Influence of gonadal hormones on the development of parental behavior in adult virgin prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) are a socially monogamous species and both sexes are parental after the birth of pups. In contrast, sexually inexperienced adult prairie voles differ in their behavior towards pups such that virgin males are paternal whereas virgin females are often infanticidal. To test whether there exists a discrete perinatal 'sensitive period' during which gonadal hormones influence this behavior, and to distinguish between the relative contributions of estrogenic and androgenic mechanisms to this influence, prairie voles were exposed to testosterone propionate (TP), the anti-androgen flutamide, or the aromatase inhibitor 1,4,6-androstatriene-3,17-doine (ATD) either prenatally via their pregnant dam for the last 15-19 days of the 22-day gestational period or postnatally on days 1-7. None of the treatments altered the high paternal responsiveness of males or the high infanticide rate in females when compared with controls. Females exposed prenatally to ATD, however, had levels of parental behavior that were significantly higher than the lowest levels observed in prenatally TP-treated females. These results suggest that sex differences in the parental behavior of adult virgin prairie voles are not generated exclusively by androgenic or estrogenic mechanisms during a restricted prenatal or early postnatal 'sensitive period' and that the parental behavior of virgin females may be more susceptible to any influence of gonadal hormones during development than males.