Prenatal stimulation and postnatal testosterone affects infanticide in female rats |
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Authors: | William M. Miley Joshua Blustein Kathleen Kennedy |
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Affiliation: | Psychology Program, Richard Stockton State College, Pomona, NJ 08240 USA |
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Abstract: | Prenatal handling, prenatal stress, and early postnatal exogeneous testosterone were examined in female rats for their effects on rat pup-killing and pup retrieval. During each of the last 5 days of pregnancy, Long-Evans rats received either 3 minutes of handling, 45 minutes of restraint and intense illumination or remained untouched. Half of the offspring of each group received testosterone from Day 1 after birth to Day 30. In adulthood, animals that received handling prenatally and testosterone postnatally killed pups more rapidly than any other group and a larger proportion did so than in the control groups. Animals not manipulated at any time retrieved pups more rapidly and a larger proportion did so than the combined other groups. The study suggests that prenatal handling interacts with testosterone presented immediately postnatally to increase infanticide in female rats. A variety of perinatal manipulations seem to suppress pup retrieval. |
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Keywords: | Prenatal stimulation Postnatal testosterone Infanticide Female rats |
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