Parameters of electrical stimulation of the medial preoptic area for release of gonadotrophins in male rats.

The release of LH and FSH after the application of an electrical stimulus to the anterior diencephalon of male rats has been studied. The stimulus was applied through either platinum or steel electrodes implanted stereotaxically in animals anaesthetized with urethane. The efficacy of various parameters of stimulation by means of a current consisting of balanced biphasic square waves, was tested by systematically changing the frequency, amplitude and duration of the pulses. The effect of direct current (d.c.) stimulation on hormone release was also examined. The concentrations of the hormones in blood withdrawn from the femoral vein before and at frequent intervals up to 80 min after application of the stimulus were determined by radioimmunoassay. The optimal parameters for the release of LH by square wave stimulation of the medial preoptic area were: frequency, 60 Hz; pulse amplitude, 0-50 mA; pulse duration, 1-00 ms. This stimulus was more effective when applied through steel than through platinum electrodes. Direct current stimulation (15 muA for 10 s) through steel electrodes was most effective of all. When applied through platinum electrodes to the medial preoptic and anterior hypothalamic areas, the optimal square wave stimulus produced significant increases in the concentration of LH after 5 and 10 min respectively. The concentration of plasma FSH in these animals also increased, but the increments were much less than the increments in LH. The magnitude of the respective increases of the gonadotrophins after stimulation of the two brain areas did not differ significantly. Measurement of the milk ejection response to stimulation of the hypothalamo-hypophysial tract in the lactating rat indicated that the spread of the square wave stimulus was no more than 1-5 mm from the electrode tip. The significance of these findings is discussed with respect to the importance of the medial preoptic area in the male rat, the neurones which may be involved in the regulation of gonadotrophin secretion, and the parameters of stimulation used in studying the hypothalamo-hypophysial system.