Impaired discrimination of and aversion to parasitized male odors by female oxytocin knockout mice.

Kavaliers M, Colwell DD, Choleris E, Agmo A, Muglia LJ, Ogawa S, Pfaff DW

Genes, brain, and behavior1 Aug 2003Cited by 47 (Europe PMC)

PMID12953788DOI10.1034/j.1601-183x.2003.00021.xPepBankPUB-12953788

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Summary

The text of this summary is not shown here, because the article license does not allow reuse. Read it at the source (opens in a new tab)

Text rights: Publisher copyright. Results still quote short attributed sentences.

Results from this study7

No result from this study comes from a test of the peptide.

Studies that did not test the peptide alone7

In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. These results are not evidence about taking Oxytocin.

01AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism
In female mice, oxytocin gene knockout abolished discrimination between odors of louse-infected and uninfected males, unlike wild type and heterozygous mice.
In plain wordsIn mice, females lacking the oxytocin gene could not tell infected from uninfected males by odor, unlike normal females.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseDiscrimination of infected versus uninfected male odors
Study
mousen: not reported in source
female oxytocin knockout (OTKO) mice
Comparator
Wild type and heterozygous females
Outcome group
Cognition and memory · Nervous system and cognition
Source sentences
Summary
In the present study, using female mice whose gene for oxytocin (OT) has been selectively deleted (OT knockout mice (OTKO)), we show that at least one normal allele for OT is required for the mediation of the recognition and avoidance of parasitized males.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Female wild type (OTWT) and heterozygous (OTHZ) mice distinguished between the odors of individual males infected with the louse, Polyplax serrata, and uninfected males while the KO mice did not.
In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.
Report a problemFND-1295378801
02AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism
In female mice, oxytocin gene knockout attenuated the analgesia induced by odors of infected males.
In plain wordsIn mice, females lacking the oxytocin gene showed weaker pain relief responses to odors of infected males.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseAnalgesia induced by odors of infected males
Study
mousen: not reported in source
female oxytocin knockout (OTKO) mice
Comparator
Wild type and heterozygous females
Outcome group
Cognition and memory · Nervous system and cognition
Source sentences
Summary
Exposure to the odors of infected males induced analgesia in OTWT and OTHZ females, with OTKO females displaying attenuated analgesia.
In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.
Report a problemFND-1295378802
03AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism
In female mice, oxytocin knockout abolished discrimination of novel and familiar infected male odors and its effect on analgesia.
In plain wordsIn mice, females lacking the oxytocin gene did not tell novel from familiar infected males by odor.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseDiscrimination of novel versus familiar infected male odors
Study
mousen: not reported in source
female oxytocin knockout (OTKO) mice
Comparator
Wild type and heterozygous females
Outcome group
Cognition and memory · Nervous system and cognition
Source sentences
Summary
OTWT and OTHZ females, but not the OTKO females, also distinguished between the odors of novel and familiar infected males and modulated their analgesic responses on the basis of prior familiarity.
In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.
Report a problemFND-1295378803
04AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism
In an odor choice test, oxytocin knockout females showed no consistent choice, whereas wild type and heterozygous females preferred the odors of uninfected males.
In plain wordsIn mice, females lacking the oxytocin gene showed no consistent choice between odors, unlike normal females who preferred uninfected males.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseOdor choice between infected and uninfected males
Study
mousen: not reported in source
female oxytocin knockout (OTKO) mice
Comparator
Wild type and heterozygous females
Outcome group
Cognition and memory · Nervous system and cognition
Source sentences
Summary
In an odor choice test, OTWT and OTHZ females displayed a marked initial choice for the odors of uninfected males, whereas the OTKO females showed no consistent choice.
In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.
Report a problemFND-1295378804
05AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism
In female mice, oxytocin knockout did not change analgesic responses to the odor of a stressed male or of a cat.
In plain wordsIn mice, females lacking the oxytocin gene responded normally to other aversive odors.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
No significant changeAnalgesic response to stressed male and cat odors
Study
mousen: not reported in source
female oxytocin knockout (OTKO) mice
Comparator
Wild type and heterozygous females
Outcome group
Cognition and memory · Nervous system and cognition
Source sentences
Summary
OTKO females displayed normal analgesic responses to another aversive social odor, that of a stressed male, and an aversive non-social odor, that of a cat.
In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.
Report a problemFND-1295378805
06AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism
In female mice, oxytocin knockout left non-social olfactory memory normal.
In plain wordsIn mice, females lacking the oxytocin gene had normal memory for non-social odors.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
No significant changeNon-social olfactory memory
Study
mousen: not reported in source
female oxytocin knockout (OTKO) mice
Comparator
Wild type and heterozygous females
Outcome group
Cognition and memory · Nervous system and cognition
Source sentences
Summary
The OTKOs had normal non-social olfactory memory
In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.
Report a problemFND-1295378806
07AnimalNot a test of Oxytocin aloneAnimal study (in vivo)Mechanism
In female mice, oxytocin knockout impaired social odor memory.
In plain wordsIn mice, females lacking the oxytocin gene had impaired memory for social odors.
Peptide
Oxytocin
Outcome
DecreaseSocial odor memory
Study
mousen: not reported in source
female oxytocin knockout (OTKO) mice
Comparator
Wild type and heterozygous females
Outcome group
Cognition and memory · Nervous system and cognition
Source sentences
Summary
but were impaired in their social odor memory.
In this study, Oxytocin was a lab tool or a carrier, part of a mix, or the subject of a lab method. This result is not evidence about taking Oxytocin.
Report a problemFND-1295378807

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

PepBank keeps every version of the data on this study. Status changes from Retraction Watch, Europe PMC and Crossref are listed with their source.

Version 2Current
11 Oct 2026, 20:03 UTC
Study results updated
Version 1
9 Oct 2026, 02:52 UTC
First added · source update from Europe PMC

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