-
Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Apr 19961. Evidence is reviewed which shows that a sexually dimorphic nucleus located in the dorsomedial portion of the male ferret's preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus... (Review)
Review
1. Evidence is reviewed which shows that a sexually dimorphic nucleus located in the dorsomedial portion of the male ferret's preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus (POA/AH), called the male nucleus of the POA/AH (Mn-POA/AH), develops during fetal life in response to the action of estradiol, which is formed directly in the nervous system from circulating testosterone over the final quarter of a 41-day gestation. 2. Results are summarized which establish that neurons which make up the Mn-POA/AH are born prior to the critical period of estradiol's action in the male brain. Other data show that some radial glial processes, visualized immunocytochemically using antibodies against GFAP, emanate from proliferative zones at the base of the lateral ventricles in a dorsal-ventral orientation, whereas other glial processes emanate laterally from proliferative zones lining the third ventricle. 3. We suggest that at least some neurons which constitute the dorsomedial POA/AH are born in proliferative zones surrounding the lateral ventricles, raising the question of whether estradiol acts in developing males to influence the migration of these neurons along radial glial guides into the Mn-POA/AH. 4. Finally, evidence is summarized showing that excitotoxic lesions of the dorsomedial POA/AH enhance males' preference to approach and interact with another sexually active male, as opposed to an estrous female, when adult subjects are castrated and treated with estradiol benzoate. These data suggest that the sexually dimorphic Mn-POA/AH is an essential part of a CNS circuit which determines heterosexual partner preference in the male ferret.
Topics: Animals; Carnivora; Estrogens; Female; Ferrets; Male; Preoptic Area; Sex Characteristics
PubMed: 8743964
DOI: 10.1007/BF02088171 -
The EMBO Journal Mar 2021Impairments in social relationships and awareness are features observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood....
Impairments in social relationships and awareness are features observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Shank2 is a high-confidence ASD candidate gene and localizes primarily to postsynaptic densities (PSDs) of excitatory synapses in the central nervous system (CNS). We show here that loss of Shank2 in mice leads to a lack of social attachment and bonding behavior towards pubs independent of hormonal, cognitive, or sensitive deficits. Shank2 mice display functional changes in nuclei of the social attachment circuit that were most prominent in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the hypothalamus. Selective enhancement of MPOA activity by DREADD technology re-established social bonding behavior in Shank2 mice, providing evidence that the identified circuit might be crucial for explaining how social deficits in ASD can arise.
Topics: Animals; Autistic Disorder; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Maternal Behavior; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Piperazines; Preoptic Area; Synapses
PubMed: 33491217
DOI: 10.15252/embj.2019104267 -
Behavioural Brain Research May 2016Cocaine-induced locomotion is mediated by dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Recent evidence indicates that the medial preoptic area (mPOA), a region in the...
Cocaine-induced locomotion is mediated by dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Recent evidence indicates that the medial preoptic area (mPOA), a region in the rostral hypothalamus, modulates cocaine-induced dopamine in the NAc. Specifically, rats with lesions of the mPOA experienced a greater increase in dopamine following cocaine administration than rats with sham lesions. Whether the mPOA similarly influences cocaine-induced locomotion is not known. Here we examined whether radiofrequency or neurotoxic lesions of the mPOA in male rats influence changes in locomotion that follow cocaine administration. Locomotion was measured following cocaine administration in male rats with neurotoxic, radiofrequency, or sham lesions of the mPOA. Results indicate that bilateral lesions of the mPOA facilitated cocaine-induced locomotion. This facilitation was independent of lesion type, as increased locomotion was observed with either approach. These findings support a role for the mPOA as an integral region in the processing of cocaine-induced behavioral response, in this case locomotor activity.
Topics: Animals; Catheter Ablation; Cocaine; Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; Exploratory Behavior; Locomotion; Male; N-Methylaspartate; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase; Preoptic Area; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
PubMed: 26947755
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.03.002 -
Nature Communications Jan 2018The medial preoptic area (mPOA) differs between males and females in nearly all species examined to date, including humans. Here, using fiber photometry recordings of Ca...
