Multiple unit activity patterns of neuronal populations in gonadotropic areas of the quail hypothalamus: spontaneous and photically-induced firing.
Multiple-unit activity (MUA) was obtained from neuronal pools in the gonadotropic hypothalamus of quails. A special device allowed for exploration of various hypothalamic structures in unanesthetized birds. All recording sessions were made in the dark. Spontaneous and flash light-evoked MUAs were recorded from both tuberal and dorsal gonadotropic areas, either in the morning or in the afternoon, and were compared to extragonadotropic firing patterns. Firing rates (spikes/10 sec) and integrated MUA (200 addresses) provided distinctive spontaneous neuronal activities for various cell clusters. These spontaneous salient features appeared to be changeable throughout the photoperiod. Flash stimulations resulted in a marked increase in MUA recorded from the gonadotropic regions of the hypothalamus.
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004594:Electrophysiology; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D010507:Periodicity; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011784:Quail / Q000502:physiology*; D013737:Testis / Q000502:physiology