SEXUAL IMPOTENCE IS ASSOCIATED WITH A REDUCED PRODUCTION OF OXYTOCIN AND WITH AN INCREASED PRODUCTION OF OPIOID-PEPTIDES IN THE PARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUS OF MALE-RATS

Authors
ARLETTI R CALZA L GIARDINO L BENELLI A CAVAZZUTI E BERTOLINI A
Citation
R. Arletti et al., SEXUAL IMPOTENCE IS ASSOCIATED WITH A REDUCED PRODUCTION OF OXYTOCIN AND WITH AN INCREASED PRODUCTION OF OPIOID-PEPTIDES IN THE PARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUS OF MALE-RATS, Neuroscience letters, 233(2-3), 1997, pp. 65-68
Citations number
20
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences
Journal title
Neuroscience letters → ACNP
ISSN journal
03043940
Volume
233
Issue
2-3
Year of publication
1997
Pages
65 - 68
Database
ISI
SICI code
0304-3940(1997)233:2-3<65:SIIAWA>2.0.ZU;2-1
Abstract
Oxytocin plays a physiological stimulatory role on sexual behavior. Co nversely, opioid neuropeptides play a physiological inhibitory role. H ere we show that in sexually impotent rats there is a reduced expressi on of oxytocin mRNA and an increased expression of proenkephalin and p ro-dynorphin mRNA in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus (PVN) , a brain structure of key importance for sexual behavior. These data suggest that an imbalance in the production of oxytocin and of opioid peptides in the PVN, with prevalence of opioid peptides, may underlie a condition of sexual impotence. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd .