Hormones And Behavior[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
Apomorphine-induced disruption of paced mating behavior in female rats is attenuated by eticlopride, a D2 receptor antagonist, but not SCH 23390, a D1 receptor antagonist.
Kong AAH, Beasley TR, Munson HJF … +1 more , Meerts SH
Horm Behav · 2025 Jul · PMID 40440996 · Full text
Dopamine is linked to sexual motivation and genital arousal in female rats. The present study investigated the effects of systemic apomorphine, a dopamine receptor-type 1 (D1) and -type 2 (D2) agonist, on no contact part...
Dopamine is linked to sexual motivation and genital arousal in female rats. The present study investigated the effects of systemic apomorphine, a dopamine receptor-type 1 (D1) and -type 2 (D2) agonist, on no contact partner preference and paced mating behavior. Ovariectomized, hormone-primed, sexually experienced female rats received 80 μg/kg apomorphine or vehicle 10 min before a partner preference test followed immediately by a paced mating test (Experiment 1). Partner preference did not differ by treatment. However, apomorphine-treated rats exhibited significantly longer contact-return latencies to mounts, intromissions, and ejaculations, greater likelihood of withdrawal after mounts and intromissions, longer intervals between intromissions, reduced time with male, and fewer proceptive behaviors compared to rats receiving vehicle. To test whether effects of apomorphine on paced mating behavior were mediated primarily by D1 or D2 receptors, rats were pretreated with 25 μg/kg eticlopride, a D2 antagonist, or 25 μg/kg SCH 23390, a D1 antagonist, 10 min before receiving 80 μg/kg apomorphine. Rats were then tested for partner preference and paced mating as in Experiment 1. Eticlopride pretreatment attenuated effects of apomorphine; eticlopride → apomorphine-treated rats displayed significantly shorter contact-return latencies to intromission, reduced percentage of exit after mounts, shorter intervals between intromissions, decreased time with male, and more proceptive behaviors relative to saline → apomorphine-treated rats. Effects of apomorphine were not altered by SCH 23390 pretreatment. Apomorphine only affects sexual motivation when mating is possible, indicating that dopamine manipulation influences the physiology that supports behavioral response to sexual stimulation.
Spatial ability, episodic memory, and emotion recognition in women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia or complete androgen insensitivity syndrome.
Asperholm M, Strandqvist A, Falhammar H … +6 more , Frankling K, Åkerlund I, Laukka P, Hirschberg AL, Nordenström A, Herlitz A
Horm Behav · 2025 Jul · PMID 40440995 · Publisher ↗
Conditions like congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) may provide information contributing to the explanation of sex differences in cognition. Using online tests and que...
Conditions like congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) may provide information contributing to the explanation of sex differences in cognition. Using online tests and questionnaires, we examined how prenatal androgen exposure and/or sex chromosomes influence spatial ability, episodic memory, and emotion recognition in women with classic CAH (C-CAH; n = 29), non-classic CAH (NC-CAH; n = 13), CAIS (n = 11), and female (n = 147) and male (n = 142) controls. Results showed that (1) female and male controls differed on most cognitive tasks, whereas (2) women with C-CAH or CAIS did not consistently differ from either female or male controls. Investigating the relative advantage on either the female (episodic memory, emotion recognition) or male-favoring tasks (spatial ability), indicated that women with (3) C-CAH had a cognitive profile that was different from female and male controls, (4) CAIS were not different from male controls, whereas (5) NC-CAH had a relative advantage on female-favoring tasks. These findings suggest that excessive prenatal androgen exposure (C-CAH) may shift cognitive performance toward a male-typical pattern, though not to the male level. Additionally, aspects associated with having 46,XY karyotype, but lacking prenatal androgen receptivity (CAIS) may also influence cognition in a male-typical direction, providing mixed support for the prenatal androgen hypothesis.
Frank Beach Award Winner: In pursuit of adventure: Studying social behavior in beautiful birds and odd rodents, as well as peering into the unknown.
