Lesions of the hypothalamic region of the fetus and length of gestation in the guinea-pig.
A lesion was placed in the hypothalamic region of the brain of one fetus in each of 25 guinea-pigs on days 39-41 of pregnancy. Thirteen females were killed before delivery and the fetuses collected for histological examination of the brain. The young of twelve other females were killed immediately after delivery in order to determine the nature and extent of any brain damage, and the findings in both groups were compared with those recorded from a series of 23 similarly operated control animals in which lesions were not made. Delivery was not consistently advanced by the brain lesions and the results do not confirm those of an earlier study in which lesions of the hypothalamus of the fetus caused premature delivery.
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006168:Guinea Pigs / Q000196:embryology*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy