C-FOS PROTOONCOGENE ACTIVITY-INDUCED BY MATING IN THE PREOPTIC AREA, HYPOTHALAMUS AND AMYGDALA IN THE FEMALE RAT - ROLE OF AFFERENT INPUT VIA THE PELVIC NERVE
Dw. Rowe et Ms. Erskine, C-FOS PROTOONCOGENE ACTIVITY-INDUCED BY MATING IN THE PREOPTIC AREA, HYPOTHALAMUS AND AMYGDALA IN THE FEMALE RAT - ROLE OF AFFERENT INPUT VIA THE PELVIC NERVE, Brain research, 621(1), 1993, pp. 25-34
In order to identify brain areas which receive afferent genitosensory
input important for mating-induced prolactin release, we compared numb
ers of Fos-immunoreactive (Fos-IR) cells in brains of intact estrous f
emales 1 h after differential mating stimulation. Numbers of Fos-IR ce
lls were approximately 3-fold higher in the preoptic area (POA), media
l amygdala (mAMYG) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) when
females received intromissions (I) from males than when they received
mounts-without-intromission (M) or were taken directly from their hom
e cage. In the ventrolateral portion of the ventromedial nucleus (VL-V
MN), the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus and the mid
brain central tegmental field (CTF) numbers of Fos-IR cells were signi
ficantly higher than home cage levels in groups of females exposed to
males regardless of type of mating stimulation received. Bilateral tra
nsection of the pelvic nerve eliminated the increases in Fos-IR in POA
and mAMYG which occurred in sham-transected females in these areas af
ter intromissions from males. These data demonstrate that afferent inp
ut via the pelvic nerve activates cell groups within the POA, mAMYG an
d BNST and suggests that these areas may be involved in initiation of
mating-induced prolactin surges.