[Relationship between the limbic system and gonadal function. 2. Quantifiable prepuberal differentiation of medial cortical amygdaloid nuclei].

In juvenile female rats beteen the 21st and 26th days of age, the neurons of the medial and cortical amygdaloid nuclei undergo a highly significant karyovolumetrically measurable activation which, however, partially declines almost immediately. Such prepuberal variation of activity was found to be correlated with age-dependent effects of direct interventions with these nuclear regions upon the hypothalamy-pituitary-gonadal axis, e.g. implantation of oestradiol benzoate, stimulation or lesioning. This basically, is a quantitatibe-morphological confirmation of an assumption that had been derived earlier from experimental studies, according to which the mediocortical part of the amygdala undergoes in the prepuberal period a functional muteration or differentiation which is specific and related to puberty and gonadal functions (Döcke, 1976a, b; Döcke et al., 1976).