Kelly AM
Horm Behav · 2025 Jul · PMID 40435632 · Publisher ↗
How does the brain promote prosocial behavior in non-reproductive contexts and allow animals to get along in groups? I have spent 20 years pursuing answers to this question. Here I review the body of research that compri...
How does the brain promote prosocial behavior in non-reproductive contexts and allow animals to get along in groups? I have spent 20 years pursuing answers to this question. Here I review the body of research that comprises my career to date. I use a non-traditional narrative format to detail my scientific journey, beginning with why and how I began conducting research with bees and birds as an undergraduate and graduate student, which led to exploring the brains and behavior of various rodents as a postdoctoral researcher and into my independent career as a professor. I discuss the successes and struggles I have experienced as a scientist, and how issues related to science, education, and our planet loom in my consciousness, calling into question the types of academic pursuits my future holds. Ultimately, my hope is that I provide an honest account of the wonders and hardship one can experience in the pursuit of exploring the unknown.
Corticosterone unlikely indicates departure readiness in migratory European robins.
Loshchagina J, Naidenko S, Tsvey A
Horm Behav · 2025 Jul · PMID 40435631 · Publisher ↗
During migration, birds must repeatedly decide when to terminate stopover and resume migratory flight. Such decisions greatly affect their overall migration success and, ultimately, fitness. Departure probability increas...
During migration, birds must repeatedly decide when to terminate stopover and resume migratory flight. Such decisions greatly affect their overall migration success and, ultimately, fitness. Departure probability increases with higher levels of energy reserves, positive wind support and progression of the migration season. However, our knowledge of the endocrine mechanisms underlying this process is still incomplete. To evaluate the possible role of baseline corticosterone (CORT thereafter) in regulation of migratory departure, we analyzed the relationships between CORT levels and factors associated with departure probability in European robins (Erithacus rubecula) blood sampled at two nearby stopover sites during six autumn and six spring migration seasons. Contrary to predictions, in both migration seasons we observed higher CORT levels in lean birds, which are assumed to have low departure motivation. We found no indication that CORT concentrations increased in fat individuals captured around sunset, presumably shortly before departure. In parallel with departure likelihood, CORT levels increased towards the end of migration season in autumn, but there was no seasonal trend in spring, when motivation to continue migration is higher. Finally, CORT levels were positively related to tailwind component in autumn, whereas the opposite trend was observed in spring. In summary, our results provide mixed support for the hypothesis that CORT indicates departure readiness in songbirds. We propose that the observed relationships are more consistent with metabolic functions of CORT. Our study highlights the value of multiyear data and seasonal comparisons in studies of the endocrine regulation of such complex behaviors as departure decision.
An oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism is associated with distinct neural responses to mating encounters in male prairie voles.
King LB, Walum H, Xiao Y … +4 more , Caslin AY, Haddad FC, Young LJ, Johnson ZV
Horm Behav · 2025 Jul · PMID 40414117 · Full text
Oxytocin is a conserved neuropeptide that regulates social and reproductive behaviors in diverse species. Genetic variation in Oxtr, the gene encoding the oxytocin receptor (OXTR), is associated with variation in social...
Oxytocin is a conserved neuropeptide that regulates social and reproductive behaviors in diverse species. Genetic variation in Oxtr, the gene encoding the oxytocin receptor (OXTR), is associated with variation in social attachment behaviors in rodents and humans; however, it is unclear how genetic variation in Oxtr shapes the function of specific neural systems during social contexts. Here we address this question using the socially monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster), a species that expresses an array of OXTR-dependent social behaviors and possesses Oxtr gene polymorphisms that predict individual variation in brain region-specific OXTR expression. We test the neural and behavioral effects of an Oxtr gene polymorphism that has previously been associated with brain region-specific OXTR expression and social attachment behaviors in male prairie voles. Our results suggest that, during brief mating encounters, Oxtr genotype is not associated with differences in mating behavior or in expression levels of the activity-dependent immediate early gene product FOS within brain regions, but it is associated with differences in correlated FOS expression patterns across brain regions.
Expression, distribution, and function of sex hormone receptors in the rabbit brain.
Molina B, González-Mariscal G, Camacho-Arroyo I
Horm Behav · 2025 Jul · PMID 40403422 · Publisher ↗
Sex hormones such as estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone are crucial for vertebrate brain functions by interacting with their specific receptors. In rabbits, these hormones regulate sexual behavior, scent marking,...
Sex hormones such as estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone are crucial for vertebrate brain functions by interacting with their specific receptors. In rabbits, these hormones regulate sexual behavior, scent marking, nest building, and nipple searching across different brain regions. However, information on sex hormone receptors in the rabbit brain is limited. We examined intracellular progesterone (PR), estrogen (ER), and androgen receptors (AR) in the rabbit brain. PR activation by progesterone is associated with pregnancy and maternal behaviors like nest building and nipple searching. PR is expressed in female and male rabbits' cerebral cortex, hypothalamus, preoptic area, and hippocampus. In males, it is also found in the olfactory bulb, mesencephalon, and cerebellum. Rabbits express two ER subtypes, ERα and ERβ, with different expression patterns and functions. The former is in the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, hippocampus, hypothalamus, preoptic area, septum, and thalamus of females. In males, ERα is expressed in the hypothalamus, olfactory bulb, prefrontal cortex, preoptic area, mesencephalon, and cerebellum. Both ERs are located in male rabbits' amygdala, claustrum, and hippocampus. ERs influence estrous behavior and chinning. ERα has a role in rabbit hippocampus development and plasticity. AR is expressed in male rabbit hypothalamus, olfactory bulb, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, preoptic area, mesencephalon, and cerebellum, related to sexual behavior and chinning. Interestingly, sex hormones regulate their own receptor expression and those of other sex hormones. Thus, estradiol regulates PR expression. This review summarizes the expression and distribution of sex hormone receptors in the rabbit brain and their behavioral role.
Role of deep brain photoreceptors in regulation of daily and seasonal responses in birds.
Valdez DJ
Horm Behav · 2025 Jun · PMID 40381409 · Publisher ↗
Birds exhibit an extraordinary morphological, physiological, and behavioral diversity that allows them to adapt to the diverse environments of our planet. To achieve this, they utilize different sensory structures. One o...
Birds exhibit an extraordinary morphological, physiological, and behavioral diversity that allows them to adapt to the diverse environments of our planet. To achieve this, they utilize different sensory structures. One of these structures is located in the deep brain and contains neurons with photopigments (Deep Brain Photoreceptors, DBP) that detect daily and seasonal changes in ambient light (photoperiod), allowing the individual to adjust and synchronize physiological processes with the environment. This DBPs detects and transmits light information to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, regulating the gonadal recrudescence/regression cycle and possibly daily responses in birds. This work reviews and discusses the state of the art about the presence and functionality of DBPs in a phylogenetic context, with a particular focus on annual reproductive responses and their little-known relationship with daily responses. Exceptions to the seasonal reproductive regulation mechanism, as observed in opportunistic bird species such as the eared dove, where food availability appears to drive the activity of the gonadal oscillator are also discussed. Finally, the possible neural pathways through which DBPs transmit photoperiodic information to the circadian system in birds are proposed.
Finger pointing: Why bias against 2D:4D ratios doesn't add up.
Swift-Gallant A, Breedlove SM
Horm Behav · 2025 Jun · PMID 40349410 · Publisher ↗
In response to our invited review of the use of digit ratios such as 2D:4D as a retrospective marker of prenatal androgen exposure, the Editor-In-Chief of this journal published a Commentary disputing the findings we had...
In response to our invited review of the use of digit ratios such as 2D:4D as a retrospective marker of prenatal androgen exposure, the Editor-In-Chief of this journal published a Commentary disputing the findings we had reported, citing a preprint suggesting the sex difference in digit ratios was an artifact of "allometry", and casting doubt on a previously published meta-analysis concluding that lesbians, on average, have lower digit ratios than straight women, suggesting there may be a bias against submitting negative results. Here we respond to those points and conclude that 2D:4D of the right hand remains the best available non-invasive retrospective indicator of prenatal androgen exposure in humans. Further, we offer a new dataset replicating once again the numerous previous reports that lesbians have significantly lower right-hand 2D:4D, indicative of greater prenatal androgen exposure, than heterosexual women, and further report that the ratios of bisexual women are intermediate between those of gay and straight women, without being significantly different from either. Together with previous reports, these new data further indicate that androgens act before birth in humans to promote the likelihood of being sexually attracted to women in adulthood.
The neuroanatomy of menopause.
Luders E, Poromaa IS, Kurth F
Horm Behav · 2025 Jun · PMID 40334636 · Publisher ↗
Sex hormones are known to affect brain structure. Given that menopause is marked by a significant decline in female sex hormones, there might be structural brain alterations around menopause. The aim of this article is t...
Sex hormones are known to affect brain structure. Given that menopause is marked by a significant decline in female sex hormones, there might be structural brain alterations around menopause. The aim of this article is to provide a narrative review on what we know today with respect to links between brain anatomy and menopause, while also considering potential effects of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT). The review is focused on neuroimaging studies analyzing the macro-anatomy or micro-anatomy of the human brain as based on structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Out of the 32 studies reviewed here, 22 studies revealed at least some findings that suggest beneficial effects of estrogen. However, overall, findings are rather mixed pointing to both beneficial and adverse effects (or to no effects at all). The nature of the effects seemed to be unrelated to the spatial scales applied, the morphometric measures obtained, and the brain tissues targeted. Nevertheless, there were some intriguing effects in terms of the study design: Cross-sectionally, there seemed to be a trend for beneficial effects in small-scale studies and for adverse effects in large-scale studies. Longitudinally, there seemed to be a trend for beneficial effects in purely observational studies and for beneficial as well as adverse effects in controlled clinical trials. With particular respect to MHT, early treatment (short after the onset of menopause) might be more beneficial than later treatment. However, overall, data are insufficient to draw final conclusions and further research is required.
Consumption of dietary emulsifiers increases sensitivity to social stress in mice: A potential role for the COX molecular pathway.
Arnold AR, Chassaing B, Lakhani K … +7 more , Bergeron C, Shaughnessy EK, Rosenhauer AM, Stoehr MC, Horne B, Wilkinson T, Huhman KL
Horm Behav · 2025 Jun · PMID 40311305 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Chronic low-grade inflammation and exposure to stress are key contributing factors in the etiology and progression of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Dietary emulsifiers, such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)...
BACKGROUND: Chronic low-grade inflammation and exposure to stress are key contributing factors in the etiology and progression of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Dietary emulsifiers, such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and polysorbate-80 (P80), are commonly added to processed foods and drinks and are classified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Recently, however, we and others have reported that these additives at translationally relevant doses cause low-grade intestinal inflammation, microbiota dysbiosis, and alterations in gene expression in brain areas that mediate behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to stress-provoking stimuli. METHODS: To test whether emulsifier exposure sensitizes behavioral, hormonal, and neuronal responses to stress, C57BL/6 J male mice were given water +1 % emulsifier (CMC or P80) or water alone for 12 weeks after which they were exposed to social defeat stress. We previously found increased PTGS2 (COX-2) gene expression in the amygdala following emulsifier consumption. To determine whether inflammation, potentially through the COX pathway, is a potential mechanism driving emulsifier-induced increases in stress sensitivity, we administered the COX inhibitor aspirin (25 mg/kg/day) in conjunction with emulsifiers for the last six weeks of treatment. RESULTS: In defeated mice, CMC increased circulating corticosterone, while both emulsifiers increased social avoidance behavior and altered defeat-induced c-Fos immunofluorescence in various brain regions. Moreover, behavioral and hormonal alterations were attenuated by aspirin. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that ingestion of at least some dietary emulsifiers at concentrations analogous to those ingested by humans increases sensitivity to social stress in mice and that the COX pathway may be a mechanistic candidate by which emulsifier-induced increases in sensitivity to social stress occur.
Hormonal synchrony in older couples' everyday life: The role of situational stressors and buffers.
