Fig. 1.

Effects of social defeat on corticosterone (a) and social interaction (b) behavior in California mice. Social stress increases corticosterone levels in female California mice, and ovariectomy blocks this effect. In contrast, castrated males have increased corticosterone levels following stress. The effect of defeat stress on social interaction is stronger in females than in males, but the effect is weaker in females raised on corncob bedding. * p<0.05 versus control, *** p<0.001 versus control, † p<0.05 male versus female. cccorncob, cfcardboard bedding, Gdx gonadectomy, sc woodchip bedding