title: Effects of testosterone on the behavioral response to arginine vasopressin microinjected into the central gray and septum.
abstract: Arginine vasopressin (AVP) plays an important role in the control of a gonadal hormone-dependent communicative behavior in the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) called flank marking. Previous studies have shown that gonadal hormones alter the amount of flank marking stimulated by the microinjection of AVP into the medial preoptic area-anterior hypothalamus (MPOA-AH). The purpose of the present study was to determine if testicular hormones alter the amount of flank marking stimulated by the microinjection of AVP into two other sites involved in the control of flank marking, the lateral septum-bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (LS-BNST) and the central gray. The data of the present study indicate that testicular hormones may influence the amount of AVP-stimulated marking in the central gray and LS-BNST; however, these effects are subtle and appear to occur primarily at high concentrations of AVP. When taken together with previous studies, these data indicate that gonadal hormones have greater effects on AVP-stimulated marking in the MPOA-AH than in the LS-BNST or central gray.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta 30303, USA.
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Albers
authors.forename: T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008845:Microinjections; D010487:Periaqueductal Gray / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D013739:Testosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D013739:Testosterone