Neuronal substrate of electrically induced grooming in the PVH of the rat: Involvement of oxytocinergic systems?

Electrical stimulation of the paraventricular (PVH) and adjacent hypothalamic area evokes self-grooming behaviour. Current intensity thresholds for grooming can be obtained depending on the exact localization of the electrode site. Sites localized at greater distance of the center of the grooming ar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physiology & behavior 1995-05, Vol.57 (5), p.881-885
Main Authors: van Erp, A.M.M., Kruk, M.R., Veening, J.G., Roeling, T.A.P., Meelis, W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Arousal - physiology
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Mapping
Electric Stimulation
Electrical stimulation
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Grooming - physiology
Hypothalamus
Hypothalamus, Middle - physiology
Male
Nerve Fibers - physiology
Neurotransmission and behavior
Oxytocin
Oxytocin - physiology
Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus - physiology
Paraventricular nucleus
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Reaction Time - physiology
Self-grooming
Synaptic Transmission - physiology
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Summary:Electrical stimulation of the paraventricular (PVH) and adjacent hypothalamic area evokes self-grooming behaviour. Current intensity thresholds for grooming can be obtained depending on the exact localization of the electrode site. Sites localized at greater distance of the center of the grooming area evoke grooming at greater latencies and higher current intensity, or no grooming at all. Results are compared with injections of neuroactive substances in the PVH from previous studies, which showed a similar site specificity for grooming. We found similarity in the distribution of electrode sites in the paraventricular and anterior hypothalamic areas at which grooming is induced, and hypothalamic immunoreactive oxytocinergic neurons and fibres. In addition, we reported earlier that oxytocin infusions into the PVH in resting animals induce grooming, in contrast to other grooming-related peptides, such as α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. We hypothesize that electrical stimulation may induce grooming by activation of oxytocinergic systems originating from the PVH.
ISSN:0031-9384
1873-507X
DOI:10.1016/0031-9384(94)00334-2