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Neurobiology pp 121–140Cite as

Role of Testosterone Metabolism in the Activation of Sexual Behaviour in Birds

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Part of the book series: Proceedings in Life Sciences ((LIFE SCIENCES))

Abstract

As early as 1849, Berth old demonstrated that castration abolishes and testicular grafts restore sexual behaviour in the cockerel. This conclusion has since been verified by many independent researchers and has been extended to a large number of species belonging to all vertebrate classes. It has also been demonstrated that the steroid, testosterone (T) was responsible for the behavioural effects of the testes but we had to wait for the advent of radioimmunoassays in the early seventies before this hormone could repeatedly be measured in small animals such as the rat, mice, guinea pig, or quail used in laboratory studies and before plasma levels of the steroids could be related to the behaviour of the animals.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biochimie Générale et Comparée, Université de Liège, 17 place Delcour, 4020, Liège, Belgium

    M. Schumacher

Authors
  1. J. Balthazart
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  2. M. Schumacher
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Animal Physiology, University of Liège, 22, Quai Van Beneden, B-4020, Liège, Belgium

    Raymond Gilles

  2. Laboratory of Biochemistry, University of Liège, 17, Place Delcour, B-4020, Liège, Belgium

    Jacques Balthazart

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© 1985 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Balthazart, J., Schumacher, M. (1985). Role of Testosterone Metabolism in the Activation of Sexual Behaviour in Birds. In: Gilles, R., Balthazart, J. (eds) Neurobiology. Proceedings in Life Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-87599-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-87599-1_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-87601-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-87599-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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