Hopf D, Aguilar-Raab C, Gödde JU … +3 more , Schneider E, Ditzen B, Eckstein M
Horm Behav · 2025 Jun · PMID 40288213 · Publisher ↗
Synchrony in physiology in romantic couples has been suggested to be a result of joint interaction and co-regulation of stress and affect. However, it is subject of debate whether synchrony in endocrine levels - especial...
Synchrony in physiology in romantic couples has been suggested to be a result of joint interaction and co-regulation of stress and affect. However, it is subject of debate whether synchrony in endocrine levels - especially in oxytocin - is generally beneficial or if a reciprocal transmission of stress may even be stress-increasing. The aim of this study was to investigate hormonal synchrony in older couples in relation to situational mindfulness, relationship conflict (quarreling), as well as situational resilience and subjective stress levels. A total of N = 26 individuals (i.e., N = 13 couples) aged between 52 and 75 years provided saliva samples and self-report measures 12 times over the course of 2 days (312 measures in total). Superior to randomly scrambled dyads, multilevel models predicted cortisol, alpha-amylase, and oxytocin levels from one partner for the other. Synchrony was higher at times of high levels of quarreling but mitigated in moments of high mindfulness. Moreover, oxytocin synchrony was reduced in couples exerting higher average levels of stress. We interpret this finding as buffering personal factors to protect against the transmission of dyadic stress. To draw implications for clinical interventions to promote these factors and given the preliminary character of the sample and the effects, future studies need to systematically expand this field of research and application.
Gendered interests and behavior in women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia or complete androgen insensitivity syndrome.
Strandqvist A, Asperholm M, Falhammar H … +3 more , Hirschberg AL, Nordenström A, Herlitz A
Horm Behav · 2025 Jun · PMID 40286452 · Publisher ↗
Psychological outcomes in people with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) may provide information contributing to the understanding of development of behaviors that ty...
Psychological outcomes in people with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) may provide information contributing to the understanding of development of behaviors that typically show sex differences. In this study, we investigated gender identity, friendship quality and occupational choices. Participants were women with 46,XX classic CAH (C-CAH; n = 29), non-classic CAH (NC-CAH; n = 13), women with 46, XY CAIS (n = 11), male controls (n = 147) and female controls (n = 142). Participants completed an online survey with questions on gender identity, friendship, (sex of friends in childhood, adolescence, adulthood), friendship style, and occupation. Results showed that (1) female and male controls differed on most outcomes. (2) Women with CAIS and women with NC-CAH responded in a pattern not different from female controls on most questions regarding gendered behavior. (3) Women with C-CAH and women with CAIS responded more similarly to male controls than female controls on the friendship questionnaire. (4) Women with C-CAH worked in occupations with a male sex distribution whereas females with CAIS worked in occupations that were not different from those of female or male controls. (5) More severe forms of CAH were associated with a response pattern more in line with that of male controls, whereas the opposite was true for females with less severe forms of CAH.
Interplay between prenatal bisphenol exposure, postnatal maternal care, and offspring sex in predicting DNA methylation relevant to anxiety-like behavior in rats.
Lauby SC, Agarwal I, Lapp HE … +5 more , Salazar M, Semyrenko S, Chauhan D, Margolis AE, Champagne FA
Horm Behav · 2025 Jun · PMID 40273582 · Full text
Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as bisphenols, can alter neurodevelopmental trajectories and have a lasting neurobehavioral impact through epigenetic pathways. However, outcomes associated with...
Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as bisphenols, can alter neurodevelopmental trajectories and have a lasting neurobehavioral impact through epigenetic pathways. However, outcomes associated with prenatal bisphenol exposure may also be shaped by the postnatal environment and collectively these environmental effects may be sex-specific. Thus, an integrative research design that includes multiple early life exposures and considers sex differences may be essential for predicting outcomes. In the current study, we use a multivariate approach to examine the contributions of prenatal bisphenol exposure, postnatal maternal care, and offspring sex to variation in DNA methylation of well-studied candidate genes (NR3C1, BDNF, OXTR) in the ventral hippocampus and amygdala of adult Long-Evans rats. Main effects of postnatal maternal care and interactions with prenatal bisphenol exposure were consistently found for DNA methylation within the NR3C1 gene (ventral hippocampus) and within the BDNF and OXTR genes (amygdala). Sex-specific effects were also found across all analyses. Overall, our findings suggest that both early-life factors (prenatal and postnatal) and offspring sex contribute to variation in DNA methylation in genes and brain regions relevant for the expression of anxiety-like behavior. These results highlight the need to consider the brain region-specific effects of multiple exposures in males and females to understand the lasting effects of early environments.
The microbiota shapes the development of the mouse hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus.
Milligan YC, Peters NV, West G … +4 more , Cortes LR, Chassaing B, de Vries GJ, Castillo-Ruiz A
Horm Behav · 2025 Jun · PMID 40262424 · Full text
Microbes massively colonize the mammalian newborn at birth. We previously reported that the microbiota influences key neurodevelopmental events, e.g., when compared to their conventionally colonized (CC) counterparts, st...
Microbes massively colonize the mammalian newborn at birth. We previously reported that the microbiota influences key neurodevelopmental events, e.g., when compared to their conventionally colonized (CC) counterparts, sterile newborn mice ("germ-free" or GF) show higher cell death in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Here, we tested the hypothesis that the microbiota, perhaps via cell death mechanisms, shapes PVN development. To this aim, we used a cross-fostering approach that also allowed us to test whether any potential effects are influenced by microbial colonization at birth or programmed prenatally via the maternal microbiota. Specifically, we cross-fostered GF pups to CC dams (GF → CC) immediately after birth and compared them to control groups cross-fostered within microbial status (CC → CC, GF → GF). At postnatal day 7, GF → GF and GF → CC newborns had fewer PVN cells than did CC → CC newborns, without affecting PVN volume. In a follow-up experiment, we confirmed a reduction in PVN cell number with no change in PVN volume in adult GF mice. Thus, the greater cell death previously observed in the PVN of newborn GF mice is associated with a permanent reduction in cell number. Because the deficit is not altered by introducing a microbiota at birth, our findings also suggest that the maternal microbiota shapes development of the PVN starting in utero.
Impact of adolescent high-fat diet and psychosocial stress on neuroendocrine stress responses and binge eating behavior in adult male Lewis rats.
Sierra J, Simon TB, Hilal DA … +3 more , Torres YA, Santiago Santana JM, Figueroa JD
Horm Behav · 2025 May · PMID 40252619 · Publisher ↗
Childhood obesity is a multifactorial disease affecting >160 million adolescents worldwide. Adolescent exposure to obesogenic environments, characterized by access to high-fat diets and stress, precipitates maladaptive e...
Childhood obesity is a multifactorial disease affecting >160 million adolescents worldwide. Adolescent exposure to obesogenic environments, characterized by access to high-fat diets and stress, precipitates maladaptive eating habits in adulthood such as binge eating. Evidence suggests a strong association between Western-like high-saturated fat (WD) food consumption and dysregulated hormone fluctuations. However, few studies have explored the long-term impact of adolescent WD and psychosocial stress on brain and behavior. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate the impact of adolescent exposure to an obesogenic diet on stress resiliency and increased susceptibility for binge-like eating behaviors. Adolescent male Lewis rats were given WD (41% fat; n = 40) or control diet (CD, 16% fat; n = 38) for 4 weeks before undergoing a stress protocol of predator exposure and social instability (CDE, WDE, CDU, WDU; n = 16/group). Subjects were provided intermittent WD access (24 h/week) to evaluate binge-like eating behavior in adulthood. Fecal corticosterone and testosterone were measured at four timepoints throughout adolescence and adulthood. WD rats exhibited increased body weight (p = 0.0217) and elevated testosterone in mid-adolescence (p = 0.0312) and blunted stress-induced corticosterone response in mid-late adolescence (CDE:WDE, p = 0.028). Adolescent hormone levels were negatively correlated with binging and explained the variability between adult rats expressing hyperphagic and hypophagic behaviors. These results demonstrate that exposure to WD in adolescence disrupts hormone fluctuations and stress responsivity, with effects persisting into adulthood. This underscores the importance of addressing obesogenic environments early to mitigate their lasting impact on hormone regulation and stress responsiveness.
