Role of the Lateral Preoptic Area in Sleep-Related Erectile Mechanisms and Sleep Generation in the Rat
Role of the Lateral Preoptic Area in Sleep-Related Erectile Mechanisms and Sleep Generation in the Rat
复制标题
外侧视前区在大鼠睡眠相关勃起机制和睡眠生成中的作用
DOI：
10.1523/jneurosci.20-17-06640.2000
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发表时间：
2000
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
M. Jouvet
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
M. Schmidt;J. Valatx;K. Sakai;P. Fort;M. Jouvet
Penile erections are a characteristic phenomenon of paradoxical sleep (PS), or rapid eye movement sleep. Although the neural mechanisms of PS-related erections are unknown, the forebrain likely plays a critical role (Schmidt et al., 1999). The preoptic area is implicated in both sleep generation and copulatory mechanisms, suggesting it may be a primary candidate in PS erectile control. Continuous recordings of penile erections, body temperature, and sleep–wake states were performed before and up to 3 weeks after ibotenic acid lesions of the preoptic forebrain in three groups of rats. Neurotoxic lesions involving the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and anterior hypothalamus (n = 5) had no significant effects on either erectile activity or sleep–wake architecture. In contrast, bilateral lesions of the lateral preoptic region, with (n = 4) or without (n = 5) MPOA involvement, resulted in a significant decrease in the number of erections per hour of PS, number of PS-related erections, and PS phases exhibiting an erection. Lesion analysis revealed that the candidate structures for PS erectile control include both the lateral preoptic area (LPOA) and ventral division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; however, lesions of the LPOA were the most effective in disrupting PS erectile activity. LPOA lesioning also resulted in a long-lasting insomnia, characterized by the significant increase in wakefulness and decrease in slow wave sleep (SWS). PS architecture and waking-state erections remained unchanged after lesion in all groups. These data identify an essential role of the LPOA in both PS-related erectile mechanisms and SWS generation. Moreover, higher erectile mechanisms appear to be context-specific because LPOA lesioning selectively disrupted PS-related erections while leaving waking-state erections intact.
