THE SOCIAL-ENVIRONMENT DURING PREGNANCY AND LACTATION AFFECTS THE FEMALE OFFSPRINGS ENDOCRINE STATUS AND BEHAVIOR IN GUINEA-PIGS

This study investigated the influence of the social environment during pregnancy and lactation on the female offsprings' endocrine parameter s and behaviour. The subjects studied were daughters whose mothers had either lived in a stable social environment (SSE) during pregnancy an d lactation (SE-mothers) or in an unstable social environment (USE) du ring this period of life (UE-mothers). The SSE was made by keeping the group composition (one male, five females) constant; in the USE situa tion every third day two females from different groups were exchanged. After weaning, 3 groups of daughters from UE mothers (UE-daughters) a nd 3 groups of daughters from SE-mothers (SE-daughters), consisting of four females each, were established. From their 60th through their 80 th day of age the spontaneous behaviour of the daughters was recorded in their home cages. On the endocrine level, cortisol and testosterone (T) concentration in serum as well as adrenal tyrosinehydroxylase act ivities in both adrenals and their weight were determined. UE-daughter s displayed significantly higher amounts of male-typical courtship and play behaviour than SE-daughters. This behavioural masculinization co rresponded with significantly higher T in UE- than SE-daughters. Corti sol levels did not differ between both categories of females. Signific antly higher tyrosinehydroxylase activities and adrenal weight in UE- than SE-daughters pointed, however, to higher degrees of stress respon se in UE-daughters. Thus, the instability of the social environment du ring pregnancy and lactation has distinct effects on the behaviour and endocrine system of the female offspring. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science I nc.