l-DOPA reverses castration-induced disruption of dishabituation responses to female chemical cues in male rats - Guan, X.; Dluzen, D.E. (Elsevier)
In the present experiment, habituation/dishabituation behavioral tests were conducted to measure discriminatory olfactory recognition responses to chemical cues among control, castrated, and castrated + l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA)-treated males rats. Castration produced a disruption of dishabituation responses to female urine, and this effect was reversed by treatment with l-DOPA. In the posterior olfactory bulb, 3,4,-dihydroxyphenlacetic acid (DOPAC) levels were significantly increased in l-DOPA-treated animals compared with the vehicle-treated control and castrated groups. No significant differences in olfactory bulb norepinephrine or dopamine concentrations among the three treatment groups were obtained. The restoration of behavioral dishabituation responses following l-DOPA treatment suggests that the catecholaminergic system of the olfactory bulb may play a critical role in the recognition and possibly attractions for or preferences to female chemical cues.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0091-3057(94)90562-2
Keywords: V; WW-YZ