Excitotoxin lesions of the zona incerta/lateral tegmentum continuum: effects on male sexual behavior in rats.
In male rats, ibotenic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid were used to destroy neuronal perikarya intrinsic to an anterior-posterior continuum including the caudal zona incerta and lateral tegmentum. Some lesions virtually eliminated male sexual behavior - an effect most closely associated with damage to the lateral hypothalamus and zona incerta. Many lesioned males who copulated to ejaculation with normally active females showed little or no mating with receptive, but relatively inactive, females. Although it is possible to identify a critical region within the subthalamus whose destruction eliminates male sexual behaviour, sexually-relevant neuronal cell bodies appear to be distributed throughout the lateral hypothalamic/incertal/tegmental continuum.
Maillard
C A
CA
Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322.
Edwards
D A
DA
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003307:Copulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007051:Ibotenic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012931:Social Environment; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013681:Tegmentum Mesencephali / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D007051:Ibotenic Acid; D016202:N-Methylaspartate