Pleim E T, DeBold J F
Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155.
Brain Res Bull. 1988 Oct;21(4):581-5. doi: 10.1016/0361-9230(88)90196-7.
The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) has been implicated in the mediation of the hormonal control of female rodent sexual behavior. However, in hamsters, progesterone (P) has been found to have effects on sexual receptivity in other diencephalic and mesencephalic sites as well. Progesterone is thought to exert its behavioral effects by altering protein synthesis in CNS target neurons. We tested the effects of 30 gauge implants of the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin in the preoptic area (POA), VMH, and ventral mesencephalon (VMES) 30 minutes before 500 micrograms P SC, on the facilitation of lordosis in ovariectomized estrogen-primed female hamsters. The same animals were tested one week later with estrogen and progesterone treatment but without anisomycin. Anisomycin reduced sexual receptivity (lordosis) when placed in the VMH or VMES, but not when delivered to the POA. The results confirm the importance of the VMH in the mediation of progesterone facilitation of female sexual behavior, but also provide evidence that ventral midbrain structures may play a role in female sexual receptivity in hamsters. These two structures may be important for different aspects of lordosis. Progesterone effects in both sites appear to be protein synthesis dependent.
下丘脑腹内侧核（VMH）被认为参与介导雌性啮齿动物性行为的激素控制。然而，在仓鼠中，已发现孕酮（P）对其他间脑和中脑部位的性接受能力也有影响。孕酮被认为是通过改变中枢神经系统靶神经元中的蛋白质合成来发挥其行为效应的。我们在500微克P皮下注射前30分钟，将蛋白质合成抑制剂茴香霉素以30号针剂植入去卵巢并用雌激素预处理的雌性仓鼠的视前区（POA）、VMH和腹侧中脑（VMES），测试其对脊柱前凸促进作用的影响。一周后，对同一批动物进行雌激素和孕酮处理，但不使用茴香霉素进行测试。当茴香霉素植入VMH或VMES时，会降低性接受能力（脊柱前凸），但植入POA时则不会。结果证实了VMH在介导孕酮促进雌性性行为中的重要性，但也提供了证据表明腹侧中脑结构可能在仓鼠的雌性性接受能力中发挥作用。这两个结构可能对脊柱前凸的不同方面很重要。孕酮在这两个部位的作用似乎都依赖于蛋白质合成。
