Lévy F, Gervais R, Kindermann U, Orgeur P, Piketty V
Animal Behavior Laboratory National Agronomic Research Institute Nouzilly, France.
Behav Neurosci. 1990 Jun;104(3):464-9. doi: 10.1037//0735-7044.104.3.464.
Within a 4-hr period after parturition, the ewe learns the odor of her lamb that will allow later recognition of her offspring from alien lamb. This study investigated the importance of the activation of olfactory bulb (OB) beta-noradrenergic receptors in establishing this olfactory memory. Pregnant ewes (n = 24) were cannulated bilaterally in the OB. Two days before parturition, OB were perfused continuously (10 microliters/hr) with either a solution containing the selective beta-noradrenergic antagonist propranolol (10(-3) M) or vehicle. The results showed that, although 8 of 9 control ewes were still able to bond selectively to their lambs, only 7 of 15 propranolol-treated animals were able to bond (p = .04). These results suggest that activation of beta-noradrenergic receptors in the OB during the period surrounding parturition is required to establish olfactory recognition of the lamb.
在分娩后的4小时内，母羊会记住自己羔羊的气味，以便日后能从其他羔羊中识别出自己的后代。本研究调查了嗅球（OB）β-去甲肾上腺素能受体的激活在建立这种嗅觉记忆中的重要性。对24只怀孕母羊的双侧嗅球进行插管。在分娩前两天，嗅球持续（每小时10微升）灌注含有选择性β-去甲肾上腺素能拮抗剂普萘洛尔（10⁻³ M）的溶液或赋形剂。结果显示，虽然9只对照母羊中有8只仍能选择性地与自己的羔羊建立联系，但普萘洛尔处理的15只动物中只有7只能够建立联系（p = 0.04）。这些结果表明，在分娩前后这段时间内，激活嗅球中的β-去甲肾上腺素能受体对于建立对羔羊的嗅觉识别是必要的。
