Testosterone enhancement during pregnancy influences the 2D:4D ratio and open field motor activity of rat siblings in adulthood

被引:116
作者
Talarovicova, Alzbeta [1 ]
Krskova, Lucia [1 ]
Blazekova, Jana [1 ]
机构
[1] Comenius Univ, Fac Nat Sci, Dept Anim Physiol & Ethol, Bratislava 84215, Slovakia
关键词
Prenatal testosterone; 2D:4D digit ratio; Motor activity; Open field; Rat; DIGIT-LENGTH RATIOS; SEXUAL-DIMORPHISM; FINGER LENGTH; PRENATAL TESTOSTERONE; PLASMA TESTOSTERONE; BEHAVIOR; MALES; AUTISM; DIFFERENTIATION; ANDROGENS;
D O I
10.1016/j.yhbeh.2008.10.010
中图分类号
B84 [心理学]; C [社会科学总论]; Q98 [人类学];
学科分类号
03 ; 0303 ; 030303 ; 04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
In humans, the relationship between the prenatal testosterone exposure and the ratio of the second and the fourth digits (2D:4D) has been extensively studied. Surprisingly, data on this relationship have thus far been lacking in experimental animals such as rats. We studied the effect of maternal testosterone enhancement during pregnancy on the digit ratio and open field activity of adult progeny in Wistar rats. Elevated levels of maternal testosterone resulted in lower 2D:4D ratios and an elongated 4D on the left and right forepaws in both males and females. We found no sex difference in 2D:4D in control animals. In the open held test, control females were more active than control males and testosterone females, while the activity of testosterone females did not differ from that of control males. We found a positive correlation between motor activity and the right forepaw MAD ratio of control males and females. Prenatal exposure to testosterone resulted in the disappearance of this correlation in both males and females. Our results show that elevated levels of testosterone during the prenatal period can influence forepaw 4D length, 2D:4D ratio, and open field motor activity of rats, and that these variables are positively correlated. Thus, this approach represents a noninvasive and robust method for evaluating the effects of prenatal testosterone enhancement on anatomical and physiological parameters. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:235 / 239
页数:5
相关论文
共 38 条
[1]  
[Anonymous], 2004, Prenatal testosterone in mind
[2]  
[Anonymous], 1994, ATT DEF DISR BEH DIS, P78
[3]   The extreme male brain theory of autism [J].
Baron-Cohen, S .
TRENDS IN COGNITIVE SCIENCES, 2002, 6 (06) :248-254
[4]   SEX DIFFERENCE IN WHOLE-BODY ANDROGEN CONTENT IN RATS ON FETAL DAYS 18 AND 19 WITHOUT EVIDENCE THAT ANDROGEN PASSES FROM MALES TO FEMALES [J].
BAUM, MJ ;
WOUTERSEN, PJA ;
SLOB, AK .
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION, 1991, 44 (05) :747-751
[5]  
Bayer S, 2004, The rat nervous system, V3rd, P27, DOI DOI 10.1016/B978-012547638-6/50003-1
[6]   Masculinized finger length patterns in human males and females with congenital adrenal hyperplasia [J].
Brown, WM ;
Hines, M ;
Fane, BA ;
Breedlove, SM .
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR, 2002, 42 (04) :380-386
[7]   Sexual dimorphism in digit-length ratios of laboratory mice [J].
Brown, WM ;
Finn, CJ ;
Breedlove, SM .
ANATOMICAL RECORD, 2002, 267 (03) :231-234
[8]   Digit ratio varies with sex, egg order and strength of mate preference in zebra finches [J].
Burley, NT ;
Foster, VS .
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 2004, 271 (1536) :239-244
[9]   Play, copulation, anatomy, and testosterone in gonadally intact male rats prenatally exposed to flutamide [J].
Casto, JM ;
Ward, OB ;
Bartke, A .
PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR, 2003, 79 (4-5) :633-641
[10]   Sexual dimorphism of the second-to-fourth digit length ratio (2D : 4D) in the strawberry poison dart frog (Oophaga pumilio) in Costa Rica [J].
Chang, Jennifer L. .
JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY, 2008, 42 (02) :414-416