Effect of lesion location within the medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic continuum on maternal and male sexual behaviors in female rats

Abstract

Lesions of the medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic continuum (MPOA-AH) are known to disrupt both maternal behavior and male sexual behavior in the rat. In order to test the hypothesis that the two behaviors involve different neural systems in the MPOA-AH, small bilateral lesions were made in different anterior-posterior locations in the MPOA-AH of maternal-sensitized, testosterone-treated female rats, and the effects of these lesions on maternal and male sexual behaviors were assessed. Lesions centering in the MPOA disrupted maternal behavior (pup retrieval, nest building, and nursing), with anterior MPOA lesions being more effective (on pup retrieval and nest building) than posterior MPOA lesions. Lesions centering in the AH had little or no effect on maternal behavior. By contrast, male sexual behavior (mounting) was strongly disrupted by lesions in either the MPOA or the AH, with lesions in the rostral AH being most effective.