The aim of the present experiment was to determine the effect of androgen (
testosterone propionate) on the social dominance-submission relationship in rats.
The battery of 12 activity wheels were used. Each wheel with a small living cage (15 × 15 × 25cm) located in a sound-proof box, and was always illuminated by a 10 watt lamp throughout the experiments. The temperature in the soundproof box was kept from 19°C to 23°C. Every day rats were feeded only one hour from 1 : 00 P. M. to 2 : 00 P. M.
In experiment I
Ss were 14 intact male rats, 70 days old at the beginning of the experiment.
Ss were first given a period of 21 days habituation (period I) in the activity wheel. Then two rats were paired, and put together into a activity wheel. Under such a competitive condition two rats began to struggle to occupy one wheel. During 12 days (period II), each revolving numbers of two rats in each pair was recorded for two hours from 11 : 00 A. M. to 1 : 00 P. M. In this period dominance-submission relationship was spontaneously established as shown in period II of Fig. 1 (average score of 7 pairs).
There followed a period of 21 days during which a 300μg/kg dose of androgen was injected every day to the subordinate members of each pair who were inferior in revolving the wheel.
This administratration of androgen reversed the dominance-submission relationship that existed in the previous period. But during the next non-injection period IV (9 days), this reversed dominance-submission relationship began to reverse again gradually.
In experiment II 8 intact male rats, 70 days old, were used. After a period of 21 days habituation in the wheel,
Ss were injected a 300 μg/kg dose of androgen for 21 days. This administration of androgen produced some slight increase of wheel-activity, but it was not clear enough as shown in Fig. 4.
It seems that the genuine effectiveness of injected androgen is masked to some degree by the innate level of androgen in intact male rats. It was expected that the injected androgen might have a significant effect on wheel-activity in rats if the innate androgen level was decreased by castration specially in male rats.
This hypothesis was tested in experiment III and IV. In experiment III three castrated male rats were used. In addition to castrated males, two female rats were used, as the androgen level in females is innately low. And these rats were ovariectomized to remove the effect of estrous cycle on the wheel-activity.
The wheel-activity was measured for 18 days following recovery period (12 days) after castration, the operation of which was performed at 80 days old. After the period of 18 days of habituation in the wheel, Ss were injected 300μg/kg of androgen for 12 days. This administration produced a marked increase in wheelactivity of males as well as that of females. During the next non-injection period, rats showed gradually decreasing tendency in revolving the wheel.
From the results obtained, it would be concluded that the injection of androgen increased the activity level of rats in revolving the wheel, and this increased activity determined the dominance-submission relationship.
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