Early androgen treatment influences the pattern and amount of locomotion activity differently and sexually differentially in an animal model of ADHD

Higher testosterone level in males is one of the most obvious possibilities for the development of a clear gender difference in ADHD. The present study focused on the influence of excessive androgen exposure in the developmental stage on the hyperactivity feature of ADHD. The study used the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) as an animal model. The amount of locomotion activity previously used as an over-activity measure in the SHR has resulted in a complicated picture. While the general activity level of SHR was significantly higher than its progenitor—the Wistar Kyoto rat (WKY), comparative differences with the Wistar rat could be observed only under certain experimental conditions. The present study applied the scaling approach to assess open field behaviors from a qualitative aspect. Although SHR and Wistar rats showed similar locomotion amounts, movement patterns differed significantly, as indicated by the spatial scaling exponent. Androgen treatment during the early postnatal developmental stage significantly increased total path lengths only in the male SHR. Effects of the hormone manipulation were not expressed in the scaling measurement. The scaling approach conclusively provides a different aspect of open field behaviors and also reacts differently as the total path length to excessive early testosterone exposure.