ROLE OF THE VOMERONASAL ORGAN IN MURINE PRIMING AND SIGNALLING CHEMOCOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.
Item
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Title
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ROLE OF THE VOMERONASAL ORGAN IN MURINE PRIMING AND SIGNALLING CHEMOCOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS.
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Identifier
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AAI8103936
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identifier
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8103936
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Creator
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INGERSOLL, DAVID WILLIAM.
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Contributor
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Ching-Tse Lee
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Date
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1980
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Experimental
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Abstract
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The vomeronasal mediation of several mouse chemosignals was examined. In these experiments, the sensory chemoreceptors of the primary olfactory mucosa and vomeronasal organ were destroyed by intranasal zinc sulfate irrigation and electrolytic lesions, respectively. Experiment 1 examined established-estrous suppression in group-housed females followed by chemosensory deafferentation. It was found that vomeronasal lesions disrupted inter-female chemocommunication as evidenced by their resumption of estrous. No significant change in estrous state was obtained in females who received primary olfactory receptor destruction. Experiment 2 investigated the sensory role of the vomeronasal organ in estrous regularity. These females were individually housed and were demonstrating 7-9 estrous cycles. However, estrous cycles of those females who received vomeronasal lesions, were shortened to 4-5 days. Females who received primary olfactory deafferentation showed no change in their estrous cycle length. The findings of Experiments 1 and 2 suggest that vomeronasal lesioning has estrous consequences similar to that of presenting an adult male to an intact female. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the vomeronasal organ also mediates the male chemosignal that induces pregnancy termination in recently inseminated females. Experiment 4 investigated the role of the vomeronasal organ in chemosignal dependent reproductive behavior of females. The results paralleled the findings of the previous experiments, clearly demonstrating vomeronasal and not primary olfactory mediation of chemosignals. Experiment 5 examined the aggression-promoting male chemosignal. Although vomeronasal mediation of this chemosignal was demonstrated, aggression was not completely eliminated and evidence was presented for primary olfactory mediation. Experiment 6 investigated social dominance in small colonies of mice, whereby it was also shown that both chemosensory systems appear to mediate aggression-promoting chemosignals. Experiment 7 examined odorant concentration discrimination in vomeronasal and primary olfactory deafferented animals. These animals possessed only a functional vomeronasal organ and were able to discriminate between two concentrations of either hexane or butanol. Their sensitivity (i.e., d') was, however, significantly less than sham and vomeronasal-lesioned animals, who each possessed a functional primary olfactory system. In summary, the results of this study demonstrate that the vomeronasal organ mediates reproduction-related chemocommunicative stimuli. Sensory mediation of the aggression-promoting chemosignal appears to be jointly mediated by primary and vomeronasal systems. The present findings also indicate that animals can use the vomeronasal organ for odorant detection.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