Activational and organizational actions of gonadal hormones on the sexual dimorphism of the α-subunit containing GABA receptor in Wistar rats with neuropathic pain.
Pizaña-Encarnación JM, Escoto-Rosales MJ, Islas-Espinoza AM … +6 more , Morales-Galindo DK, Déciga-Campos M, Quintanar BG, Reyes R, Granados-Soto V, Fernández-Guasti A
Horm Behav · 2025 May · PMID 40250165 · Publisher ↗
Sex differences in pain perception and response to analgesics are well documented, yet the underlying causes remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the sexual dimorphism in the function of αGABA receptors in neuro...
Sex differences in pain perception and response to analgesics are well documented, yet the underlying causes remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the sexual dimorphism in the function of αGABA receptors in neuropathic pain, focusing on activational and organizational actions of gonadal hormones. Using the nerve ligation model in rats, we found that the positive allosteric modulator, PZ-ll-029 (30 nmol, it), produced a robust antiallodynic effect in females but not in males. Ovariectomy abolished this effect, while a single dose of estradiol (20 μg/kg sc, -24 h), that returned to physiological serum levels, partially restored it, indicating that the activational effect of estradiol is crucial for αGABA receptor-mediated antiallodynia in females. Interestingly, adult or neonatal (at postnatal day 3) orchidectomy did not alter the male's insensitivity to PZ-ll-029, even after estradiol treatment. However, neonatal female's virilization (with testosterone propionate 120 μg/rat at postnatal day 3) induced a male-like insensitivity to PZ-ll-029, that was partial when the ovaries were present and complete after adult ovariectomy. These findings reveal that the neonatal organizational effects of testosterone determine the sex-specific insensitivity of αGABA receptors to modulate neuropathic pain, while the activational effects of estradiol can partly maintain the female-typical response, despite early androgen exposure. Our results provide new insights into hormonal regulation of pain modulation and suggest that both developmental exposure and adult status should be considered in basic research and preclinical studies investigating sex-based dimorphisms.
Association between CAIDE risk score and episodic memory in middle-aged females: The impact of spontaneous menopause.
Kearley J, Lissaman R, Laugier A … +1 more , Rajah MN
Horm Behav · 2025 May · PMID 40250164 · Publisher ↗
There is growing evidence that postmenopause is associated with episodic memory decline in some females. Although midlife vascular risk factors are established predictors of brain health, it is unclear whether episodic m...
There is growing evidence that postmenopause is associated with episodic memory decline in some females. Although midlife vascular risk factors are established predictors of brain health, it is unclear whether episodic memory decline at postmenopause is related to vascular risk, and whether such effects affect specific mnemonic functions (e.g. recollective processing vs. novelty detection). This study investigated whether vascular risk, measured by the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia (CAIDE) score, predicts episodic memory in middle-aged females at pre- and post-menopause. Eighty-five cognitively unimpaired females (42 premenopausal, 43 postmenopausal) aged 39.5 to 65.1 years completed easy (low encoding load) and hard (high encoding load) versions of a face-location episodic memory task. Outcome measures were spatial source retrieval (correct source accuracy; CS) and detection of novel stimuli (correct rejections; CR). Linear-mixed models (LMMs) tested menopause group effects on CS and CR, while separate LMMs stratified by menopause status assessed whether CAIDE score predicted memory performance in each group. Results indicated that postmenopausal females performed worse than premenopausal females in both CS (β = 0.08, p < 0.001) and CR (β = 0.05, p = 0.011), with postmenopausal females more sensitive to task difficulty in CS. Higher CAIDE scores were associated with poorer CS accuracy in postmenopausal females only (β = -0.14, p = 0.009), with no effect on CR. These findings highlight the significance of vascular risk in episodic memory decline and emphasize the role of reproductive status in midlife cognition.
