NEUROENDOCRINE REGULATION OF BEHAVIORS

性类固醇激素雌二醇和孕酮调节生理 和行为，包括雌性的性行为，在啮齿动物和其他 物种。前凸姿势对生殖器反应的表现 刺激依赖于雌二醇的神经作用和 豚鼠发情周期中的黄体酮。雌二醇结合 以雌激素受体引起的蓄积占据雌激素 某些脑区细胞的细胞核受体，包括 下丘脑、视前区、中脑中央灰质和杏仁核。 类似地，黄体酮与孕激素受体结合会导致 紧密结合的孕激素受体在卵巢癌细胞核内的积聚 目标单元格。细胞核受体的积累已经被 被认为是细胞作用机制中的关键事件 荷尔蒙。这项研究的重点是类固醇激素是如何- 敏感神经元运作并与大脑中的其他神经元相互作用 对性行为的规范。它的长期目标是 研究是使用多管齐下的方法来研究神经行为 性类固醇激素会导致行为的改变。重点是 将关于激素作用的相关机制 黄体酮促进的性行为。 黄体酮在黄体酮促性行为中的作用 特定神经解剖区域中的孕激素受体神经元 将会被检查。将尝试识别出 部分由雌二醇或孕酮直接或间接激活 与黄体酮促进的性行为有关的大脑 行为，并将尝试确定 黄体酮促进性行为的特殊途径。 通过交配刺激激活的神经元将被识别出来， 并对它们的性质进行表征。例如，它将是 确定这些神经元是否含有类固醇受体 期望神经元的功能是整合环境和 荷尔蒙信息。孕激素受体的调节 去甲肾上腺素能神经元将被进一步研究。分布情况： 有去甲肾上腺素能输入的孕激素受体免疫反应细胞将 利用光学和电子显微镜技术绘制地图。 最后，阴道-宫颈刺激激活的假设 通过去甲肾上腺素能受体的某些神经元将被测试。

The sex steroid hormones estradiol and progesterone regulate physiology and behavior, including female sexual behavior, in rodents and other species. The expression of the lordosis posture in response to genital stimulation is dependent upon a neural action of estradiol and progesterone of during the guinea pig estrous cycle. Estradiol binding to estrogen receptors causes the accumulation occupied estrogen receptors in cell nuclei of cells within certain brain regions including the hypothalamus, preoptic area, midbrain central gray, and amygdala. Similarly, progesterone binding to progestin receptors causes the accumulation of tightly-bound progestin receptors in cell nuclei of target cells. The accumulation of cell nuclear receptors has been postulated to be a critical event in the cellular mechanism of action of the hormones. The focus of this research is on how steroid hormone- sensitive neurons operate and interact with other neurons in the regulation of sexual behavior. The long-range objectives of this research are to use a multi-pronged approach to study the neural actions of sex steroid hormones resulting in changes in behavior. The emphasis will be on the mechanisms of hormone action related to progesterone-facilitated sexual behavior. The role in progesterone-facilitated sexual behavior in guinea pigs of progestin receptor-containing neurons in specific neuroanatomical areas will be examined. An attempt will be made to identify neurons that are activated directly or indirectly by estradiol or progesterone in parts of the brain which are involved in progesterone-facilitated sexual behavior, and an attempt will be made to determine the importance of particular pathways in progesterone-facilitated sexual behavior. Neurons that are activated by copulatory stimulation will be identified, and their properties will be characterized. For example, it will be determined if these neurons contain steroid receptors as would be expected of neurons whose function is to integrate environmental and hormonal information. The regulation of progestin receptors by noradrenergic neurons will be investigated further. The distribution of progestin receptor-immunoreactive cells having noradrenergic input will be mapped, using both light and electron microscopic techniques. Finally, the hypothesis that vagino-cervical stimulation activates certain neurons via noradrenergic receptors will be tested.