Maillard C A, Edwards D A
Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322.
J Physiol (Paris). 1988;83(1):50-5.
Electrical stimulation of parts of the subthalamus and mesencephalon produces coordinated stepping movements, and for this reason these areas are sometimes referred to as the subthalamic and mesencephalic "locomotor" regions. In this study we contrast the sexual behavioral effect of electrolytic destruction of these two regions in the male rat. Lesions of the mesencephalic locomotor region had no significant effect on male sexual behavior. In contrast, subthalamic lesions centered on the caudal zona incerta just dorsal to the subthalamic nucleus eliminated sexual behavior in 6 of 15 males. The sexual behavior of the remaining males was affected to a lesser degree, for the most part in accord with the extent of destruction to this "critical zone." Subthalamic lesions produced no obvious impairment in locomotion, posture, limb use, muscle tone or sensorimotor orientation. Even so, the fact that electrical stimulation of the subthalamus elicits coordinated stepping suggests that the region is linked with systems directly concerned with movement and locomotion. These links could be particularly important in the process by which sexual motivation is translated into sexual behavior.
对丘脑底核和中脑的部分区域进行电刺激会产生协调性的踏步运动，因此这些区域有时被称为丘脑底核和中脑的“运动”区域。在本研究中，我们对比了电解损毁雄性大鼠这两个区域对性行为的影响。中脑运动区域的损伤对雄性性行为没有显著影响。相比之下，以丘脑底核背侧的尾侧未定带来为中心的丘脑底核损伤使15只雄性大鼠中的6只丧失了性行为。其余雄性大鼠的性行为受到的影响较小，在很大程度上与对这个“关键区域”的破坏程度一致。丘脑底核损伤在运动、姿势、肢体使用、肌张力或感觉运动定向方面没有产生明显损害。即便如此，丘脑底核电刺激引发协调性踏步这一事实表明，该区域与直接参与运动和行走的系统相关联。这些联系在将性动机转化为性行为的过程中可能尤为重要。