Oxytocin administration rescues the negative impacts of social isolation on wound healing in mice.
Steele SR, Ratuski AS, Hui EI … +5 more , Mahoney BS, Geronimo JT, Huss MK, Parker KJ, Garner JP
Horm Behav · 2025 May · PMID 40239573 · Publisher ↗
In humans and animals, social isolation leads to worsened health outcomes in many disease areas, including wound healing. Oxytocin, a prosocial hormone with anti-inflammatory properties, has been strongly implicated in t...
In humans and animals, social isolation leads to worsened health outcomes in many disease areas, including wound healing. Oxytocin, a prosocial hormone with anti-inflammatory properties, has been strongly implicated in the salutary benefits of social relationships. Oxytocin administration can mitigate the negative effects of social isolation on health outcomes, as demonstrated in rat and hamster wound healing models. However, little research has been conducted with mice, which are more common laboratory animal models, and which have markedly different social structures from these other rodent species. Moreover, the effects of social isolation and oxytocin administration on wound healing have not been investigated in mice within the same experiment, nor have they been compared between males and females. Here, we housed male and female C57BL/6 mice (n = 40) in social isolation or same-sex pairs. Mice received a subcutaneous biopsy punch wound and were subsequently administered IP oxytocin or placebo daily for 14 days. Socially isolated mice administered oxytocin, and pair-housed mice administered either oxytocin or placebo, showed a significantly faster decrease in wound area and more collagen fiber variance (i.e., less scar tissue) compared to socially isolated mice administered placebo. No sex differences were observed in any outcome measure. Thus, social housing and oxytocin administration each non-additively reduce the negative effects of social isolation on wound healing in mice. Oxytocin administration may be a promising pharmacological strategy by which to improve post-surgical healing in animals and humans, especially in those where limited social contact is necessary or in those with sparse social networks.
Consequences of menopause for brain health.
Gervais NJ, Barth C, Lacreuse A
Horm Behav · 2025 May · PMID 40221326 · Publisher ↗
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Hormonal changes in first-time human fathers in relation to paternal investment.
Rilling JK, Lee M, Zhou C … +5 more , Jung E, Arrant E, Davenport-Nicholson A, Zhang X, Ethun K
Horm Behav · 2025 May · PMID 40209509 · Full text
In many biparental species, males experience hormonal changes across the transition to fatherhood that prepare them for their new caregiving role. In humans, cross-sectional comparisons have revealed hormonal differences...
In many biparental species, males experience hormonal changes across the transition to fatherhood that prepare them for their new caregiving role. In humans, cross-sectional comparisons have revealed hormonal differences between fathers and nonfathers, however it is not clear when hormone levels change in new fathers, how such changes relate to paternal involvement and attachment, or even whether men with particular hormonal profiles are more likely to become fathers. In this longitudinal study, we aimed to elucidate the trajectory of hormonal changes in new fathers with greater temporal resolution than previous studies, and to provide further insight into the direction of causality between hormone levels and paternal behavior by asking whether hormone levels predict behavior at subsequent time points, or vice-versa. We recruited a sample of 51 first-time expecting fathers and measured levels of plasma testosterone, oxytocin, vasopressin and cortisol at four time points spanning 4-5 months gestation through 4 months postnatally, and we compared these changes to those found in a control sample of 57 adult male nonfathers. We also examined the concurrent and lagged relationships between hormone levels and fathers' self-reported paternal behaviors. From early in the prenatal period, fathers showed lower levels of both testosterone and vasopressin compared with nonfathers, and lower levels of these hormones during the prenatal period predicted greater postnatal paternal investment in the mother and child. Similar to what is known for human mothers, oxytocin levels increased across the gestational period in new fathers, but oxytocin levels were not associated with greater self-reported paternal involvement or attachment. Finally, cortisol levels did not differ between fathers and nonfathers, and were not predictive of paternal involvement or attachment. Our findings raise the possibility that low levels of vasopressin and testosterone found in expecting fathers anticipate a shift in life history strategy toward greater investment in parenting.
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