Different subregions of the medial preoptic area are separately involved in the regulation of copulation and sexual incentive motivation in male rats: A behavioral and morphological study

Yeh, Kuei Ying; Pu, Hsiao Fung; Wu, Ching Hsiang; Tai, Mei Yun; Tsai, Yuan Feen

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2009.06.025

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…There is evidence that there are different hormone-dependent mechanisms controlling different components of sexual behavior (reviewed in Hull and Dominguez 2007). Estradiol is particularly important in partner preference, sexual motivation, and mounting (Hamson et al 2008, Yeh et al 2009, Bakker et al 2002, Roselli et al 2003). In fact, mice with testicular feminization (TFM) that lack the androgen receptor still prefer estrous over non-estrous females, and have normal mount latencies (Zuloaga et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consistent with this role of estrogens, aromatase knockout mice also showed increased latencies to mount, intromit or ejaculate, and showed no partner preference at all (Bakker et al 2002). By contrast, androgen receptor activation is much more strongly implicated in ejaculation and satiety (Romano-Torres et al 2007, Yeh et al 2009), and erection is also more dependent on circulating androgens than estradiol (Hull and Dominguez 2007). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the neural network of brain nuclei that underlies sexual behavior in males, the medial preoptic area (mPOA) plays a key role in both sexual motivation and copulatory performance (Yeh et al 2009, Hull and Dominguez 2007). Lesions to the mPOA impair, while electrical stimulation facilitates, male sexual behavior (Liu et al 1997, Rodriguez-Manzo et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Age-related changes in sexual function and steroid-hormone receptors in the medial preoptic area of male rats

Nutsch

Will

Tobiansky

et al. 2017

Hormones and Behavior

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Testosterone is the main circulating steroid hormone in males, and acts to facilitate sexual behavior via both reduction to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and aromatization to estradiol. The mPOA is a key site involved in mediating actions of androgens and estrogens in the control of masculine sexual behavior, but the respective roles of these hormones is not fully understood. As males age they show impairments in sexual function, and a decreased facilitation of behavior by steroid hormones compared to younger animals. We hypothesized that an anatomical substrate for these behavioral changes is a decline in expression and/or activation of hormone receptor-sensitive cells in the mPOA. We tested this by quantifying and comparing numbers of AR- and ERα-containing cells, and Fos as a marker of activated neurons, in the mPOA of mature (4-5 months) and aged (12-13 months) male rats, assessed one hour after copulation to one ejaculation. Numbers of AR- and ERα cells did not change with age or after sex, but the percentage of AR- and ERα-cells that co-expressed Fos were significantly up-regulated by sex, independent of age. Age effects were found for the percentage of Fos cells that co-expressed ERα (up-regulated in the central mPOA) and the percentage of Fos cells co-expressing AR in the posterior mPOA. Interestingly, serum estradiol concentrations positively correlated with intromission latency in aged but not mature animals. These data show that the aging male brain continues to have high expression and activation of both AR and ERα in the mPOA with copulation, raises the possibility that differences in relationships between hormones, behavior, and neural activation may underlie some age-related impairments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Age-related changes in sexual function and steroid-hormone receptors in the medial preoptic area of male rats

Nutsch

Will

Tobiansky

et al. 2017

Hormones and Behavior

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“…Estrogen receptor a is highly expressed in hypothalamic and limbic brain areas (Shughrue et al, 1997;Mitra et al, 2003;Merchenthaler et al, 2004). Some of these ERa-expressing areas, such as the medial amygdala (MeA), medial pre-optic area (MPOA), and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN), are suggested to be involved in the regulation of either or both male sexual or aggressive behaviors (Shimura et al, 1994;Newman, 1999;Paredes, 2003;Yeh et al, 2009). The MeA is the first nucleus to receive and process chemosensory information from the olfactory bulb.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential effects of site‐specific knockdown of estrogen receptor α in the medial amygdala, medial pre‐optic area, and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus on sexual and aggressive behavior of male mice

Sato

Tsuda

Musatov

et al. 2013

Eur J of Neuroscience

119

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Testosterone is known to play an important role in the regulation of male-type sexual and aggressive behavior. As an aromatised metabolite of testosterone, estradiol-induced activation of estrogen receptor α (ERα) may be crucial for the induction of these behaviors in male mice. However, the importance of ERα expressed in different nuclei for this facilitatory action of testosterone has not been determined. To investigate this issue, we generated an adeno-associated virus vector expressing a small hairpin RNA targeting ERα to site-specifically knockdown ERα expression. We stereotaxically injected either a control or ERα targeting vector into the medial amygdala, medial pre-optic area (MPOA), or ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN) in gonadally intact male mice. Two weeks after injection, all mice were tested biweekly for sexual and aggressive behavior, alternating between behavior tests each week. We found that suppressing ERα in the MPOA reduced sexual but not aggressive behavior, whereas in the VMN it reduced both behaviors. Knockdown of ERα in the medial amygdala did not alter either behavior. Additionally, it was found that ERα knockdown in the MPOA caused a parallel reduction in the number of neuronal nitric oxide synthase-expressing cells. Taken together, these results indicate that the testosterone facilitatory action on male sexual behavior requires the expression of ERα in both the MPOA and VMN, whereas the testosterone facilitatory action on aggression requires the expression of ERα in only the VMN.

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“…Sexual pheromones, for example, have been implicated in human sexuality and are presumably transmitted through the olfactory system [8]. These olfactory signals are transmitted to various sex centres in the brain, including the medial preoptic area or anterior hypothalamus, which in turn has an effect on sexual behaviour (according to animal studies) [9]. Using positron emission tomography (PET), recent studies have demonstrated that in heterosexual women and homosexual men, only the progesterone derivate AND (4, 16‐ androstadien‐3‐one), primarily detected in male sweat, led to activation of the sexual medial preoptic area, whereas the signal induced by oestrogen‐like steroid EST (1,3,5,10,16‐tetraen‐3‐ol), detected in female urine, is transmitted in these subjects using common olfactory networks (represented by the amygdala, piriform, orbitofrontal and insular cortex) similar to other common odours [10].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary study with bicalutamide in heterosexual and homosexual patients with prostate cancer: a possible implication of androgens in male homosexual arousal

et al. 2010

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functioning measured by the IIEF prior to commencing bicalutamide treatment.• Then, about five weeks later, patients were asked to prospectively provide information regarding their current sexual functioning while undergoing bicalutamide treatment. RESULTS• Overall IIEF scores as well as the Erectile Function, Orgasmic Function, Sexual Desire, and Overall Satisfaction subscales showed group, treatment, and group by treatment effects.• The Intercourse Satisfaction subscale showed group and group by treatment effects.• On most subscales, homosexual men showed lower functioning than heterosexual men, primarily in response to treatment with bicalutamide. CONCLUSIONS• Treatment with an anti-androgen in a clinical population of men undergoing therapy for prostate cancer affected homosexual men more than heterosexual men, although not all heterosexual men were un affected.• These results are discussed in the context of dual sexual natures, a concept recently developed in the sexual literature.• Furthermore, these findings reiterate the importance of incorporating such variables as sexual orientation into studies investigating medical treatments on sexual response. What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? A recent published paper regarding sexual and cognitive duality presents that androgens act synergic with female sexual pheromones while estrogens would act synergic with male sexual pheromones in normal potent men.The same authors found in this study that bicalutamide disfavours sexual function predominantly in homosexual rather than heterosexual men suffering with prostate cancer. The results of this study are interpreted alone in this article, the similarities and differences with results corresponding to younger and normal potent men following to be discussed recently in a review regarding psychosexual dualism.

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Different subregions of the medial preoptic area are separately involved in the regulation of copulation and sexual incentive motivation in male rats: A behavioral and morphological study

Cited by 13 publications

References 38 publications

Age-related changes in sexual function and steroid-hormone receptors in the medial preoptic area of male rats

Age-related changes in sexual function and steroid-hormone receptors in the medial preoptic area of male rats

Differential effects of site‐specific knockdown of estrogen receptor α in the medial amygdala, medial pre‐optic area, and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus on sexual and aggressive behavior of male mice

Preliminary study with bicalutamide in heterosexual and homosexual patients with prostate cancer: a possible implication of androgens in male homosexual arousal

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