EFFECTS OF ANDROGEN TREATMENT OF FULL-GROWN PUBERTALLY CASTRATED RATS UPON MALE SEXUAL-BEHAVIOR, INTERMALE AGGRESSIVE-BEHAVIOR AND THE SEQUENTIAL PATTERNING OF AGGRESSIVE INTERACTIONS

Testosterone propionate (TP) treatment of full-grown puberally castrated rats (500 .mu.g/100 g body weight/day) for 21 days stimulated male sexual and intermale biting behavior significantly. A behavioral sequence analysis demonstrated that the hormonal treatment not only changed the behavior of the treated castrates, but also that of their intact non-treated male opponents. The TP-treatment tends to make the treated castrates behave more dominantly and less responsive to the aggression-provoking behavior of their opponents. At the same time it tends to make the untreated opponents behave more submissively, by showing less aggression-provoking behavior and more aggression-diminishing behavior.