Ehret G, Buckenmaier J
Abteilung Vergleichende Neurobiologie, Universität Ulm, Germany.
J Physiol Paris. 1994;88(5):315-29. doi: 10.1016/0928-4257(94)90012-4.
Maternal behavior (ultrasound-induced pup-searching and retrieving) was studied in eight groups of female house mice with various hormonal backgrounds, experience with pups and function of the olfactory system. In their brains, estrogen receptor immunoreactive (ER-IR) cells were localized and quantified. All animals of all groups had ER-IR cells in a 'reliable subset' of brain areas, the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and ventromedial (VMH) and arcuate nucleus (ARH) of the hypothalamus. In another subset of brain areas, the anterior hypothalamic area (AHA) and cortical (CA) and medial (MA) amygdaloid nucleus, ER-IR cells can be expected in at least some animals of all experimental groups ('expected subset'). In a variable subset of additional brain areas (bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, BNST; suprachiasmatic nucleus, SC; lateral septal nuclei, LS; paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, PVH; entorhinal and piriform cortex, ENT, PIR; subiculum, SUB; hippocampus, HPC; periventricular gray of the midbrain, PVG), ER-IR cells occurred only in some animals of some groups. Numbers of ER-IR cells in a given brain area, volumes occupied by these cells, and cell densities varied considerably among the groups. A covariation of cell counts and volumes was significant for most brain areas indicating that increases of numbers of ER-IR cells relate mainly to volume increases within a given brain area. Experience with pups correlated with an increase of ER presence in the AHA, VMH, ENT, PIR, SUB, HPC and PVG, however, only in the presence of estrogen. Estrogen and pup-experience together led to an increased ER presence in mainly the VMH, ENT and PIR, however, only in females with intact olfaction. Full maternal behavior (retrieving, ultrasound recognition) occurred after the high pregnancy- or experience-induced ER content was reduced to lower levels. The ER occurrence in lactating and experienced virgin females differed, however, in the AHA, BNST, SC, PVH, ENT, PIR, SUB, HPC and PVG showing that the maintenance of maternal behavior can run under different profiles of ER content in the brain. Ovariectomy and/or prolonged high blood-estrogen levels correlated significantly with decreased levels of ER-IR cells in most brain areas which could not be increased by pup-experience.
在八组具有不同激素背景、育幼经历和嗅觉系统功能的雌性家鼠中研究了母性行为（超声诱导的幼崽搜寻和找回行为）。对它们大脑中的雌激素受体免疫反应性（ER-IR）细胞进行了定位和定量分析。所有组的所有动物在大脑区域的一个“可靠子集”中都有ER-IR细胞，即内侧视前区（MPOA）、下丘脑腹内侧核（VMH）和弓状核（ARH）。在另一组大脑区域，即下丘脑前区（AHA）、皮质杏仁核（CA）和内侧杏仁核（MA）中，预计所有实验组的至少一些动物中会有ER-IR细胞（“预期子集”）。在其他一些大脑区域的可变子集中（终纹床核，BNST；视交叉上核，SC；外侧隔核，LS；下丘脑室旁核，PVH；内嗅皮质和梨状皮质，ENT，PIR；海马下脚，SUB；海马体，HPC；中脑导水管周围灰质，PVG），ER-IR细胞仅在某些组的一些动物中出现。不同组之间，给定大脑区域中ER-IR细胞的数量、这些细胞所占的体积以及细胞密度差异很大。大多数大脑区域中细胞计数和体积之间的协变显著，这表明ER-IR细胞数量的增加主要与给定大脑区域内的体积增加有关。育幼经历与AHA、VMH、ENT、PIR、SUB、HPC和PVG中ER含量的增加相关，但仅在有雌激素存在的情况下。雌激素和育幼经历共同作用主要导致VMH、ENT和PIR中ER含量增加，但仅在嗅觉完整的雌性中如此。当高妊娠或经历诱导的ER含量降至较低水平后，出现了完整的母性行为（找回、超声识别）。然而，泌乳和有育幼经历的未孕雌性在AHA、BNST、SC、PVH、ENT、PIR、SUB、HPC和PVG中的ER出现情况不同，这表明母性行为的维持可以在大脑中不同的ER含量模式下进行。卵巢切除和/或长期高血雌激素水平与大多数大脑区域中ER-IR细胞水平的显著降低相关，而育幼经历无法使其升高。
