Time Course of VMN Lesion Effects on Lordosis and Ultrasound Production in Hamsters

Lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMN) depress lordosis but increase ultrasonic vocalization in female hamsters. These changes are consistent with the behavioral incompatibility of lordosis and ultrasound production and suggest that the VMN coordinates short-term changes in these behaviors....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioral neuroscience 1998-10, Vol.112 (5), p.1236-1246
Main Authors: Gibson, Brett M, Floody, Owen R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Anatomical correlates of behavior
Animal
Animal Sexual Behavior
Animal Vocalizations
Animals
Behavior
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Cricetinae
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hamsters
Hypothalamus - pathology
Hypothalamus - physiology
Hypothalamus - surgery
Hypothalamus Lesions
Neurology
Ovariectomy
Posture - physiology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Rodents
Sexual Behavior, Animal - physiology
Time Factors
Time Series
Ultrasonic imaging
Ultrasonics
Ultrasound
Vocalization, Animal - physiology
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Summary:Lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMN) depress lordosis but increase ultrasonic vocalization in female hamsters. These changes are consistent with the behavioral incompatibility of lordosis and ultrasound production and suggest that the VMN coordinates short-term changes in these behaviors. In keeping with past results, unilateral lesions disrupted lordosis responses to contralateral flank stimulation. The change appeared within 15 min after the lesion and was much more rapid than the corresponding effect in rats. For hamsters, these findings support other evidence suggesting VMN mediation of somatosensory, not just hormonal, influences on lordosis. In a companion study, ultrasound rates became depressed within 15 min of bilateral lesion of the VMN, suggesting a role for the VMN in the short-term control of ultrasound production. Calling at later time intervals was facilitated by the lesions. The direction and time course of the lesion effects on lordosis and ultrasound production suggest that the VMN cannot easily account for the behavioral incompatibility of these 2 responses.
ISSN:0735-7044
1939-0084
DOI:10.1037/0735-7044.112.5.1236