The injection of steroids into the brains of parenting male fish has been found to eliminate parental care, while leaving other social behaviour unaffected.
The highly social blueband goby naturally remains quite close to its developing eggs after becoming a father and also defends them from mothers who would otherwise eat them.
Georgia State University researchers modulated the neurosteroid levels in fathering fish through the injection of carbenoxolone into the brain. The fish changed behaviour just 20 minutes after the injection was given, and this has provided insight into how androgenic steroids, such as testosterone, shape a male’s parenting skills and how it can be regulated.
Read more at Georgia State University