Lebrun C J, Poulain D A
Exp Brain Res. 1982;47(2):203-8. doi: 10.1007/BF00239379.
Extracellular recordings from neurones in the lateral septum were performed in urethane anaesthetised lactating rats to study the eventual role of the septum in the control of suckling-induced oxytocin release. The connections of these neurones with the supraoptic nucleus, which contains cells secreting oxytocin, were assessed electrophysiologically by single pulse stimulation of the ipsilateral supraoptic nucleus. The neurones were thus classified into four categories: antidromically activated, orthodromically activated or inhibited, and unresponsive neurones. One hundred septal neurones were recorded in animals not exposed to suckling. A second group of 40 cells were analysed during suckling and one or more reflex milk ejections. The mean firing rates of each category of septal neurone did not differ significantly during suckling from the values observed in the absence of suckling. During suckling, almost all the recorded septal cells showed no significant alteration in their level of firing in relation to milk ejections. Two neurones presented an activation in the period between two milk ejections that seemed related to arousal. One neurone was clearly inhibited at the time of milk ejection. Our observations suggest that the septum does not represent an essential component of the pathways necessary for the milk ejection reflex induced by suckling, although it could exert an inhibitory action modulating either the intervals between two successive milk ejections, or the amount of oxytocin released.
为了研究隔区在控制哺乳诱导的催产素释放中的最终作用，对经氨基甲酸乙酯麻醉的泌乳大鼠的外侧隔区神经元进行了细胞外记录。通过对同侧视上核进行单脉冲刺激，用电生理学方法评估这些神经元与含有分泌催产素细胞的视上核之间的联系。这些神经元因此被分为四类：逆向激活、顺向激活或抑制以及无反应神经元。在未接触哺乳的动物中记录了100个隔区神经元。在哺乳期间以及一次或多次反射性喷乳期间分析了第二组40个细胞。在哺乳期间，每类隔区神经元的平均放电率与未哺乳时观察到的值相比没有显著差异。在哺乳期间，几乎所有记录的隔区细胞在喷乳时其放电水平都没有明显变化。有两个神经元在两次喷乳之间的时间段出现激活，这似乎与觉醒有关。有一个神经元在喷乳时明显受到抑制。我们的观察结果表明，隔区并非哺乳诱导的喷乳反射所需通路的必要组成部分，尽管它可能通过调节两次连续喷乳之间的间隔或释放的催产素量发挥抑制作用。
