A Study Of The Effects Of Prenatal Stress On Adult Sexual Behavior In Male Mice Of The Strain AB-Y

Abstract

Pregnant female mice of the strain AB-Y were subjected to psychological and physiological stress during the last two weeks of pregnancy. Stress was provided by subjecting the animals to bright lights, confinement, and temperature increase. The male offspring of these stressed mice were then compared with normal control males of non-stressed mothers to test for deviance in male sexual behavior of the prenatally stressed males. The two groups were tested by placing them with estrus lure female mice and observing the male sexual behavioral characteristics displayed. It was found that the prenatally stressed males showed lower levels of male sexual behavior than the control males.