title: Involvement of a cholinergic mechanism in the mediation of hippocampal influences on female sexual maturation and somatic development.
abstract: Female Wistar rats were bilaterally lesioned in the anterior part of the ventral hippocampus (VHPC) at 21, 26 or 32 days of age. Irrespective of the age at lesioning a significant delay of vaginal opening and of the first ovulation was recorded. This delay of the onset of puberty was consistently associated with a retardation of the body weight increase. Both the puberty-delaying and growth-retarding effects of VHPC lesions produced on day 21 could be prevented by daily s.c. injections of 50 micrograms/100 g b.w. pyridostigmine from day 21 till vaginal opening, but not by the administration of 2 mg/100 g/day pargyline. The findings suggest a cholinergic mediation of stimulatory effects exerted by the hippocampus on sexual maturation and somatic development.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D010293:Pargyline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011729:Pyridostigmine Bromide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D010293:Pargyline; D011729:Pyridostigmine Bromide