Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Preoptic Area”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Role of medial preoptic area beta adrenoceptors in the regulation of sleep-wakefulness.

The role of the medial preoptic area (mPOA) beta adrenergic receptors in the regulation of sleep-wakefulness (S-W) was investigated in this study. S-W was assessed on the basis of polygraphic recording of EEG, EMG and EOG in free moving rats. Intracerebral microinjection of beta agonist, isoproterenol, into the mPOA produced arousal. The study was also conducted on another set of rats in which noradrenergic (NE) innervation to the mPOA was destroyed by injecting 6-hydroxydopamine into the ventral noradrenergic bundle, in the brain stem. Local application of isoproterenol, into the mPOA, in these animals, did not produce any significant change in S-W. Thus, the increase in awake period obtained on isoproterenol administration was the result of its action on the presynaptic NE terminals. Possible involvement of other responses in the isoproterenol induced increase in wakefulness, is discussed.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗
PubMed1984

Preoptic area unit activity during sleep and wakefulness in the cat.

The spontaneous discharge of 86 preoptic area (POA) neurons was recorded extracellularly in chronically prepared cats during wakefulness (W), slow-wave sleep (SWS), and REM sleep. Of these, the percentage of units exhibiting maximal discharge rates in SWS and REM sleep (84%) was significantly greater than that of those exhibiting a maximal discharge rate in W (16%). Furthermore, those neurons that discharged rapidly in sleep (fast units) generally had a reduced discharge rate in W. Sixteen of the 86 units showed a strong tendency to discharge in bursts during SWS but not during W or REM sleep. The mean coefficient of variation and the mean discharge rate for these bursting cells in SWS were significantly greater than the corresponding values for the same cells in W and REM sleep, and for the nonbursting cells in SWS. Because POA stimulation is known to initiate behavioral and electrocortical signs of sleep, it is suggested that "fast units" in SWS with reduced discharge rates in W, may be "hypnogenic" cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Choline acetyltransferase activity in the pars distalis, preoptic area and striatum during the rat estrous cycle.

Choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity of the striatum, preoptic area (POA), and pars distalis (PD) of the anterior pituitary gland was measured on each day of the 4-day estrous cycle of adult Wistar rats. Only in the PD did CAT activity vary significantly during the cycle, with the activity being lower during estrus than at other stages of the cycle. The CAT activity of the PD was extremely low, approximately 500 nmol/h/g protein, and, therefore, the specificity of the CAT activity of the PD was verified in studies on substrate requirement, the effect of a CAT inhibitor, and by paper chromatography of the reaction products. Measurement of CAT activity in saline-perfused glands, in sections of tissue taken from the lateral extremes of the PD and in hypophysial portal blood showed that the CAT activity of the PD was intrinsic, and not due to CAT activity in entrapped blood or adjacent tissues. The precise cellular origins of CAT in PD and the significance of the cyclical variation require further investigation.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Insulin-sensitive glucoreceptors in rat preoptic area that regulate FFA mobilization.

Previous studies indicated that a longitudinal pathway connecting preoptic, lateral, and posterior hypothalamic areas participates in the process of free fatty acid (FFA) mobilization in the rat. In the present experiments, the presence of sensitive neurons in the preoptic area was investigated by examining the effects of topical stimulation with 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) or insulin on the levels of plasma FFA in conscious unrestrained rats. Microinjections of minute amounts (50 micrograms and 1 microliter) of 2-DG into the preoptic area of fed animals induced rapid increases in the concentration of plasma FFA. Microinjections of insulin (5 microU and 0.5 microliter) produced sharp decreases of the elevated plasma FFA levels in fasted rats. Both 2-DG and insulin induced small increases in plasma glucose that did not differ from similar increases induced by equal volumes of 0.15 M NaCl. The results provide direct evidence for the presence within the preoptic area of insulin-sensitive glucoreceptors involved in FFA mobilization. The data suggest that activation of these receptors and increased sympathetic outflow to adipose tissue contributes to fasting lipolysis.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Is androgen-dependent aromatase activity sexually differentiated in the rat and dove preoptic area?

Aromatase activity is higher in the male than in the female anterior hypothalamic-preoptic area (POA) in both the avian and the rodent adult brain. This sex difference is abolished after castration of the male and restored by androgen treatment. Gonadectomy has no effect on POA aromatase in the female. The aim of this study was to find out whether sex dimorphism in adult POA aromatase is only due to a sex difference in circulating gonadal hormones or dependent upon sexual differentiation of the brain. Aromatase activity was measured in vitro in microdissected POA samples using a sensitive radiometric assay. We examined the effects of gonadectomy and testosterone treatment on enzyme activity in adult rats and doves of both sexes. We also studied the effects of neonatal gonadectomy and hormone substitution in male and female rats. The results suggest that levels of POA aromatase in the adult depend primarily on gonadal activity, but that mechanisms involved in the regulation of aromatase activity and enzyme induction may be sex-specific and could result from sexual differentiation of the brain in early life. Further work will be required to determine the developmental stage when this occurs and the exact mechanism(s) responsible for increased sensitivity of the adult male POA to the inductive effect of testosterone.

Androgens↗
PubMed1989

D2/D1 ratio in the medial preoptic area affects copulation of male rats.

The D1/D2 dopamine agonist apomorphine, microinjected into the medial preoptic area (MPOA), facilitates male rat sexual behavior and the D1/D2 antagonist cis-flupenthixol in the MPOA impairs it. The present study investigated the roles of D1 and D2 receptors in the regulation of copulation by microinjecting drugs selective for these receptors into the MPOA. The D2 agonist LY-163502 delayed the onset and slowed the rate of copulation and also reduced the number of vaginal intromissions required to trigger ejaculation (reduced ejaculatory threshold). The D1 agonist SKF-82526 had no effect, either alone or together with LY-163502. The D1 antagonist SCH-23390 delayed the onset of copulation and decreased ejaculatory threshold, as had the D2 agonist. A low dose of the D2 agonist alone and together with the D1 antagonist delayed the onset of copulation and reduced ejaculatory threshold; the combination of drugs was more effective than LY-163502 alone. Only the combination of drugs slowed the rate of copulation and delayed the resumption of copulation after an ejaculation. Thus, increasing the D2/D1 ratio in the MPOA, by selective stimulation of D2 and/or antagonism of D1 receptors, delays the onset of copulation and reduces ejaculatory threshold, possibly by altering autonomic control of penile reflexes.

2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-ben↗
PubMed1995

Effects of morphiceptin in the medial preoptic area on male sexual behavior.

Morphiceptin, a selective mu opioid agonist, injected into the medial preoptic area (MPOA), delayed the onset of copulation in male rats, but did not affect genital reflexes, sexual motivation or general motor activity. In a dose-dependent manner, morphiceptin (100 ng and 1000 ng) injected into the MPOA increased mount and intromission latencies. Similar injections of morphiceptin into the ventromedial hypothalamus had no effect on any parameter of copulation. The increase in copulatory latencies following the injection of the highest dose of morphiceptin was blocked by pretreatment with the opioid antagonist naloxone. In the X-maze task, morphiceptin had no effect on sexual motivation, as measured by the percentage of trials on which the male chose the female's chamber, but it increased the number of trials in which the subject did not select a chamber within 60 s and the latency to the female the first time he chose her chamber. Similar to the copulation task, the mount and intromission latencies were also increased in the X-maze, after the male reached the female. Morphiceptin in the MPOA had no effect on ex copula genital reflexes, tested in restrained supine males, or on motor activity, tested in a grid box. These results suggest that morphiceptin disrupts either the specific copulatory somatomotor pattern or a more general motivational component.

Analgesics↗
PubMed1986

Relationships between sexual activity, plasma testosterone, and the volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area in prenatally stressed and non-stressed rats.

The sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) has recently been shown to be reduced in cross-sectional area in prenatally stressed male rats. As masculine copulatory behavior is also reduced in prenatally stressed animals, the present study was designed to test a possible relationship between the entire volume of the SDN-POA and masculine sexual activity in both prenatally stressed and control adult male rats. We report here that prenatally stressed adult males have significantly reduced SDN-POA volumes, reduced levels of sexual activity and lower plasma testosterone levels as compared to control animals. Additionally, however, a strong positive relationship was demonstrated between SDN-POA volume and sexual activity in both stressed and control animals. SDN-POA volumes of sexually active animals from stressed and control groups are approximately equal. SDN-POA volumes of sexually non-active animals are also equal and are about two times smaller than those of sexually active animals, either stressed or control. Similar correlations are reported between SDN-POA volume and testosterone level, and between testosterone level and sexual activity. It is concluded that (1) SDN-POA volume is predictive of sexual activity in both stressed and control male rats, (2) there is a relationship between SDN-POA volume and plasma testosterone level, and (3) the SDN-POA likely has multiple roles in the circuitry underlying masculine reproductive processes and hormone regulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

The influence of the amygdala on the basal septum and preoptic area of the rat.

Extracellular microelectrode recordings were made from single neurones in the medial preoptic area and basal septum of normal female rats anaesthetised with urethane and the effects of stimulation of the ipsilateral amygdala (AMY) was tested. 1. Quiescent cells were excited with latencies between 4 and greater than 40 msec with the majority being between 10 and 27 msec. Variable latency, changing latency and recruitment were observed and suggest that many pathways are oligo- or polysynaptic. 2. A minority of spontaneously active units (20.6%) were excited with latencies between 5 and 36 msec. The predominant initial response was inhibition (67.1%). The remaining 12.3% of neurones did not respond. 3. A predominantly positive complex field potential was associated with excitation, particularly of quiescent neurones. 4. Inhibitory responses were classified according to duration (short: 20-60 msec; long: 100-400 msec). All responses contained an inhibitory component. Responses were further described on the basis of presence and rhythmicity of post-inhibitory excitation. 5. The majority of action potentials evoked from quiescent neurones were of small amplitude (80-150 mu/V) and occurred in small groups. These characteristics and their occurrence at the onset of inhibition are consistent with the view that all or a proportion of them may be generated by inhibitory interneurones. 6. Only minor differences were observed between response characteristics evoked by stimulation of the corticomedial or basolateral AMY indicating that differential effects of these regions on adenohypophysial hormone secretion are determined at the septopreoptic level.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1986

Pre- and postnatal influence of an estrogen antagonist and an androgen antagonist on differentiation of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area in male and female rats.

The volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus in the preoptic area (SDN-POA) of the rat brain is severalfold larger in adult male rats than in adult females. This sex difference in brain structure was previously shown to develop under the influence of androgenic and estrogenic hormones during the perinatal period. We tried to clarify the differential role played by androgens and estrogens during development and differentiation of the SDN-POA by treating male and female rats during an extended pre- and postnatal period either with the estrogen antagonist tamoxifen or with the androgen antagonist cyproterone acetate. Treatment with tamoxifen did not alter serum levels of testosterone in male rats during the perinatal period, but it inhibited development and differentiation of the SDN-POA. Pre- and postnatal treatment of male rats with cyproterone acetate resulted in female phenotypic appearance, but it had no influence on differentiation of the SDN-POA. Perinatal treatment of female rats with tamoxifen resulted in permanent anovulatory sterility, but did not influence SDN-POA differentiation. Treatment of female rats with cyproterone acetate had no influence on SDN-POA differentiation or on the capacity to ovulate. Since pre- and postnatal treatment of male rats with cyproterone acetate is known from previous studies to femenize sexual behavior patterns and to retain the mode for cyclic gonadotropin release, and since the same treatment did not influence differentiation of the SDN-POA in the present study, it may be concluded that the SDN-POA is not directly involved in the control of female sexual behavior and in the control of the gonadotropic hormone release pattern.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Termination of the hormone-sensitive period for differentiation of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area in male and female rats.

The volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) in the rat brain is several-fold larger in males than in females. The volume of the SDN-POA can be influenced significantly by the hormone milieu during early postnatal life. The purpose of the present study was to identify when termination of the sensitive period occurs during which exogenous androgen administration influences SDN-POA volume in males gonadectomized on the first day of postnatal life (fales) or intact females. Analysis of the SDN-POA in fales showed that testosterone propionate (TP, 500 micrograms) treatment on days 2, 3, 4, or 5, significantly increased its volume over values from oil-treated fales. In contrast, TP treatment in fales on days 6, 7, or 8, failed to increase SDN-POA volume. A similar pattern was observed in females treated with TP. Females treated with TP (500 micrograms) on days 2, 3, 4, or 5, showed a significant increase in SDN-POA volume compared to the values from oil-injected animals, while the same TP treatment in females on days 6, 7, or 8, resulted in no such enhancement. The absolute and relative change in SDN-POA volume following postnatal androgen treatment is greater in males than in females. We conclude that (1) SDN-POA development is sensitive to hormone action through postnatal day 5 and then abruptly becomes insensitive to this dosage of TP, and (2) although the temporal pattern of the response is similar in males and females, androgen exposure postnatally results in a consistently greater increase in the male SDN-POA volume than in the female's. This greater response may be due to exposure prenatally to endogenous androgen in males.

Aging↗
PubMed1989

The sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area in the human brain: a comparative morphometric study.

The sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) in the human hypothalamus is an ovoid, densely packed collection of large cells. The size, shape and cellular morphology of the SDN-POA was examined in relation to sex and age in adult human subjects. In this region the following parameters were measured: length of the rostrocaudal axis, maximum cross-sectional area, volume, numerical cell density, total number of cells, and the diameter of the cell nucleus. The SDN-POA was elongated in females and more spherical in males. The mean volume and total cell number were markedly sexually dimorphic: the volume of the SDN-POA was 2.2 times as large in males as in females and contained 2.1 times as many cells. No sex differences were observed in either cell density or mean diameter of the cell nuclei. Furthermore, multivariate regression analysis revealed that there are also sex-linked differences in the structural organisation of the human SDN-POA, finding expression in the way the morphometric parameters are interrelated. Of the parameters measured, only the volume and cell number of the SDN-POA showed a dramatic decrease with ageing. The reduction in cell number, however, was not constant throughout adulthood but was found to depend upon sex and age. In males, a major reduction in SDN-POA cell number was observed between the age of 50-60 years. In females, cell death was found to be more prominent than in males, especially among old people (t greater than 70 years), dropping to values which were only 10-15% of the cell number found in early childhood. In conclusion, the human SDN-POA has a sex-dependent pattern of ageing. Finally, the morphology of the SDN-POA was compared with that of other hypothalamic regions--the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN)--both in man and in rat. Species-specific differences in the dimensions of these nuclear regions are discussed in the light of their assumed functional significance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Disinhibition of ventrolateral preoptic area sleep-active neurons by adenosine: a new mechanism for sleep promotion.

The ventrolateral preoptic area of the hypothalamus (VLPO) contains a population of sleep-active neurons and is hypothesized to be an important part of the somnogenic process. Adenosine (AD) is an endogenous sleep-promoting factor and may play an important role in promoting natural sleep. We hypothesize that AD may promote sleep, in part, by activating the VLPO sleep-active neurons. Although, in the CNS, AD is generally regarded as an inhibitory neuromodulator, it is possible for AD to be directly excitatory via A2 receptors or indirectly via disinhibition. In order to test the hypotheses that AD can excite VLPO neurons we made intracellular recordings from the VLPO in vitro and examined the effects of AD on VLPO neural activity. Whole cell patch-clamp recordings were obtained from rat brain slices and drugs were bath applied. VLPO neurons were electrophysiologically heterogeneous. Depolarizing current steps elicited rhythmic firing (25 of 57), spike frequency adaptation or accommodation (24 of 57), or an unusual burst firing response (eight of 57). Spontaneous synaptic activity was pronounced in most recorded neurons and consisted of either fast excitatory post-synaptic potentials/currents (EPSP/C's) and/or fast inhibitory post-synaptic potentials/currents (IPSP/C's). The IPSC's were fully blocked by 30 microM bicuculline suggesting they are GABA(A)-mediated events, and the EPSC's were blocked by 40 microM DNQX suggesting they are mediated by the AMPA subtype of glutamate receptor (five of five). AD (20-100 microM) reduced the frequency of spontaneous IPSC's in 11 of 17 VLPO neurons (28-100%; mean reduction=63%) without significant effects on resting membrane potential. IPSC was unaffected in five neurons and one neuron displayed increases in spontaneous IPSC's. In contrast, AD decreased EPSC frequency in seven cells (36-73%; mean=59%), increased frequency in five cells (30-236%; mean 83%) and had no effect in six cells. AD application increased the firing rate in two of four cells tested. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that one mechanism which AD may promote sleep is by blocking inhibitory inputs on VLPO sleep-active neurons.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1990

Role of septum and preoptic area in regulating masculine and feminine sexual behavior in male rats.

The effects of septal or preoptic lesions on both masculine and feminine sexual behaviors were examined in castrated adult male rats. Three weeks after brain surgery, animals were implanted with Silastic tubes containing testosterone (T) and observations of masculine sexual behavior were carried out four times every 5 days. T tubes were removed immediately after the end of the masculine behavioral tests. Two weeks later, animals implanted with Silastic tubes containing estradiol-17 beta(E2) were subjected to three feminine sexual behavioral tests at 5-day intervals. The bilateral lateral septal lesion (LSL) and the medial preoptic lesion (MPOL) effectively suppressed the performance of mounts, intromissions, and ejaculations, whereas the medial septal lesion (MSL), the dorsolateral preoptic lesion (DPOL), and the sham operation did not show any significant suppression of these behaviors. In the feminine sexual behavioral tests, intact and sham-operated control males showed only a low lordotic activity. However, the performance of the lordosis reflex was markedly facilitated by LSL or DPOL, while the lordotic activity of MSL and MPOL males was not significantly different from that of control males. These results suggest that the lateral septum exerts not only a facilitatory influence on masculine sexual behavior but also an inhibitory influence on feminine sexual behavior in male rats. On the other hand, the medial preoptic area may play a critical role in regulating masculine sexual behavior in male rats.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Influence of gonadectomy and steroid hormone replacement therapy on the gonadotropin-releasing hormone neuronal system in the anterior preoptic area of the frog (Rana esculenta) brain.

