title: Biostimulation and nursing modify mating-induced c-FOS immunoreactivity in the female rabbit forebrain.
abstract: Mating in rabbits lasts only 3-5s but profoundly changes the female׳s physiology and behavior (e.g., inhibition of scent-marking and ambulation, changes in EEG, and release of GnRH). The behavioral responsiveness to copulation is reduced in lactating rabbits, relative to estrous does, but is enhanced after suppressing a single nursing bout ("biostimulation"). Little is known about the mechanisms mediating the differential responsiveness to mating among estrous, lactating, and biostimulated rabbits. To begin addressing this issue we quantified the number of c-FOS-immunoreactive (IR) cells in the preoptic area (POA), dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH), ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), infundibular nucleus (INF), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), supraoptic nucleus (SON), and lateral septum (LS) in mated and unmated does from the above three reproductive conditions. Mating increased c-FOS-IR cells in the POA and PVN relative to unmated estrous does. Biostimulation increased c-FOS-IR cells in the PVN, relative to lactating does, regardless of mating. Lactation reduced the responsiveness of the LS and INF to copulation but increased it in the DMH. No differences were found in the VMH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  a) copulation activates forebrain nuclei that regulate scent-marking (POA), ovulation (INF), and post-coital oxytocin release (PVN); b) lactation and suppression of one nursing bout modulate the magnitude of such changes.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Apdo. Postal 62, Tlaxcala 90000, Mexico. Electronic address: gabygmm@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: González-Mariscal
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Apdo. Postal 62, Tlaxcala 90000, Mexico.
authors.forename: Cipatli
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: García Dalmán
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Apdo. Postal 62, Tlaxcala 90000, Mexico.
authors.forename: Angeles
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jiménez
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007774:Lactation / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000378:metabolism*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000378:metabolism*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism*; D011817:Rabbits; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos
keywords: Lactational anestrus; Mating; Nursing; Preoptic area; c-FOS