The medial preoptic area (mPOA) differs between males and females in nearly all species examined to date, including humans. Here, using fiber photometry recordings of Ca transients in freely behaving mice, we show ramping activities in the mPOA that precede and correlate with sexually dimorphic display of male-typical mounting and female-typical pup retrieval. Strikingly, optogenetic stimulation of the mPOA elicits similar display of mounting and pup retrieval in both males and females. Furthermore, by means of recording, ablation, optogenetic activation, and inhibition, we show mPOA neurons expressing estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1) are essential for the sexually biased display of these behaviors. Together, these results underscore the shared layout of the brain that can mediate sex-specific behaviors in both male and female mice and provide an important functional frame to decode neural mechanisms governing sexually dimorphic behaviors in the future.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Estrogen Receptor alpha; Female; Humans; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Neurons; Optogenetics; Preoptic Area; Sex Factors; Sexual Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 29348568
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02648-0 -
Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology May 2018Testosterone (T) can act directly through neural androgen receptors (AR) to facilitate male sexual behavior; however, T's metabolites also can play complicated and... (Review)
Review
Testosterone (T) can act directly through neural androgen receptors (AR) to facilitate male sexual behavior; however, T's metabolites also can play complicated and interesting roles in the control of mating. One metabolite, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) binds to AR with significantly greater affinity than that of T. Is that important behaviorally? Another metabolite, estradiol (E), offers a potential alternative route of facilitating male mating behavior by acting through estradiol receptors (ER). In this review we explore the roles and relative importance of T as well as E and DHT at various levels of the neuroaxis for the activation of male sex behavior in common laboratory animals and, when relevant research findings are available, in man.
Topics: Animals; Autonomic Nervous System; Hormones; Humans; Lumbar Vertebrae; Male; Preoptic Area; Sexual Behavior; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 29100889
DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2017.10.018 -
Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Dec 19971. There are numerous sites in the nervous system where steroid hormones dramatically influence development. Increasing interest in mechanisms in neural development is... (Review)
Review
1. There are numerous sites in the nervous system where steroid hormones dramatically influence development. Increasing interest in mechanisms in neural development is providing avenues for understanding how gonadal steroids alter the ontogeny of these regions during sexual differentiation. 2. An increasing number of researchers are examining effects of gonadal steroids on neurite outgrowth, cell differentiation, cell death, cell migration, and synaptogenesis. The interrelated timing of these events may be a key aspect influenced by gonadal steroids throughout development. 3. The preoptic area and hypothalamus are characteristically heterogeneous in terms of cell type (e.g., different neuropeptides) and cell derivation. Perhaps a major reason for the ontogeny of sexual differences in the preoptic area and hypothalamus lies in the convergence of many different cell types from diverse sources (i.e., proliferative zones surrounding the lateral and third ventricles, and the olfactory placodes) that can be influenced in an interactive manner by gonadal steroid mechanisms. 4. The characterization of multiple mechanisms (e.g., trophic, migratory, apoptotic, fate, etc.,) that contribute to permanent changes in brain structure and ultimately function is essential for unraveling the process of sexual differentiation.
Topics: Animals; Female; Male; Mammals; Preoptic Area; Sex Characteristics
PubMed: 9442348
DOI: 10.1023/a:1022529918810 -
Neuroscience Nov 2017The medial preoptic area (mPOA) participates in the temperature and cardiovascular control. The mPOA receives inputs from limbic structures and sends projections to...
The medial preoptic area (mPOA) participates in the temperature and cardiovascular control. The mPOA receives inputs from limbic structures and sends projections to hypothalamus and brainstem. Moreover, stress elicits pronounced neuronal activation in mPOA, suggesting its involvement in central neural pathway mediating stress responses. In the present study, we report the effect of acute mPOA neurotransmission inhibition using cobalt chloride (CoCl-nonselective synapse blocker) on the mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), body and tail temperature (T and T, respectively), as well as on the HR component of baroreflex. We also verified the participation of mPOA in the autonomic changes evoked by acute restraint stress (RS). Our results demonstrated that microinjection of CoCl into mPOA caused tachycardia, hyperthermia and a T decrease, without altering MAP. The inhibition of mPOA with CoCl increased the sympathetic component of cardiac baroreflex when assessed 10min after its administration. In addition, pretreatment of mPOA with CoCl increased RS-evoked tachycardic and hyperthermic responses evoked by RS when compared with aCSF-treated animals, without affecting the RS-evoked pressor response and the fall in T. In summary, our results suggest that mPOA exerts a tonic inhibitory influence on the sympathetic cardiac tone under both rest and stress conditions, modulating negatively the sympathetic component of baroreflex. Results also confirm the mPOA involvement in the control of body temperature because its inhibition was followed by a sustained increase in body temperature and vasoconstriction in the tail artery territory.
