Meredith M, Fernandez-Fewell G
Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee 32306.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1994;19(5-7):657-72. doi: 10.1016/0306-4530(94)90048-5.
Vomeronasal chemosensory input is important for male hamster mating behavior, especially in inexperienced animals. Experiments reviewed here showed that intracerebroventricular injection of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) substantially restores mating behavior impaired by removal of vomeronasal organs in inexperienced hamsters. An analogue molecule Ac5-10LHRH, which fails to release luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary, has similar behavioural effects. These findings are consistent with the idea that vomeronasal sensory input may trigger intracerebral release of LHRH which then facilitates mating behaviour. Immunocytochemistry for the immediate-early gene-product Fos, used as an indicator of regional brain activation, indicates a selective activation of central vomeronasal pathways during mating behaviour. Chemosensory and other sensory inputs contribute to activation in medial amygdala and bed-nucleus of stria terminalis, but medial preoptic/anterior hypothalamic area activation appears more closely tied to mating behavior itself. Any of these areas may be sites of interaction between vomeronasal chemosensory input and LHRH-containing cells and fibers.
犁鼻化学感应输入对雄性仓鼠的交配行为很重要，尤其是在没有经验的动物中。此处回顾的实验表明，对没有经验的仓鼠进行脑室内注射促黄体生成激素释放激素（LHRH）可显著恢复因切除犁鼻器而受损的交配行为。一种不能从垂体释放促黄体生成素（LH）的类似分子Ac5 - 10LHRH也有类似的行为效应。这些发现与以下观点一致，即犁鼻感觉输入可能触发LHRH在脑内的释放，进而促进交配行为。用作区域脑激活指标的即早基因产物Fos的免疫细胞化学表明，交配行为期间中央犁鼻通路有选择性激活。化学感应和其他感觉输入促成了内侧杏仁核和终纹床核的激活，但内侧视前区/下丘脑前部区域的激活似乎与交配行为本身联系更紧密。这些区域中的任何一个都可能是犁鼻化学感应输入与含LHRH的细胞和纤维之间相互作用的部位。
