Dopamine release in the medial preoptic area during male copulatory behavior in rats.
In vivo microdialysis was employed to measure the extracellular concentrations of dopamine (DA) in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of rats during male sexual activity to look for a correlation with sexual activity. During copulation, the concentration of DA in the MPOA was significantly increased. A significant difference was detected in changes of DA between copulators and non-copulators. These findings were consistent with the assertion that DA neuron activity in the MPOA facilities male copulatory behavior.
Department of Urology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
Y
Y
Sato
H
H
Wada
H
H
Horita
N
N
Suzuki
A
A
Shibuya
H
H
Adachi
R
R
Kato
T
T
Tsukamoto
Y
Y
Kumamoto
D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000502:physiology; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D004298:Dopamine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid