Fetal brain transplants induce recovery of male sexual behavior in medial preoptic area-lesioned rats.
Male rats received bilateral lesions within the medial preoptic area which completely abolished sexual behavior. Hypothalamic fetal brain transplants gradually restored sexual behavior to prelesion levels by the 6th week after the transplant. Immunocytochemical analyses revealed tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity neurons within the transplanted tissue. These results demonstrate that fetal brain transplants can restore an innate complex behavior in which no spontaneous recovery is observed.
Paredes
R G
RG
Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Anáhuac, Mexico D.F., Mexico.
Piña
A L
AL
Fernández-Ruiz
J
J
Bermúdez-Rattoni
F
F
D000818:Animals; D002802:Cholinesterases / Q000032:analysis; D004542:Ejaculation; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D009929:Organ Size; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D013737:Testis / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000032:analysis
D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D002802:Cholinesterases