Bruce effect

the effect of chemical communication in inducing miscarriage in pregnant females. Exposure to odors from an unfamiliar male within a few days of initial mating can disrupt pregnancy in female rodents. See also Whitten effect. [described in 1959 by Hilda M. Bruce, 20th-century British endocrinologist]

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Psychology term of the day

February 17th 2025

sexually dimorphic nucleus

a nucleus of the central nervous system that differs in size between males and females. In humans, for example, a nucleus in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus that synthesizes gonadotropin-releasing hormone tends to be larger and more active in males than in females because gonadotropin release is continuous (it is cyclical in females). In songbirds whose males sing more than females, several brain nuclei associated with both song learning and song production are larger in males than in females.