title: Influences of dopamine and glutamate in the medial preoptic area on male sexual behavior.
abstract: Several brain nuclei interact to orchestrate the appetitive and consummatory aspects of male sexual behavior. Of these structures, the medial preoptic area (mPOA) of the hypothalamus is of particular interest, as it receives input from all sensory modalities, and damage to this region disrupts copulation in a wide variety of taxa. Furthermore, the mPOA is both responsive to gonadal hormones and involved in endocrine regulation. Neurochemical studies have demonstrated that both dopamine and glutamate levels rise in the mPOA in response to sexual activity, while antagonism of these neurotransmitters impairs male sexual response. Here we review how dopamine and glutamate act in the mPOA to modulate male sexual behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States.
authors.forename: Ryan G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Will
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States.
authors.forename: Elaine M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hull
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States; The Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States. Electronic address: dominguez@utexas.edu.
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dominguez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004298:Dopamine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology*; D011600:Psychopharmacology; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D004298:Dopamine
keywords: Dopamine; Glutamate; Nitric oxide; Preoptic area; Reproduction; Testosterone