Female ultrasonic vocalizations have no incentive value for male rats. 2013

Eelke M S Snoeren, and Anders Ågmo
Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway. eelke.snoeren@uit.no

Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are emitted in response to a sexual partner before, during, and after copulation. These vocalizations are the so-called 50-kHz USVs and can be subdivided into flat and frequency-modulated (FM) 50-kHz trill calls. In the present series of experiments, the potential unconditioned and conditioned incentive properties of female 50-kHz USVs for male rats were examined. USVs were recorded from sexually receptive females during the precopulatory phase. A complete 10-min song, or single flat or FM trill calls were selected as auditory stimuli for Experiments 1 and 2. As FM trill calls, a multistep call was used in Experiments 1 and 2a, and an upward ramp call was used in Experiment 2b. The auditory stimuli were played back with a loudspeaker to naïve and sexually experienced male rats in a sexual incentive motivation test. The odor of a sexually receptive female rat was also used as an incentive stimulus for comparison. In a third experiment, a devocalized female, a sham female and a male rat were used as incentive stimuli. It was found that the auditory stimuli did not induce approach behavior in naïve and sexually experienced male rats, but the olfactory stimulus did. In addition, the males spent equal amounts of time in the vicinity of devocalized and vocalizing females. These data show that 50-kHz USVs neither are unconditioned nor conditioned incentives for male rats.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D009042 Motivation Those factors which cause an organism to behave or act in either a goal-seeking or satisfying manner. They may be influenced by physiological drives or by external stimuli. Incentives,Disincentives,Expectations,Disincentive,Expectation,Incentive,Motivations
D009812 Odorants The volatile portions of chemical substances perceptible by the sense of smell. Odors,Aroma,Fragrance,Scents,Aromas,Fragrances,Odor,Odorant,Scent
D009833 Olfactory Pathways Set of nerve fibers conducting impulses from olfactory receptors to the cerebral cortex. It includes the OLFACTORY NERVE; OLFACTORY BULB; OLFACTORY TRACT; OLFACTORY TUBERCLE; ANTERIOR PERFORATED SUBSTANCE; and OLFACTORY CORTEX. Olfactory Pathway,Pathway, Olfactory,Pathways, Olfactory
D005260 Female Females
D000161 Acoustic Stimulation Use of sound to elicit a response in the nervous system. Auditory Stimulation,Stimulation, Acoustic,Stimulation, Auditory
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012726 Sexual Behavior, Animal Sexual activities of animals. Mating Behavior, Animal,Sex Behavior, Animal,Animal Mating Behavior,Animal Mating Behaviors,Animal Sex Behavior,Animal Sex Behaviors,Animal Sexual Behavior,Animal Sexual Behaviors,Mating Behaviors, Animal,Sex Behaviors, Animal,Sexual Behaviors, Animal
D014465 Ultrasonics A subfield of acoustics dealing in the radio frequency range higher than acoustic SOUND waves (approximately above 20 kilohertz). Ultrasonic radiation is used therapeutically (DIATHERMY and ULTRASONIC THERAPY) to generate HEAT and to selectively destroy tissues. It is also used in diagnostics, for example, ULTRASONOGRAPHY; ECHOENCEPHALOGRAPHY; and ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, to visually display echoes received from irradiated tissues. Ultrasonic
D014828 Vocalization, Animal Sounds used in animal communication. Singing, Animal,Sound Communication, Animal,Vocal Communication, Animal,Animal Singing,Animal Singings,Animal Sound Communication,Animal Sound Communications,Animal Vocal Communication,Animal Vocal Communications,Animal Vocalization,Animal Vocalizations,Communication, Animal Sound,Communication, Animal Vocal,Communications, Animal Sound,Communications, Animal Vocal,Singings, Animal,Sound Communications, Animal,Vocal Communications, Animal,Vocalizations, Animal

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