Abstract
Olfactory preferences between urine odors from estrous and nonestrous female mice were tested using four groups of BDF1 male mice; sexually experienced or sexually naive and intact or castrated. The presence or absence of the testes was a significant factor affecting urine preference, but prior sexual experience was not a significant determinant of discrimination ability. Thus, olfactory preference, by males, for female urine from different stages of the estrous cycle is affected by castration but does not require previous sexual experience.
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This research was supported, in part, by United States Public Health Service Grant NH 24483 to Drickamer and Sloan Discretionary funds from Williams College. We thank Aubrey Manning, Christina Williams and John Gould for their technical assistance. We thank Dr. Thomas E. McGill for reading the manuscript and for sponsoring this paper, for which he takes full editorial responsibility.
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Rose, E., Drickamer, L.C. Castration, sexual experience, and female urine odor preferences in adult BDF1 male mice. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 5, 84–86 (1975). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336714
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03336714