BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT PRENATAL HORMONAL INFLUENCES

这个子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和调查员(PI)可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可能会出现在其他CRISE条目中。列出的机构是针对中心的，而不一定是针对调查员的机构。早期的荷尔蒙环境被认为在一生中影响着男性/女性的行为和神经内分泌差异的发展。这项研究将发育中的雄性和雌性恒河猴暴露在非典型的产前荷尔蒙环境中，并一直在调查它们的行为和神经内分泌发育。治疗的目的是模仿产前意外接触或抑制雄激素。这项研究调查了孕期雄激素暴露、社会地位和体重是否是调节雌性恒河猴青春期发育的因素。受试者的母亲在妊娠第35/40-70天(早期)或105/110-140天(晚期)期间注射了睾丸酮enanthate(每周20毫克)、氟他胺(一种雄激素受体阻滞剂，每天两次，每次30毫克/公斤)或赋形剂。我们调查了降低胎儿期内源性T是否会影响雄性恒河猴的成年交配行为。妊娠早期使用氟他胺治疗导致男性控制男性的男性生殖器明显减少，或者男性在怀孕后期服用氟他胺。在繁殖季节，每只雄鸟都收集了12小时的交配行为。当对社会等级的分析进行修正后，治疗对全局性活动没有显著影响。男性生殖器发育不良的男性有更多的坐骑而没有骨盆插入，更多的坐骑没有内陷，但射精的水平与其他男性相当。这项研究分离了雄激素减少对生殖器和行为分化的影响，并表明生殖器男性化减少与交配行为减少无关。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The early hormone environment has been thought to influence the development of male/female behavioral and neuroendocrine differences through the life span. This study exposed developing male and female rhesus monkeys to atypical prenatal hormonal environments and has been investigating their behavioral and neuroendocrine development. Treatments were designed to mimic accidental exposure to or suppression of androgens prenatally. This study investigated whether prenatal androgen exposure, social rank, and body weight are factors regulating pubertal development in female rhesus monkeys. Subjects¿ mothers received injections of testosterone enanthate (20 mg/week), flutamide (an androgen receptor blocker, 30 mg/kg twice daily), or vehicle during gestational days 35/40-70 (early) or days 105/110-140 (late). We investigated whether reducing endogenous T prenatally affected adult copulatory behavior in male rhesus monkeys. Treatment with flutamide early in gestation resulted in males with significantly less masculinized genitals that control males or males getting flutamide late in gestation. Twelve hours of mating behavior were collected on each male during the breeding season. When analyses were corrected for social rank, there were no significant effects of treatment on overall sexual activity. Males with poorly masculinized genitals had more mounts without pelvic thrusting and more mounts without intromissions, but ejaculated at comparable levels to other males. This study separates the effects of reduced androgen on genital and behavioral differentiation and suggests that reduced masculinization of genitalia is not associated with reduced copulatory behavior.