QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, February 8, 2006, 26(6):1699-1703; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4176-05.2006

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (16) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dominguez, J. M. Articles by Hull, E. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dominguez, J. M. Articles by Hull, E. M. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Hazardous Substances DB GLUTAMIC ACID HYDROCHLORIDE

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Brief Communications
Preoptic Glutamate Facilitates Male Sexual Behavior

Juan M. Dominguez, Mario Gil, and Elaine M. Hull

Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1270

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Juan M. Dominguez, Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1270. Email: dominguez{at}neuro.fsu.edu

The medial preoptic area (MPOA) is a critical regulatory site for the control of male sexual behavior. We first measured glutamate in 2 min microdialysate samples from the MPOA before, during, and after copulation by male rats. There was a slight [140% of baseline (BL)] rise in extracellular glutamate when the female was presented, a significant increase (170% of BL) during periods of mounting and intromitting, and a very large increase in samples collected during ejaculation (300% of BL). A precipitous fall in levels occurred in the first postejaculatory sample; the magnitude of this fall was highly correlated with the length of the postejaculatory interval of quiescence. In experiment 2, we reverse-dialyzed a mixture of glutamate uptake inhibitors into the MPOA before and during mating; control animals received artificial CSF. The mixture increased extracellular glutamate (280% of BL), increased the number of ejaculations in the 40 min test, decreased ejaculation latency, and decreased the postejaculatory latency to resume copulation. These data, together with other findings that glutamate in the MPOA can elicit genital reflexes in anesthetized rats and that glutamate receptor antagonists in the MPOA impair copulation, strongly suggest that MPOA glutamate is a major facilitator of copulation and that the postejaculatory fall in glutamate regulates the postejaculatory interval.

Key words: medial preoptic area; glutamate; sexual behavior; limbic system; male rats; HPLC

---

Received Sept. 30, 2005; revised Dec. 20, 2005; accepted Dec. 24, 2005.

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Juan M. Dominguez, Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1270. Email: dominguez{at}neuro.fsu.edu

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. L. Wright and M. M. McCarthy Prostaglandin E2-Induced Masculinization of Brain and Behavior Requires Protein Kinase A, AMPA/Kainate, and Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Signaling J. Neurosci., October 21, 2009; 29(42): 13274 - 13282. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. M. Dominguez A Role for Preoptic Glutamate in the Regulation of Male Reproductive Behavior Neuroscientist, February 1, 2009; 15(1): 11 - 19. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Taziaux, M. Keller, J. Bakker, and J. Balthazart Sexual Behavior Activity Tracks Rapid Changes in Brain Estrogen Concentrations J. Neurosci., June 13, 2007; 27(24): 6563 - 6572. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help