Elsevier

Physiology & Behavior

Volume 14, Issue 3, March 1975, Pages 337-343
Physiology & Behavior

Male copulatory behavior and female maternal behavior in neonatally bulbectomized rats

https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(75)90042-6Get rights and content

Abstract

Olfactory bulbs were destroyed in six-day-old male and female rats, and anosmia was confirmed in adulthood. Bulbectomized males initiated apparently normal sexual activity at the same age as did control animals. As virgins, bulbectomized females did not injure foster young; when allowed to mate and deliver young, they displayed apparently normal maternal behavior. It was concluded that neonatal olfactory bulbectomy does not preclude the development of essentially normal copulatory behavior in the male rat and maternal behavior in the female rat.

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  • Cited by (0)

    This study was supported by research grant HD-04048 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to Benjamin D. Sachs. The estradiol benzoate was donated by Dr. P. Perlman, Schering Corporation, Bloomfield, N. J. Dr. S. S. Winans provided helpful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.

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    Present address: S.U.N.Y. at Binghamton, Department of Biological Sciences, Science 3, Binghamton, N. Y. 13901.

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