The long-term goal of this research is to understand how testosterone (T) acts on the brain to modify male social behaviors. During the period of requested support, the focus will be on the activation of mating in adult males to capitalize on the identification of cell groups in the gerbil medial preoptic area, and related pathways, that are essential for this behavior. The critical cell groups are the two major parts of the sexually dimorphic area (SDA). The pathways are a projection from the SDA to the retrorubral field (RRF) and a reciprocal connection of the SDA with the medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTm). To learn more about the circuitry for male sex behavior, four aims of this research are 1) to test whether SDA efferents to the RRF use gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) as their transmitter, 2) to test whether the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus contributes to any effects attributed to the RRF, 3) to determine if the RRF and caudal BSTm affect mating as parts of a common pathway and 4) to test the hypothesis that the medial part of the medial preoptic nucleus of rats is analogous to the gerbil medial SDA. Another cell group, the SDA parts compacta (SDApc), which is seen almost exclusively in males in adulthood, is not essential for male sex behavior.
Aim 5 is to test whether it affects other aspects of reproduction. SDA cell groups also show specific patterns of activation during mating as assessed by c-Fos immunocytochemistry. The medial SDA responds when males enter the sexual context and when they ejaculate. A thalamic nucleus connected to the mSDA shows the same pattern. Part of the posterodorsal medial amygdala (MeApd), which is connected to the mSDA, and the posterodorsal preoptic nucleus, which is near the SDA, respond only with ejaculation. The remaining aims of the research are 6) to test whether either the PdPN or MeApd is causally related to ejaculation (behavior or seminal emission), 7) to assess the relationships among the four cell groups activated with ejaculation and 8) to determine if the MeApd cells involved contain any of the peptides that are dimorphic or T sensitive in the MeApd of other species. The expression of sex behavior can clearly affect both the mental and physical health of men and their partners.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01MH026481-22
Application #
2033564
Study Section
Psychobiology, Behavior, and Neuroscience Review Committee (PBN)
Project Start
1977-08-01
Project End
1999-12-31
Budget Start
1997-02-01
Budget End
1997-12-31
Support Year
22
Fiscal Year
1997
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Irvine
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
161202122
City
Irvine
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92697
Yahr, Pauline (2015) Two aromatase inhibitors inhibit the ability of a third to promote mating in male rats. Horm Behav 75:41-4
Yahr, Pauline (2011) Sex difference and response to testosterone in gabaergic cells of the medial preoptic nucleus and ventral bed nuclei of the stria terminalis in gerbils. Horm Behav 59:473-6
Simmons, Danielle A; Yahr, Pauline (2011) Nitric oxidergic cells related to ejaculation in gerbil forebrain contain androgen receptor and respond to testosterone. J Comp Neurol 519:900-15
Simmons, D A; Hoffman, N W; Yahr, P (2011) A forebrain-retrorubral pathway involved in male sex behavior is GABAergic and activated with mating in gerbils. Neuroscience 175:162-8
Simmons, Danielle A; Yahr, Pauline (2011) Distribution of catecholaminergic and peptidergic cells in the gerbil medial amygdala, caudal preoptic area and caudal bed nuclei of the stria terminalis with a focus on areas activated at ejaculation. J Chem Neuroanat 41:13-9
Finn, Patricia D; Yahr, Pauline (2005) Projection from the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to the retrorubral field in rats and the effects of cells in these areas on mating in male rats versus gerbils. Horm Behav 47:123-38
Simmons, Danielle A; Yahr, Pauline (2003) GABA and glutamate in mating-activated cells in the preoptic area and medial amygdala of male gerbils. J Comp Neurol 459:290-300
Simmons, Danielle A; Yahr, Pauline (2002) Projections of the posterodorsal preoptic nucleus and the lateral part of the posterodorsal medial amygdala in male gerbils, with emphasis on cells activated with ejaculation. J Comp Neurol 444:75-94
Heeb, M M; Yahr, P (2001) Anatomical and functional connections among cell groups in the gerbil brain that are activated with ejaculation. J Comp Neurol 439:248-58
Heeb, M M; Yahr, P (2000) Cell-body lesions of the posterodorsal preoptic nucleus or posterodorsal medial amygdala, but not the parvicellular subparafascicular thalamus, disrupt mating in male gerbils. Physiol Behav 68:317-31

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