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Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making
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Prenatal maternal programming determines testosterone response during social challenge.

Kristina Kemme1, Sylvia Kaiser, Norbert Sachser

  • 1Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestrasse 13, 48149 Münster, Germany. kemme@uni-muenster.de

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Maternal prenatal stress in guinea pigs did not cause lasting harm to male offspring. Stable environments during pregnancy led to higher testosterone levels in sons, suggesting better reproductive strategies.

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Area of Science:

  • Animal Behavior
  • Reproductive Biology
  • Neuroendocrinology

Background:

  • Prenatal stress can impact offspring development and behavior.
  • Maternal adaptation to environmental conditions during pregnancy is a key area of study.
  • Understanding the long-term effects of prenatal social instability is crucial for developmental biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether prenatal social stress in guinea pigs has pathological consequences.
  • To determine if mothers adapt their offspring to the prenatal environment.
  • To compare male offspring from stable (SE-sons) versus unstable (UE-sons) maternal environments.

Main Methods:

  • Male guinea pig offspring were studied based on their mothers' prenatal social environment (stable vs. unstable).
  • Eight experimental groups were established, each with one SE-son, one UE-son, and five females.
  • Behavioral observations, body weight measurements, and plasma hormone concentrations (cortisol and testosterone) were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences were found in behavior, body weight, or plasma-cortisol concentrations between SE-sons and UE-sons.
  • SE-sons exhibited significantly higher plasma testosterone concentrations than UE-sons during receptive phases of females.
  • This suggests a higher reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in SE-sons, enabling testosterone level adjustment.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal social instability does not appear to have pathological consequences on the male offspring's phenotype.
  • Maternal social stability during pregnancy may provide male offspring with an advantageous reproductive strategy.
  • SE-males demonstrate an ability to adjust testosterone levels based on social and reproductive cues.