delBarco-Trillo Javier, Gulewicz Kara, Johnston Robert E
Cornell University, Department of Psychology, Uris Hall 223, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Behav Neurosci. 2009 Aug;123(4):758-63. doi: 10.1037/a0016439.
Efficient discrimination between individuals of closely related species is important to maximize reproductive potential. Some studies using males as subjects have indicated that the medial amygdala (MeA) is involved in discrimination between odors of conspecific females and females from distantly related species. The authors investigated the involvement of the MeA in discrimination by females between odors of conspecific males and odors of males of a closely related species. The authors exposed estrous or diestrous female hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) to saline, conspecific male odors, or heterospecific (M. brandti) male odors and quantified the expression of c-fos-related antigens in the anterior and posterior MeA. They found that estrous (but not diestrous) females investigated conspecific male odors longer than heterospecific male odors. Neural activity in both the anterior and the posterior MeA was higher in estrous than in diestrous females. In the anterior MeA, there were no significant differences in response to odors of conspecific and heterospecific males. In the posterior MeA, however, neural activity was higher when estrous females were exposed to conspecific odors than when they were exposed to heterospecific odors. No such difference was observed in diestrous females.
有效区分近缘物种的个体对于最大化繁殖潜力至关重要。一些以雄性为研究对象的研究表明，内侧杏仁核（MeA）参与了对同种雌性和远缘物种雌性气味的辨别。作者研究了MeA在雌性辨别同种雄性气味和近缘物种雄性气味中的作用。作者将处于发情期或动情间期的雌性仓鼠（金黄仓鼠）暴露于生理盐水、同种雄性气味或异种（布氏仓鼠）雄性气味中，并对前侧和后侧MeA中c-fos相关抗原的表达进行了量化。他们发现，处于发情期（而非动情间期）的雌性对同种雄性气味的探究时间比对异种雄性气味的探究时间更长。发情期雌性前侧和后侧MeA的神经活动均高于动情间期雌性。在前侧MeA中，对同种和异种雄性气味的反应没有显著差异。然而，在后侧MeA中，发情期雌性暴露于同种气味时的神经活动高于暴露于异种气味时。动情间期雌性未观察到这种差异。
