in HA males 2 min after a sex test (2.27 +/- 0.24 ng/ml) than in LA males (1.40 +/- 0.20 ng/ml). A second experiment confirmed these results and also demonstrated that exposure of HA or LA males to an estrous female placed on the opposite side of a wire mesh barrier similarly led to higher T levels in HA than in LA males. These results indicate that a) behavioral differences between HA and LA guinea pigs are not attributable to differences in resting T levels, b) HA and LA males perceive the sex test situation differently, leading to slight increases in T in HA males and slight decreases in T in LA males, and c) these changes in T level are not dependent on copulation but can be induced by mere exposure to the sight smell and/or sound of an estrous female.

Animals↗