Topics: Animals; Autonomic Nervous System; Baroreflex; Blood Pressure; Body Temperature; Heart Rate; Male; Preoptic Area; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Rest; Restraint, Physical; Stress, Psychological
PubMed: 28943248
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.09.026 -
The Journal of Comparative Neurology Nov 1987Neurogenesis and morphogenesis in the rat preoptic area were examined with [3H]thymidine autoradiography. For neurogenesis, the experimental animals were the offspring...
Neurogenesis and morphogenesis in the rat preoptic area were examined with [3H]thymidine autoradiography. For neurogenesis, the experimental animals were the offspring of pregnant females given an injection of [3H]thymidine on two consecutive gestational days. Nine groups were exposed to [3H]thymidine on embryonic days E13-E14, E14-E15, E21-E22, respectively. On postnatal day P5, the percentage of labeled cells and the proportion of cells originating during 24-hr periods were quantified at four anteroposterior levels in the preoptic area. Throughout most of the preoptic area there is a lateral to medial neurogenetic gradient. Neurons originate between E12-E15 in the lateral preoptic area, between E13-E16 in the medial preoptic area, between E14-E17 in the medial preoptic nucleus, and between E15-E18 in the periventricular nucleus. These structures also have intrinsic dorsal to ventral neurogenetic gradients. There are two atypical structures: (1) the sexually dimorphic nucleus originates exceptionally late (E15-E19) and is located more lateral to the ventricle than older neurons; (2) in the median preoptic nucleus, where older neurons (E13-E14) are located closer to the third ventricle than younger neurons (E14-E17). For an autoradiographic study of morphogenesis, pregnant females were given a single injection of [3H]thymidine during gestation, and their embryos were removed either two hrs later (short survival) or in successive 24-hr periods (sequential survival). Short-survival autoradiography was used to locate the putative neuroepithelial sources of preoptic nuclei, and sequential survival autoradiography was used to trace the migratory waves of young neurons and their final settling locations. The preoptic neuroepithelium is located anterior to and in the front wall of the optic recess. The neuroepithelium lining the third ventricle is postulated to contain a mosaic of spatiotemporally defined neuroepithelial zones, each containing precursor cells for a specific structure. The neuroepithelial zones and the migratory waves originating from them are illustrated. Throughout most of the preoptic area, neurons migrate predominantly laterally. The older neurons in the lateral preoptic area migrate earlier and settle adjacent to the telencephalon. Younger neurons migrate in successively later waves and accumulate medially. The sexually dimorphic neurons are exceptional since they migrate past older cells to settle in the core of the medial preoptic nucleus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Topics: Animals; Autoradiography; Cell Differentiation; Cell Movement; Epithelial Cells; Epithelium; Neurons; Preoptic Area; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Sex Characteristics; Thymidine; Time Factors; Tritium
PubMed: 3693605
DOI: 10.1002/cne.902650106 -
Indian Journal of Physiology and... Apr 2004The medial preoptic area (mPOA) is one of the many areas in the brain that control sleep. Apart from sleep, the mPOA is important for the regulation of body temperature,... (Review)
Review
The medial preoptic area (mPOA) is one of the many areas in the brain that control sleep. Apart from sleep, the mPOA is important for the regulation of body temperature, and other important body functions aimed at energy homeostasis. In sleep regulation, the major function of this area is to maintain sleep. Though the mPOA controls sleep and body temperature through independent neuronal circuits, it is essential for organising the sleep architecture, as per the thermoregulatory requirement. The functional integrity of the mPOA may be essential for the regulation of energy homeostasis, in response to alterations in the ambient temperature, heat producing physical activity and sleep-wakefulness. Thus, the mPOA forms part of the brain that integrates regulations aimed at preservation of self. The mPOA is important for maintaining the "set point" for not only body temperature, but it is also important for maintaining the "set point" for several physiological parameters including sleep-wakefulness.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Neural Pathways; Norepinephrine; Preoptic Area; Sleep
PubMed: 15521553
DOI: No ID Found -
Science (New York, N.Y.) Oct 2018
Topics: Animals; Galanin; Models, Neurological; Neural Pathways; Neurons; Parenting; Preoptic Area
PubMed: 30309939
DOI: 10.1126/science.aav1249