Olfaction, GABAergic neurotransmission in the olfactory bulb, and intermale aggression in mice: Modulation by steroids

A model to explain individual differences in mice for the propensity to attack male conspecifics is proposed. In the first part of the paper, the relation between olfaction and intermale aggression is discussed emphasizing the importance of olfactory cues provided by the opponent and their subsequent processing by the attacking male. The physiological role of GABA in the olfactory pathway is presented in the second part of the paper. The third part investigates the possible modulating action of steroids on the GABA-A receptor complex, intermale aggression, and olfaction. We hypothesize that at least part of the individual differences in the propensity to attack may be explained by a differential olfactory recognition and discrimination of the opponent as a stranger through a differential processing threshold of the olfactory cues provided by the urine of the opponent. A possible modulation of this threshold by steroids, especially testosterone, is also discussed.