BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT PRENATAL HORMONAL INFLUENCES

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。早期的激素环境被认为影响了一生中男女行为和神经内分泌差异的发展。本研究将发育中的雄性和雌性恒河猴暴露在非典型的产前激素环境中，并研究了它们的行为和神经内分泌发育。治疗被设计成模拟意外暴露或抑制雄激素产前。本研究探讨了产前雄性激素暴露、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：母亲在妊娠第35/40-70天（早期）或第105/110-140天（晚期）期间注射enanthate睾酮（20 mg/周）、氟他胺（一种雄激素受体阻滞剂，30 mg/kg，每日2次）或载体。我们调查了是否减少内源性T产前影响雄性恒河猴成年交配行为。妊娠早期用氟他胺治疗导致男性控制男性的男性化生殖器明显减少，或者男性在妊娠晚期服用氟他胺。在繁殖季节，收集了每只雄性12小时的交配行为。当对社会等级进行校正后，治疗对总体性活动没有显著影响。生殖器阳刚化程度较低的雄性在没有骨盆推力的情况下有更多的坐骑，在没有插入的情况下有更多的坐骑，但射精的水平与其他雄性相当。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程度的降低与交配行为的减少无关。

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.