Accessory olfactory bulb lesions and lordosis behavior in the male rat feminized with ovarian hormones.

Orchidectomized rats were given estrogen and progesterone and tested for feminine behavior in the presence of a mounting male after accessory olfactory bulb removal (AOBR). Complete AOBR caused a rise in the number of estrogen-progesterone-treated male rats responding by lordosis behavior to male mounts as compared to controls and sham-operated animals. By contrast, LQ scores did not appear to differ in these three groups of animals. The results are discussed in terms of involvement of the main and the accessory olfactory systems in the regulation of feminine behavior in the male rat.