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Midbrain PAG Control of Female Reproductive Behavior: In Vitro Electrophysiological Characterization of Actions of Lordosis-Relevant Substances

  • Chapter
The Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray Matter

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((NSSA,volume 213))

Abstract

Among the various innate behavioral repertoires of mammals, lordosis, as a major component of female reproductive behaviors is one of the best characterized. It is a stereotyped posture consisting of dorsiflexion of the vertebral column, which causes the elevation of the head and rump, accompanied by hind limb extension (Pfaff and Lewis, 1974). Somatosensory input given by a male partner is essential for every component of naturally occurring lordosis; it can be mimicked by an experimenter’s manual stimulation to the flanks, posterior rump, and perineum. The most important feature of lordosis is its steroid hormone dependency; an elevated level of estrogen is a prerequisite for the induction of lordosis both in naturally cycling and experimentally manipulated females. The nature and mechanisms of estrogen and progesterone control of lordosis have been extensively investigated and are well reviewed elsewhere (Pfaff and Schwartz-Giblin, 1988).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, USA

    Sonoko Ogawa, Lee-Ming Kow, Margaret M. McCarthy, Donald W. Pfaff & Susan Schwartz-Giblin

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  1. Sonoko Ogawa
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  2. Lee-Ming Kow
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  3. Margaret M. McCarthy
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  4. Donald W. Pfaff
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  5. Susan Schwartz-Giblin
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. L.N.B.C, Centre de Neurochimie du CNRS, 5 rue Blaise Pascal, 67084, Strasbourg Cedex, France

    Antoine Depaulis

  2. Dept. of Anatomy, University of Sydney, 2006, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Richard Bandler

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Ogawa, S., Kow, LM., McCarthy, M.M., Pfaff, D.W., Schwartz-Giblin, S. (1991). Midbrain PAG Control of Female Reproductive Behavior: In Vitro Electrophysiological Characterization of Actions of Lordosis-Relevant Substances. In: Depaulis, A., Bandler, R. (eds) The Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray Matter. NATO ASI Series, vol 213. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3302-3_13

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