Histaminergic responses by hypothalamic neurons that regulate lordosis and their modulation by estradiol.

ABSTRACT: How do fluctuations in the level of generalized arousal of the brain affect the performance of specific motivated behaviors, such as sexual behaviors that depend on sexual arousal? A great deal of previous work has provided us with two important starting points in answering this question: (i) that histamine (HA) serves generalized CNS arousal and (ii) that heightened electrical activity of neurons in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN) is necessary and sufficient for facilitating the primary female sex behavior in laboratory animals, lordosis behavior. Here we used patch clamp recording technology to analyze HA effects on VMN neuronal activity. The results show that HA acting through H1 receptors (H1R) depolarizes these neurons. Further, acute administration of estradiol, an

SUBMITTER: Dupre C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2901472 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature