Date of Award
6-9-2006
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Aras Petrulis - Chair
Second Advisor
Elliott Albers
Third Advisor
Matthew Grober
Abstract
In Syrian hamsters, sexual preference requires integration of chemosensory and steroid cues. Although data suggest that separate pathways within the brain process these two signals, the functional significance of this separation is not well understood. Within the medial amygdala, the anterior region (MEa) receives input from the olfactory bulbs, whereas the posterodorsal region (MEpd) is sensitive to steroid hormones. Lesions of either the MEa or MEpd eliminated preference to investigate female over male odors. Importantly, males with MEpd lesions displayed decreased attraction toward female odors, suggesting a decrease in sexual motivation. In contrast, males with MEa lesions displayed high levels of investigation of both female and male odors, suggesting an inability to categorize the relevance of the odor stimuli. These results suggest that both the MEa and MEpd are critical for the expression of opposite-sex odor preference, although they appear to mediate distinct aspects of this behavior.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/1061195
Recommended Citation
Maras, Pamela M., "Chemosensory and Steroid-Responsive Regions of the Medial Amygdala Regulate Distinct Aspects of Opposite-Sex Odor Preference in Male Syrian Hamsters (Mesocricetus Auratus)." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2006.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/1061195