Behavioral and hormonal responses to corticosterone in the male red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis

Physiology & Behavior
I T Moore, R T Mason

Abstract

Stress and glucocorticoids are generally thought to suppress reproductive function at multiple levels. We tested the hypotheses that exogenous corticosterone would suppress sexual behavior in a dose-dependent manner, as well as drive a decrease in plasma testosterone levels in the male red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis. We examined this by challenging individual males with intraperitoneal injections of exogenous corticosterone, and subsequently exposing them to sexually attractive females or taking a blood sample. Previous work has demonstrated a hormonal but no behavioral response to stress in this species. In this study, increasing concentrations of exogenous corticosterone rapidly suppressed mating behavior in a threshold manner. However, exogenous corticosterone had no effect on plasma levels of testosterone. Thus, these data suggest that the mechanism is in place for corticosterone to suppress mating behavior in this species and that these effects do not occur because of an indirect effect on plasma levels of testosterone but rather are the direct effect of the hormone itself. In addition, the negative relationship observed previously between plasma levels of corticosterone and testosterone in this spe...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 3, 2008·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Susannah S FrenchMichael C Moore
Mar 15, 2012·Journal of Comparative Physiology. B, Biochemical, Systemic, and Environmental Physiology·Christopher P JohnstoneAlan Lill
Jan 15, 2004·Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology·Tim S JessopJoan M Whittier
Mar 5, 2003·Hormones and Behavior·Ignacio T Moore, Tim S Jessop
Jul 25, 2003·Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology : RTP·Oduvaldo C M PereiraWilma G Kempinas
Jan 15, 2004·Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology·Susan M Jones, Karyn Bell
Jan 3, 2012·General and Comparative Endocrinology·Deborah I Lutterschmidt
Mar 17, 2010·General and Comparative Endocrinology·Matthieu SereauAndré Lacroix
Dec 9, 2008·General and Comparative Endocrinology·Brendan Delehanty, Rudy Boonstra
Oct 22, 2008·Physiological and Biochemical Zoology : PBZ·Deborah I Lutterschmidt, Robert T Mason
Jul 2, 2003·Journal of Neuroendocrinology·J C Wingfield, R M Sapolsky
Jul 14, 2012·Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part A, Ecological Genetics and Physiology·Ryan J Seddon, Matthew Klukowski
Jan 5, 2011·Physiology & Behavior·Randolph W KrohmerRobert T Mason
Oct 11, 2017·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Ashley R LucasDeborah I Lutterschmidt
Jan 8, 2001·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·B Vanhooydonck, R Van Damme
Jan 1, 2015·Conservation Physiology·Natalie M SopinkaSteven J Cooke
May 29, 2018·Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part A, Ecological and Integrative Physiology·Lindsey Swierk, Tracy Langkilde
May 11, 2017·Toxicon : Official Journal of the International Society on Toxinology·Natalie M ClaunchEmily N Taylor
Feb 27, 2017·General and Comparative Endocrinology·Natalie M ClaunchEmily N Taylor
Dec 25, 2016·Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology·Eric J GangloffAnne M Bronikowski
Apr 28, 2010·Hormones and Behavior·Randolph W KrohmerRobert T Mason
Sep 15, 2009·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Deborah I Lutterschmidt, Robert T Mason
Jul 17, 2021·Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part A, Ecological and Integrative Physiology·Deborah I LutterschmidtAndrew R Summers

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