Olfactory contribution to Fos expression during mating in inexperienced male hamsters.

نویسندگان

  • G D Fernandez-Fewell
  • M Meredith
چکیده

Male hamsters are very dependent on chemosensory cues for normal mating behavior. We have previously reported that central, vomeronasal pathways are intensely and selectively activated during mating or pheromonal stimulation. The contribution of main olfactory sensory input to the patterns of c-fos activation was investigated in this study. Sexually inexperienced male hamsters were either made anosmic by intranasal infusion of zinc sulfate or remained intact. Fos protein immunoreactivity was analyzed in main olfactory and vomeronasal pathways of the zinc sulfate-treated, anosmic animals after mating with receptive females for 45 min, and compared with Fos patterns seen in intact mating animals, some of which have been described in a previous publication. The zinc sulfate-treated anosmic males described here all mated when given access to receptive females. Whether mated or unstimulated, anosmic males had little or no Fos expression in main olfactory pathways; significantly less even than in unstimulated intact animals. Mating did not increase Fos expression in main olfactory pathways of intact animals over that of unstimulated intact controls. However, Fos expression in central vomeronasal pathways was significantly higher in mating anosmic males, as in intact males, compared with appropriate non-mating controls. Fos expression was significantly different between intact and zinc sulfate-treated anosmic mating males in only one area studied. The rostral anterior medial amygdala, known to receive a small olfactory terminal field, had significantly lower Fos expression in zinc sulfate-treated anosmic males that mated when compared with intact-mating animals. Thus, functional main olfactory input to the rostral vomeronasal amygdala can be demonstrated but does not appear to be critical for mating behavior in previously inexperienced male hamsters with intact vomeronasal organs. Other main olfactory input appears to have a negligible contribution to Fos-patterns in such animals.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

c-fos expression in vomeronasal pathways of mated or pheromone-stimulated male golden hamsters: contributions from vomeronasal sensory input and expression related to mating performance.

The vomeronasal system projects to the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), to the medial (Me) and posterior medial cortical nuclei (PMCN) of the amygdala, to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and to other central structures shown to be important in mating behavior, including the medial preoptic area (MPOA). In these experiments c-fos expression was used as a marker of neural activity ...

متن کامل

he influence of chemosensory input and gonadotropin releasing hormone on mating behavior circuits in male hamsters

Chemosensory input is important for mating behavior in male hamsters. Chemosignals found in female hamster vaginal fluid activate regions of the brain that receive input from the vomeronasal /accessory olfactory system and are important for mating behavior. Mating or exposure to these chemosignals produces increased Fos protein expression in the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, an...

متن کامل

The influence of chemosensory input and gonadotropin releasing hormone on mating behavior circuits in male hamsters.

Chemosensory input is important for mating behavior in male hamsters. Chemosignals found in female hamster vaginal fluid activate regions of the brain that receive input from the vomeronasal/accessory olfactory system and are important for mating behavior. Mating or exposure to these chemosignals produces increased Fos protein expression in the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and...

متن کامل

Selective enhancement of main olfactory input to the medial amygdala by GnRH.

In male hamsters mating behavior is dependent on chemosensory input from the main olfactory and vomeronasal systems, whose central pathways contain cell bodies and fibers of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. In sexually naive males, vomeronasal organ removal (VNX), but not main olfactory lesions, impairs mating behavior. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.)-GnRH restores mating in sexu...

متن کامل

Sexual Behavior in Peripherally Anosmic Male Hamsters I

POWERS J. B. AND S. S. WlNANS. Sexual behavior in peripherally anosmic male hamsters. PHYSIOL. BEHAV 10(2) 361 368, 1973.-Sexually experienced and inexperienced male hamsters mated normally after they had been rendered temporarily anosmic by intranasal zinc sulfate treatment (Experiment 1), in contrast to the complete absence of sexual behavior following removal of the olfactory bulbs. The effi...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • Chemical senses

دوره 23 3  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 1998