2024-03-29T07:53:38Zhttps://repositori.uji.es/oai/requestoai:repositori.uji.es:10234/685802022-10-28T13:12:19Zcom_10234_8033com_10234_9col_10234_8636
00925njm 22002777a 4500
dc
Paredes Ramos, Pedro
author
MIQUEL, MARTA
author
Manzo, Jorge
author
Pfaus, James G.
author
López Meraz, María Leonor
author
Coria Ávila, Genaro A.
author
2012
Female rats display a conditioned partner preference for males that bear odors paired with different types of rewarding unconditioned stimuli (UCS). Here we examined whether tickling constitutes a rewarding UCS that supports the development of partner preferences. In Experiment 1, we tested the possibility that odors associated with a tickling UCS in prepubescent rats would induce a conditioned partner preference in adulthood. Two groups were formed with 31-day-old, single-housed females, tickled for 6 min daily for 10 days, by a hand that wore a scented glove (almond or lemon). At 47 days of age, females were ovariectomized (OVX), hormone-primed (EB + P), and tested for sexual partner preference with two scented stud males (one almond and one lemon). In each group, females displayed a sexual preference toward males bearing the odor paired with tickling, as observed with longer visits, more solicitations, hops & darts, and receiving more intromissions and ejaculations from the preferred male. In Experiment 2, we used 3-month old, OVX, hormone-primed rats conditioned every 4 days for 10 trials. In contrast to juvenile females, adult females failed to prefer males that bore the odor paired with tickling but instead preferred the novel male. These results suggest that tickling has opposite age-dependent effects in the conditioning of partner preference. Tickling in juvenile females appears to act as a rewarding UCS, whereas in adult females it may act as an aversive UCS. Further research is needed to understand brain mechanisms that might account for such differences.
0031-9384
1873-507X
http://hdl.handle.net/10234/68580
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.05.017
Tickling
Juvenile play
Conditioning
Place preference
Partner preference
Sexual behavior
Odors
Tickling in juvenile but not adult female rats conditions sexual partner preference