Effects of gonadectomy and sex steroid replacement therapy were studied on the anterior preoptic area-located GnRH-immunoreactive neurons in males and females of the frog, Rana esculenta. Removal of gonads caused a drastic reduction in the immunostaining as well as in the number of GnRH neurons in the anterior preoptic area of the brain in both sexes. Replacement therapy with estradiol-17 beta, testosterone, and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, given alone or in combination, enhanced the somal accumulation of immunoreactive material in GnRH neurons and also their number. These effects, however, varied to some extent from steroid to steroid, a combination of testosterone and 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone being most effective in gonadectomized males, whereas that of estradiol-17 beta and testosterone was most effective in gonadectomized females. The present data are the first to demonstrate that androgen and estrogen can influence the immunoreactive GnRH neurons in the anterior preoptic area of the amphibian brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

GABA agonist induced analgesia elicited from the lateral preoptic area in the rat.

Unilateral microinjections of the GABA agonists muscimol and baclofen into the lateral preoptic area (LPOA) of the rat brain resulted in a significant increase in the latency to respond to a hotplate stimulus on the side contralateral to the injection. Muscimol injected 1.5 mm dorsal to the LPOA site was significantly less effective in changing the hotplate reaction time. The LPOA therefore represents a site from which GABA receptor-mediated analgesia can be elicited.

Analgesia↗
PubMed1994

Disruption of estrous cyclicity following administration of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone antagonist to the preoptic area of the rat.

Experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that LHRH receptors in the preoptic area (POA) are of physiological importance for maintaining estrous cyclicity in the rat. Bilateral cannulae were implanted just dorsal to the POA. Estrous cycles were monitored daily by vaginal smears. Antide, a long-acting LHRH antagonist, was infused bilaterally (2.5 micrograms/side) in the POA or the hypothalamus on the mornings of diestrus I and II. As controls, at separate times, rats also received similar infusions of either vehicle (1:1 water:propylene glycol) or a bombesin antagonist (#B0650; Sigma, St. Louis, MO). Collection of daily vaginal smears continued, and the number of days from the first infusion to the next day of estrus that preceded a normal cycle was recorded. After infusion of Antide into the POA, rats demonstrated varying durations of interrupted cycles ranging from 11 days to more than 100 days. These periods of disruption were characterized by either long periods of diestrus, long periods of estrus, or an extended period of diestrus followed by an extended period of estrus. After infusion of Antide into the dorsomedial, ventromedial, or anterior hypothalamic areas, rats had either a 4- or 5-day estrous cycle and continued to cycle normally. Likewise, infusions into the septum had no effect. Infusion of vehicle or bombesin antagonist into any of the hypothalamic or POA sites tested also resulted in no interruptions in the cyclic activity of the rats. Therefore, it appears that functional LHRH receptors in the POA are necessary to drive the normal estrous cycle.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

LHRH release depends on Locus Coeruleus noradrenergic inputs to the medial preoptic area and median eminence.

We tested the hypothesis that Locus Coeruleus (LC) inputs to the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and median eminence (ME) are essential for gonadotropin release. Proestrus and ovariectomized (OVX) rats were decapitated at 16:00 h. LC electrolytic lesion was performed at 11:00 h during proestrus and 24h before decapitation in OVX rats. Plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) were measured and MPOA and ME were microdissected for LHRH content measurement. In addition, FOS protein in LC and MPOA were studied in proestrus and OVX rats at 12:00, 15:00, and 17:00 h. On proestrus, LC lesion blocked the LH surge and only decreased plasma FSH; in OVX rats the lesion induced only a slight decrease on plasma LH without affecting FSH secretion. An increased content of LHRH in the MPOA and ME of both groups accompanied the decreases of plasma LH. In proestrus, the number of FOS-immunoreactive (FOS-ir) neurons increased from 12:00 to 17:00 h in the LC and MPOA. In OVX rats, there was an increase at 15:00 h in the LC and a decrease at 17:00 h in both areas. The number of FOS-ir neurons was lower in OVX than in proestrus animals. Thus, LC (1) is responsible, at least in part, for gonadotropin release through the activation of LHRH neurons, (2) is more closely related to the positive than the negative feedback, and (3) seems to show an intrinsic cyclic activity which is amplified by ovarian steroids.

Animals↗