Progesterone facilitation of sexual receptivity in rats with neural implantation of estrogen.
The neural substrate for estrogen (E) AND E plus progesterone (P)-induced sexual receptivity was examined in 3 classes of adult rats: (1) adult females ovariectomized for 11 days, and (2) females and (3) males gonadectomized on the day of birth. E responses were found only after implantation in the preoptic or medial hypothalamus; adult females had the largest fraction of responders. The addition of P significantly increased the fraction of adult and neonatally ovariectomized females responding when E implantation was made throughout the hypothalamus from preoptic to mammillary bodies. No E-P synergistic effects were seen in the day-1 gonadectomized males. E-P synergistic effects were found in the amygdala of the adult ovariectomized females. However, midbrain implants of E were ineffective for facilitating E-P-induced receptivity in the 3 classes of animals studied.
D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004958:Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects*; D007032:Hypothalamus, Anterior / Q000187:drug effects; D007034:Hypothalamus, Posterior / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000187:drug effects; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011930:Reaction Time; D012154:Reticular Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013997:Time Factors
D004967:Estrogens; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol