OLFACTORY CUES FROM AN OXYTOCIN-INJECTED MALE-RAT CAN REDUCE ENERGY-LOSS IN ITS CAGEMATES

RATS can recognize the odor of a stressed conspecific and react with s tress themselves. Stress mobilizes energy, causing increased core temp eratures and energy loss by radiation from the naked tail. Oxytocin ad ministered in high doses (1 mg/kg, s.c.) reduces a rat's tail skin tem perature and thereby the radiated energy loss. While administration of this high dose of oxytocin induces sedation low doses induce anxiolys is. This study demonstrates that the cagemates of an oxytocin-treated (1 mg/kg s.c.) rat, which themselves have not received any oxytocin-tr eatment, show energy conservation, apparent as reduced tail skin tempe rature. This effect was blocked by olfactory impairment. The temperatu re reduction in the cagemates probably reflects an oxytocin-mediated o lfactorily activated stress inhibitory mechanism.