Receptive Female Rats Stimulate Norepinephrine Release from Olfactory Bulbs of Freely Behaving Male Rats

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Abstract
In vivo perfusion of the olfactory bulbs (OB) of freely behaving male rats by means of miniaturized push-pull cannulae (PPC) revealed consistently detectable and relatively stable levels of norepinephrine (NE) output. Introduction of a receptive female rat into the male’s cage on three separate occasions resulted in a threefold increase in NE output following the second and third, but not the first exposure. No increase in NE was obtained when perfused males were similarly exposed to male rats or in the absence of social stimulation. These results demonstrate a complex, discriminatory in vivo response of the OB noradrenergic system in male rats which may be critically involved in the receipt and processing of socially stimulated memory/recognition cues related to reproduction.