Reproductive function in male and female rats following extra- and intra-hypothalamic lesions

Abstract

Abstract Section of the stria terminalis and fimbria led to a moderate degree of hyperactivity in the pituitary-testis system of the adult male rat. Similar changes were seen following destruction of the sexually differ­entiated portion of the medial preoptic area but not following destruction of the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis or the suprachiasmatic nuclei. In females, destruction of the sexually differentiated portion of the medial preoptic area caused an acute blockade of ovulation and resulted in a high incidence of both immediate and delayed pseudopregnancies. These effects were not seen following lesions of the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis, or the paraventricular nuclei. Neither these lesions nor lesions of the sexually differentiated portion of the medial preoptic area resulted in long-term failure of ovulation.