Electroencephalographic coupling in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex in relation to the estrous cycle and duration of vaginocervical stimulation in the rat.
The influence of the duration of vaginocervical stimulation (VCS) on the electroencephalographic activity (EEG) of medial amygdala (MeA) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) in rats during proestrus-estrus (P-E) and diestrus (D) was examined. Using a glass syringe plunger, a constant force of 300g was exerted against the cervix during 60s. Relative power (RP) and correlation of three EEG band frequencies were compared between the first and last 30s intervals of VCS. A higher RP of the 4-7Hz band and a lower RP of the fast frequencies were observed in the MeA and PFC in P-E females during the first 30s of VCS as compared to the last 30s. Only during P-E, a higher interamygdaline correlation in the 8-12Hz band and a lower correlation in the 13-21Hz band during the first 30s were observed. Similarly, a higher interamygdaline correlation in the 8-12Hz band was observed during the first 30s of VCS during P-E as compared to D. During the last 30s of VCS there was no difference between phases. The VCS evoked EEG changes in the MeA that varied between phases of the estrous cycle and depended on the duration of the stimulation. These effects could be associated with the quantification processes of VCS that has been proposed to occur in the amygdala. These findings show differential responsiveness of the MeA and PFC according to the amount of VCS received, and that the response varies according to the estrous cycle.
Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Electronic address: mariselh@cencar.udg.mx.
Marisela
M
Hernández-González
Centro Universitario de la Ciénega, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Orlando
O
Reynoso-Orozco
Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Miguel Angel
MA
Guevara
Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Diego Radberto Chapa
DRC
García Abascal
Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø, Norway.
Anders
A
Ågmo
D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000502:physiology*; D003344:Cortical Synchronization / Q000502:physiology; D000069280:Electrocorticography; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013997:Time Factors; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014621:Vagina / Q000502:physiology*; D014828:Vocalization, Animal
EEG; Estrous cycle; Medial amygdala; Prefrontal cortex; Rat; Vaginocervical stimulation