scholarly journals Gonadal steroid receptors colocalize with central nervous system neurons projecting to the rat prostate gland

2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (6) ◽  
pp. R2196-R2205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria G. Huddleston ◽  
C. Kay Song ◽  
Jacquelyn C. Paisley ◽  
Timothy J. Bartness ◽  
Andrew N. Clancy
Keyword(s):  
Mating Behavior ◽  
Pseudorabies Virus ◽  
Steroid Receptors ◽  
Prostate Gland ◽  
Copulatory Behavior ◽  
Zona Incerta ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Male Rat ◽  
Bed Nucleus

Mating-induced Fos-immunoreactive (-ir) cells are colocalized with androgen receptors (AR), estrogen receptors (ER), or both in limbic and hypothalamic areas known to mediate male rat mating behavior. A steroid-responsive neural network might govern copulatory behavior in male laboratory rats that is analogous to the network described in female rats that governs the lordosis response. This hypothesized network in males may synchronize and coordinate sexual behavioral responses with physiological responses of the genitals and the internal organs of reproduction. Therefore, the pseudorabies virus (PRV; Bartha strain), a transneuronal, viral retrograde tract tracer, was microinjected into the prostate gland to label this network. After 7 days, brains from infected animals were processed for immunohistochemical labeling of AR, ER, and PRV. The majority of PRV-ir cells exhibited either AR or ER immunoreactivity in the medial preoptic area, median preoptic nucleus, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, and zona incerta, areas known to play roles in male rat mating behavior. Other structures such as the central tegmental field/subparafascicular nucleus of the thalamus, central nucleus of the amygdala, and medial amygdala, also important in the display of male copulatory behavior, were less reliably labeled. Collectively, a steroid receptor-containing neuronal circuit, largely contained in the diencephalon, was revealed that likely is involved in the autonomic control of the prostate gland and the consummatory aspects of male rat mating behavior.

Sexual Behavior is Enhanced by Regular, Repeated Mating from Young Adulthood to Middle Age in Female Long-Evans Rats

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-177
Author(s):  
Fay A. Guarraci ◽  
Chantal M.F. Gonzalez ◽  
Devon Lucero ◽  
Lourdes K. Davis ◽  
Sarah H. Meerts
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Mating Behavior ◽  
Preference Test ◽  
Sexual History ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male Rat ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Repeated Mating ◽  
First Time ◽  
Mating Tests

Background: Aging is associated neuroendocrine changes in women. Animals can be used to model these changes, as well as changes in reproductive behavior. Objective: The current study was designed to characterize mating behavior across age and assess the effects of age and sexual history on mating behavior. Methods: Sexual motivation was assessed using the partner-preference test, in which a female rat is given the choice to interact with a same-sex conspecific or a sexually-vigorous male rat, with which she can mate. Results: Across repeated mating tests (2-12 months of age), female rats spent more time with the male, displayed more solicitation behaviors, were less likely to leave the male after mounts, but visited both stimulus animals less frequently. Comparing a separate group of age-matched, hormoneyoked female rats mated for the first time at 12 months of age to female rats mated for the first time at 2 months of age showed that the 12 month rats visited both stimulus animals less, were less likely to leave the male after mounts, took longer to return to the male after mounts, and displayed fewer solicitation behaviors than their younger counterparts. Relative to middle-aged female rats once they were sexually experienced, 12 month naïve rats spent less time with the male, were more likely to leave the male after mounts, and displayed fewer solicitation behaviors. Furthermore, 12 month naïve rats failed to discriminate between the stimulus animals, visiting both stimulus animals at the same rate unlike 2 month naïve or 12 month experienced rats. Conclusion: Taken together, these results suggest that aging affects some measures of sexual behavior, but most effects of age can be mitigated by regular, repeated mating.

scholarly journals Behavioral and brain mechanisms mediating conditioned flight behavior in rats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Totty ◽  
Naomi Warren ◽  
Isabella Huddleston ◽  
Karthik R. Ramanathan ◽  
Reed L. Ressler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compound Stimulus ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Conditioning Context ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Contextual Fear ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Innate Fear

ABSTRACTEnvironmental contexts and associative learning can inform animals of potential threats, though it is currently unknown how contexts bias defensive transitions. Here we investigated context-dependent flight responses in the Pavlovian serial-compound stimulus (SCS) paradigm. We show here that SCS-evoked flight behavior in male and female rats is dependent on contextual fear. Flight was reduced in the conditioning context after context extinction and could be evoked in a different shock-associated context. Although flight was exclusive to white noise stimuli, it was nonetheless associative insofar as rats that received an equal number of unpaired USs did not show flight-like behavior. Finally, we found that inactivation of either the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) or bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) attenuated both contextual fear and flight responses. This work demonstrates that contextual fear summates with cued and innate fear to drive a high fear state and freeze-to-flight transitions.

scholarly journals Behavioral and brain mechanisms mediating conditioned flight behavior in rats

