Riters L V, Absil P, Balthazart J
Laboratory of Biochemistry, Research Group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, University of Liège, Belgium.
Brain Res Bull. 1998 Sep 1;47(1):69-79. doi: 10.1016/s0361-9230(98)00064-1.
Aromatization of testosterone (T) into an estrogen is necessary for the activation of consummatory and appetitive sexual behavior in male Japanese quail. T action within the medial preoptic nucleus (POM) is necessary and sufficient to activate consummatory behavior, and some evidence suggests that POM might be involved in the control of appetitive behavior, but other brain regions, such as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), an area that contains a dense population of aromatase-immunoreactive neurons, are also likely to be involved. This study was performed to assess the effects of stereotaxic T implants targeting either the POM or the BST on the activation of both components of sexual behavior in castrated male quail. Appetitive sexual behavior was measured by an acquired social proximity response in which a male will approach a window providing visual access to a female after the window has been repeatedly paired with physical access to a female and the possibility to freely interact with her. Rhythmic cloacal sphincter movements that are produced by the male when given visual access to a female were used as another measure of appetitive sexual behavior that does not appear to depend on sexual learning. The experiments confirmed that copulation is necessary for males to develop the social proximity response that is used to measure the appetitive sexual behavior. T implants in the POM activated both components of sexual behavior, suggesting that these components cannot be completely dissociated. In contrast, T implants located within the BST did not affect either component, but because implants in the BST did not activate copulatory behavior, these results do not preclude a role for BST in the expression of a previously acquired appetitive sexual behavior.
睾酮（T）芳香化为雌激素对于激活雄性日本鹌鹑的交配和求偶性行为是必要的。内侧视前核（POM）内的T作用对于激活交配行为是必要且充分的，并且一些证据表明POM可能参与求偶行为的控制，但其他脑区，如终纹床核（BST），这个区域含有大量芳香化酶免疫反应性神经元，也可能参与其中。本研究旨在评估分别靶向POM或BST的立体定位T植入对去势雄性鹌鹑性行为两个组成部分激活的影响。求偶性行为通过获得性社会接近反应来测量，即雄性在窗口与雌性实际接触并能自由互动多次配对后，会接近一个能看到雌性的窗口。当雄性看到雌性时产生的有节奏的泄殖腔括约肌运动被用作求偶性行为的另一种测量方式，这种方式似乎不依赖于性学习。实验证实，交配对于雄性发展用于测量求偶性行为的社会接近反应是必要的。POM中的T植入激活了性行为的两个组成部分，这表明这些组成部分不能完全分离。相比之下，位于BST内的T植入对任何一个组成部分都没有影响，但由于BST中的植入没有激活交配行为，这些结果并不排除BST在先前获得的求偶性行为表达中的作用。
