The influence of the estrous cycle on the activity of striatal neurons recorded from freely moving rats.
Recordings from striatal neurons in conscious rats at various stages of the estrous cycle revealed differences in the activity of the neurons. Average firing rate was higher in diestrus than in animals in estrus or proestrus. The increase did not seem to depend on the motor activity of the animals nor was it present in ovariectomized rats. Since application of estrogen to ovariectomized rats did not change the firing rate of the neurons, we conclude that differences during the cycle in conscious rats are not mediated by an action of estrogen unlike those seen in anesthetized rats. Differing electrode sampling bias in the two situations, or an action of anesthetic in revealing the estrogen effect may explain the differences.
Garcia-Munoz
M
M
MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Edingburgh, U.K.
Johnson
M
M
MacLeod
N
N
Arbuthnott
G
G
D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000502:physiology*; D004971:Estrus / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D010052:Ovariectomy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains