Mating Activates NMDA Receptors in the Medial Preoptic Area of Male Rats

Studies have emphasized the role of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) as an important site for the regulation of male sexual behavior. Indeed, ablations of the MPOA impair sexual behavior, whereas stimulation of the MPOA enhances behavior. Furthermore, neural activity in the MPOA increases with mating...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioral neuroscience 2007-10, Vol.121 (5), p.1023-1031
Main Authors: Dominguez, Juan M, Balfour, Margaret E, Lee, Han S, Brown, Jennifer L, Davis, Brooke A, Coolen, Lique M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal
Animal reproduction
Animal Sexual Behavior
Animals
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Dizocilpine Maleate - administration & dosage
Dizocilpine Maleate - pharmacology
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists - administration & dosage
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists - pharmacology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene expression
Gene Expression - physiology
Genes, fos - genetics
Glutamate Receptors
Immunohistochemistry
Limbic System
Male
Microinjections
N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
Neurons
Neurons - metabolism
Neurosciences
Phosphorylation
Preoptic Area
Preoptic Area - cytology
Preoptic Area - physiology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - antagonists & inhibitors
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - physiology
Rodents
Sexual Behavior, Animal - physiology
Studies
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Summary:Studies have emphasized the role of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) as an important site for the regulation of male sexual behavior. Indeed, ablations of the MPOA impair sexual behavior, whereas stimulation of the MPOA enhances behavior. Furthermore, neural activity in the MPOA increases with mating. The current study tested the hypothesis that activation of N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptors occurs in MPOA neurons and is essential for the expression of male sexual behavior in rats. Results indicate that nearly all MPOA neurons that expressed Fos following mating also contained the NR1 subunit of NMDA receptors. Furthermore, mating increased phosphorylation, thus activation, of NR1 in the MPOA. Additionally, blocking NMDA receptors significantly decreased mating-induced Fos expression and mating-induced phosphorylation of NMDA receptors and impaired male sexual behavior. These results provide evidence that mating activates NMDA receptors in the MPOA and that this activation is important for the expression of male sexual behavior.
ISSN:0735-7044
1939-0084
DOI:10.1037/0735-7044.121.5.1023