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Totty ◽  
Naomi Warren ◽  
Isabella Huddleston ◽  
Karthik R. Ramanathan ◽  
Reed L. Ressler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Compound Stimulus ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Flight Behavior ◽  
Central Nucleus ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Contextual Fear ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Context Dependent

AbstractEnvironmental contexts can inform animals of potential threats, though it is currently unknown how context biases the selection of defensive behavior. Here we investigated context-dependent flight responses with a Pavlovian serial-compound stimulus (SCS) paradigm that evokes freeze-to-flight transitions. Similar to previous work in mice, we show that male and female rats display context-dependent flight-like behavior in the SCS paradigm. Flight behavior was dependent on contextual fear insofar as it was only evoked in a shock-associated context and was reduced in the conditioning context after context extinction. Flight behavior was only expressed to white noise regardless of temporal order within the compound. Nonetheless, rats that received unpaired SCS trials did not show flight-like behavior to the SCS, indicating it is associative. Finally, we show that pharmacological inactivation of two brain regions critical to the expression of contextual fear, the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), attenuates both contextual fear and flight responses. All of these effects were similar in male and female rats. This work demonstrates that contextual fear can summate with cued and innate fear to drive a high fear state and transition from post-encounter to circa-strike defensive modes.

scholarly journals Increased bioactivation of dihaloalkanes in rat liver due to induction of class Theta glutathione S-transferase T1-1

1998 ◽  
Vol 335 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. SHERRATT ◽  
Margaret M. MANSON ◽  
Anne M. THOMSON ◽  
Erna A. M. HISSINK ◽  
Gordon E. NEAL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Blotting ◽  
Rat Liver ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Male Rat ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Glutathione S Transferase ◽  
Chemopreventive Agents ◽  
Cytoplasmic Staining ◽  
Potent Inducer

A characteristic feature of the class Theta glutathione S-transferase (GST) T1-1 is its ability to activate dichloromethane and dibromoethane by catalysing the formation of mutagenic conjugates. The level of the GSTT1 subunit within tissues is an important determinant of susceptibility to the carcinogenic effects of these dihaloalkanes. In the present study it is demonstrated that hepatic GST activity towards these compounds can be elevated significantly in female and male Fischer-344 rats by feeding these animals on diets supplemented with cancer chemopreventive agents. Immunoblotting experiments showed that increased activity towards the dihaloalkanes is associated with elevated levels of the GSTT1 subunit in rat liver. Sex-specific effects were observed in the induction of GSTT1 protein. Amongst the chemopreventive agents tested, indole-3-carbinol proved to be the most potent inducer of hepatic GSTT1 in male rats (6.2-fold), whereas coumarin was the most potent inducer of this subunit in the livers of female rats (3.5-fold). Phenobarbital showed significant induction of GSTT1 only in male rat liver and had little effect in female rat liver. Western blotting showed that class Alpha, Mu and Pi GST subunits are not co-ordinately induced with GSTT1, indicating that the expression of GSTT1 is determined, at least in part, by mechanisms distinct from those that regulate levels of other transferases. The increase in amount of hepatic GSTT1 protein was also reflected by an increase in the steady-state level of mRNA in response to treatment with chemopreventive agents and model inducers. Immunohistochemical detection of GSTT1 in rat liver supported the Western blotting data, but showed, in addition to cytoplasmic staining, significant nuclear localization of the enzyme in hepatocytes from some treated animals, including those fed on an oltipraz-containing diet. Significantly, the hepatic level of cytochrome P-450 2E1, an enzyme which offers a detoxification pathway for dihaloalkanes, was unchanged by the various inducing agents studied. It is concluded that the induction of GSTT1 by dietary components and its localization within cells are important factors that should be considered when assessing the risk dihaloalkanes pose to human health.

scholarly journals EFFECT OF YOHIMBINE ON CLOMIPRAMINE-INDUCED SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN MALE RATS

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Devangam Sheshadri Shekar
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Sexual Dysfunction ◽  
Histopathological Examination ◽  
Red Light ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Male Rat ◽  
Testicular Damage

Object: The present investigation has been carried out to find out the effect of yohimbine on clomipramine-induced sexual dysfunction in male rats.Methods: The male rats were treated with clomipramine and yohimbine simultaneously for 60 days. During the treatment, all the male rats werechallenged with the female rats which are in estrous phase and their sexual behavior was observed under dim red light. Half of the animals in each group and remaining on 60 day were sacrificed, blood was collected and serum separated. Testis was collected and preserved in 10% formalin forsubsequent histopathological examination. thResults: The study reveals that yohimbine failed to antagonize the clomipramine-induced sexual dysfunction in male rats in all aspects, except thepartial improvement in the sexual behavior.Conclusion: Yohimbine a well-known aphrodisiac failed to antagonize the clomipramine-induced sexual dysfunction in male rats. The decrease intestosterone levels, a decrease in spermatozoa count were continued even in the presence of yohimbine except improvement in the sexual behaviorparameters. Hence, yohimbine could not be a safe antidote against clomipramine-induced sexual dysfunction in male rats.Keywords: Yohimbine, Clomipramine, Testosterone, Male rat sexual competence, Testicular damage.

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