MK-801 and male odours induce c-fos expression in the AOB of juvenile female mice.
The odours of adult males, which accelerate the timing of puberty of female mice, activate c-fos in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB). To test the hypothesis that NMDA receptors are involved in the male odour-induced increase in c-fos expression, we studied the effects of the non-competitive NMDA receptor agonist MK-801 on male odour-induced c-fos expression in the AOB of juvenile female mice. Surprisingly, MK-801 increased FOS-like immunoreactivity (FLI) within the AOB in the absence of male odour and had no effect on male odour-induced c-fos expression. We suggest that MK-801 increases AOB mitral cell activity by disinhibiting GABAergic granule cells, resulting in increased c-fos expression throughout the AOB.
McLellan
R A
RA
Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Wilkinson
M
M
Brown
R E
RE
D000818:Animals; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009812:Odorants; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012741:Sexual Maturation
D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D012724:Sex Attractants; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate