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At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Testosterone effects on staining density and autoradiographic investigations of the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor in the medial preoptic nucleus of the Japanese quail: relationship to the activation of reproductive behavior.

The effects of gonadectomy combined or not with testosterone (T) therapy on the sexual behavior, cloacal gland area, staining density and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors in the medial preoptic nucleus (POM) were studied in male and female Japanese quail. In castrated males, T increased the cloacal gland size and activated copulatory behavior. In agreement with previous reports, these effects were sexually differentiated: under the influence of T, cloacal gland growth was smaller and this treatment did not activate masculine sexual behavior in females. The optical density of the medial preoptic nucleus stained with thionein blue (Nissl stain) was decreased by castration and increased by T in both males and females. This suggests that T has a profound effect on the synthesis of proteins in the POM and, since POM is a critical site in the activation by T of masculine sexual behavior, these induced proteins are, in all probability, a part of the causal chain of biochemical events giving rise to copulatory behavior. The treatment with T had, by contrast, no clear effect on the number of binding sites and on the affinity of the alpha 2-adrenergic receptors in the POM. Therefore, if the noradrenergic transmission is involved in the induction by T of copulatory behavior, it is probably acting either through the alteration of another adrenergic receptor subtype or through the modulation of the baseline levels or turnover of the transmitter itself.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Comparison of reproductive behavior of farm animals].

Male farm animals accept female conspecifics as partners for mating only when they have been imprinted on them. The mating behaviour of the male can be divided into three phases: a) looking for female conspecifics in heat; b) testing the readiness to be served; and c) serving. The male animal can accelerate the development of the heat characteristics by certain behaviour patterns, which cause an effect of pheromones. There is a relationship between duration of the coitus and the sexual potency in every species. Finally masturbation is discussed. Ethologically it is a typical vacuum activity.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1990

[Social-hygienic characteristics of adolescent girls and assessment of their reproductive behavior].

As a result of sociological study conducted among teen-age girls--pupils of schools, technical schools and vocational schools the level of knowledge of the general facts about the relationship between sexes and methods of contraception was found. A large proportion of girls who have had sexual intercourse at this age was identified, their contraceptive culture was low. The main reasons for their reluctance to seek care at women's consultation centres were determined. The establishment of anonymous service for the teen-agers was suggested to improve the present form of gynaecological care for the teen-agers.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Health needs of adolescent girls in the area of reproductive behavior].

Most users (64.1%) of the Counseling Unit for the Young are unmarried girls aged 17 to 24, predominantly students and secondary pupils. Although more frequent in older girls (21-24 years old), pregnancy is highly undesirable both in younger (22.2%) and older (57.1%) ones. Since they are most often nulliparae, the underlying health problems are significant. The girls are considered to be pregnant before their coming to the Counselling Unit, because afterwards 83.0% of them start using contraceptives. The health service for adolescents is encountered with two tasks: (1) to get adolescent girls coming to the Counselling Unit before they experience pregnancy in a negative sense, and (2) to observe and analyse the efficacy and side-effects of contraceptives.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The effect of anabolic-androgenic steroids on sexual behavior and reproductive tissues in male rats.

This study assessed the effects of high doses of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and their withdrawal on male reproductive behavior and reproductive tissues during development. Prepubertal, peripubertal, and adult male Long Evans rats were divided into 4 groups: 1) Testosterone propionate for 16 weeks (TP), 2) TP for 3 weeks and withdrawn for 13 weeks (TPWL), 3) TP for 16 weeks and withdrawn for 3 weeks (TPWS), 4) propylene glycol (control vehicle) for 16 weeks (PG). As determined by sexual performance and sexual preference tests, administration of high doses of AAS to the peripubertal animals enhanced sexual performance and sexual motivation. There was no significant effect on sexual behavior of the prepubertal animals. High doses of anabolic-androgenic steroids depleted Leydig cell number in the prepubertal and adult rats, but had no effect on the Leydig cell number of the peripubertal animals. After long-term withdrawal from AAS no significant effects on sexual behavior were found. The depletion of Leydig cells that occurred in the prepubertal animals after withdrawal was reversible, while the depletion of the Leydig cells of the adult animals did not return to the control level suggesting a long lasting alteration.

Anabolic Agents↗
PubMed1997

Stress and behaviorally induced reproductive dysfunction in primates.

Both acute and chronic psychological and social stresses can impair reproductive hormone secretion in a variety of nonhuman primate species. This impairment can be subtle, consisting of a mild suppression in reproductive hormone secretion, or dramatic, underlying a complete suppression of fertility and reproductive behavior. Although group mean responses to various stresses can be measured, it is clear that there are marked differences in the response of the reproductive axis to these stresses among individual animals. Factors that contribute to the variability in the response of the reproductive axis include the type of stress, the magnitude and duration of stress, the perception of the stress by the individual, the social status of the individual, the concurrent level of aggressive behavior displayed by the individual, seasonal cues, and the prior level of activity within the reproductive axis. During some stresses, activation of the adrenal axis, endogenous opioid pathways, increased prolactin release, and changes in sensitivity to gonadal steroid hormone feedback appear to play a role in mediating the effects of behaviorally induced stresses on the reproductive axis. However, a great deal more work is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying impairment of the reproductive axis by most psychological and social stresses, as well as the mechanisms underlying differences in susceptibility to stress-induced impairment of reproductive function within individuals.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Functional interactions between estrogen and insulin-like growth factor-I in the regulation of alpha 1B-adrenoceptors and female reproductive function.

The ovarian hormone estradiol (E(2)) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) interact in the CNS to regulate neuroendocrine function and synaptic remodeling. Previously, our laboratory showed that 2 d E(2) treatment induces alpha(1B)-adrenoceptor expression and promotes IGF-I enhancement of alpha(1)-adrenoceptor potentiation of cAMP accumulation in the preoptic area (POA) and hypothalamus (HYP). This study examined the hypothesis that E(2)-dependent aspects of female reproductive function, including alpha(1B)-adrenoceptor expression and function in the POA and HYP, are mediated by brain IGF-I receptors (IGF-IRs) in female rats. Ovariohysterectomized rats were implanted with a guide cannula aimed at the third ventricle and treated in vivo with vehicle or E(2) daily for 2 d before experimentation. Intracerebroventricular infusions of JB-1, a selective IGF-IR antagonist, were administered every 12 hr beginning 1 hr before the first E(2) injection. Administration of JB-1 during E(2) priming completely blocks hormone-induced luteinizing hormone release and partially inhibits hormone-dependent reproductive behavior. Reproductive behavior is restored by intracerebroventricular infusion of 8-bromo-cGMP, the second messenger implicated in alpha(1)-adrenergic facilitation of lordosis. In addition, blockade of IGF-IRs during E(2) priming prevents E(2)-induced increases in alpha(1B)-adenoceptor binding density and abolishes acute IGF-I enhancement of NE-stimulated cAMP accumulation in HYP and POA slices. These data document the existence of a novel mechanism by which IGF-I participates in the remodeling of noradrenergic receptor signaling in the HYP and POA after E(2) treatment. These events may help coordinate the timing of ovulation with the expression of sexual receptivity.

Adrenergic alpha-1 Receptor Antagonists↗
PubMed1989

Behavioral and reproductive differences in mice as a function of inbreeding.

Twenty brother-sister pairs of mice were randomly selected from a genetically heterogeneous population of mice to begin a schedule of inbreeding that lasted for six generations (F = 0 to F = .732). We examined a number of indices of reproductive behavior and found that all declined as a function of inbreeding. Specifically, there was a consistent decline in the number of fertile matings, in the number of offspring that survived to weaning, and in the weight of the pups at the time of weaning (21 days of age). We also examined a number of behaviors with the following results: there was a systematic increase in the number of trials required to learn an active avoidance task and a consistent decrease in the number of trials required to extinguish this habit. We observed a statistically significant difference in the retention of a passive avoidance habit, but these results were quite variable and not consistent across generations of inbreeding. Finally, we observed that inbreeding had little effect on measures of locomotor behavior.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Genetically heterogeneous and selected lines of rats: behavioral and reproductive comparison.

Avoidance learning, open-field, and reproductive behaviors of a genetically heterogeneous stock (derived from a four-way cross of selected lines) were compared with the corresponding behaviors of the parental lines. The heterogeneous stock showed heterosis on the body development, fertility rate, litter size at birth and at weaning, and directional dominance on the avoidance learning and open-field measures.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Expression of the SCAMP-4 gene, a new member of the secretory carrier membrane protein family, is repressed by progesterone in brain regions associated with female sexual behavior.

Rodent female reproductive behavior is facilitated by the genomic targets of estrogen (E) and progesterone (P) in neuroendocrine regions of the brain. Using the differential display-PCR technique to identify these targets we discovered a novel hormone-sensitive mRNA in the female rat brain that is substantially reduced in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) after 3 h of P treatment, following 24 h of E priming. Northern blots show that it is a single transcript of approximately 1.7 kb. The sequence of the corresponding full-length cDNA indicates that this gene is the rat homolog of mouse SCAMP-4, the fourth member identified in a family of proteins known as secretory carrier membrane proteins (SCAMPs). In situ hybridization studies show that SCAMP-4 mRNA is relatively low throughout the rat forebrain, with the highest levels observed in the VMH, habenula and hippocampus. The SCAMP-4 message is also less abundant in the habenula and VMH during proestrus, when circulating levels of E and P are at their peak, than during diestrus-1 when circulating hormone levels are low. Amino acid sequence analysis indicates that SCAMP-4 lacks the putative calcium binding and leucine zipper structures, as well as protein-protein interacting NPF domains common among most SCAMP family members, but is the only member identified to date to contain a putative protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation site. Fluorescent microscopy of cells transfected with a SCAMP-4/GFP fusion construct reveals distinct fluorescence in subcellular aggregates that may contain secretory vesicles. In addition to our results in the VMH, the finding of high levels of SCAMP-4 message in the habenula, a brain area rich in mast cells, together with previous reports linking mast cell secretion with courtship behavior also suggest a possible role for SCAMP-4 in reproductive behaviors associated with mast cell activity in the central nervous system (CNS).

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Reproduction-related behaviors of Swiss-Webster female mice living in a cold environment.

Based on a molecular neuroendocrine theory about cold environments, thyroid hormone levels, and liganded thyroid hormone receptor interference with estrogen receptor function, experiments were designed to test female mouse reproductive behaviors in the cold. Because natural seasonal temperature declines would usually be associated with decreased photoperiods and reduced food supplies, we combined cold temperatures with short days and metabolic challenge. The simplest hypothesis was that lordosis quotients would be significantly reduced as a result of cold temperatures. That hypothesis was denied. Instead, female approaches to the stud male declined. Because cold temperatures also led to significant reductions of activity in locomotor wheels, a straightforward reduction of activity could explain the female's behavior during mating tests. We suggest that cold temperatures accompanied by reduced photoperiod and reduced metabolic fuel can reduce overall activity in female mice, thus indirectly blocking untimely reproductive behaviors.

Adaptation, Physiological↗