Neural and Chemosensory Control of Behavior

9521208爱德华兹的生殖行为对所有物种的生存至关重要。生殖需要睾丸激素，荷尔蒙通过增加雄性对雌性的性反应来激活雄性交配。对于许多物种来说，性状态是通过气味来传递的，而嗅觉对雄性的性唤起起到了重要的作用。爱德华兹博士建议研究嗅觉系统和大脑中对激素敏感的神经元群调节男性生殖行为的神经通路。神经解剖学技术将被用来识别雄激素敏感神经元和交配期间活跃的神经元。将特别关注包括不明地带和中央被盖区的大脑区域。通过植入Incerta/Tegental睾酮来恢复去势雄性的交配，可以表明该区域对交配的激素调节的重要性。不确定/被盖连续体的大病变消除了交配。研究小病变对该区域的影响有助于确定交配所必需的神经细胞场，并为旨在揭示雄激素对生殖行为产生影响的投射系统的研究提供基础。因为这些研究包括性行为(勃起、对女性的性行为)的测量，所以它们与理解男性生殖行为如何在包括男性在内的许多物种的大脑组织中表现出来具有相关性。

9521208 Edwards Reproductive behaviors are essential for the survival of all species. Testicular hormones are required for reproduction, and hormones activate mating in males by actions that increase the sexual responsiveness of males to females. For many species, sexual status is communicated by odors, and olfaction makes an important contribution to sexual arousal in males. Dr. Edwards proposes to examine the neural pathways through which the olfactory system and populations of hormone-sensitive neurons in the brain regulate male reproductive behavior. Neuroanatomical techniques will be used to identify androgen-sensitive neurons and neurons active during mating. Special attention will be given to a brain region that includes the zona incerta and central tegmental field. Restoration of mating in castrate males by incerta/tegmental testosterone implants can show the importance of the region for the hormonal regulation of copulation. Large lesions of the incerta/tegmental continuum eliminate mating. Studying the effect of small lesions to this region can help identify neuronal cell fields essential for copulation, and provide a foundation for studies designed to reveal the projection systems through which androgens exert their effects on reproductive behavior. Because the studies include measures of sexual behaviors (erection, sexual approach towards a female), they have relevance for understanding how male reproductive behavior is represented in the organization of the brain in many species, including man.