NOONAN, M. AND M. B. KRJSTAL. Effects (~fmedial preoptic lesions on placentophaRia and on the onset ofmaternal be­ havior in the rat. PHYSJOL. BEHAV. 22(6) 1197-1202, 1979.-Lesions of the medial preoptic area (MPO) were produced through permanently indwelling electrodes 24 hr prior to parturition in pregnant rats, or 24 hr prior to donor-placenta presentation in virgin rats determined in a pret...

Cooperative behavior is widespread among animals, yet the neural mechanisms have not been studied in detail. We examined cooperative territory defense behavior and associated neural activity in candidate forebrain regions in the cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni. We find that a territorial male neighbor will engage in territory defense dependent on the perceived threat of the intruder. The re...

MCEWEN, G. N.,JR., AND J. E. HEATH. Thermoregulatory responses to preoptic cooling in unrestrained rabbits. 227 (4) : 954-957. 1974.Rabbits at ambient temperatures within the thermal neutral zone show two different metabolic responses to preoptic cooling. One response type is defined by a preoptic thermal sensitivity that shifts with ambient temperature and a “set point” that remains constant. ...

The distribution and morphology of immunoreactive estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha)- containing cells were examined in the cattle brain. The brains were collected from two cows and a male calf. One of the cows was sacrificed one week after parturition. ERalpha expressions in the preoptic area of the rostral forebrain and the medial basal hypothalamic area were evaluated immunohistochemically us...

The guinea pig exhibits sexually dimorphic patterns of cell density and distribution throughout the medial preoptic area, a region that has been shown to be involved in the regulation of sexually differentiated behavioral and endocrinological reproductive functions (Bleier et al., 1982). The most prominent sex differences involve 2 components of the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN), an anteriorly ...

Social context often has profound effects on behavior, yet the neural and molecular mechanisms which mediate flexible behavioral responses to different social environments are not well understood. We used the African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni, to examine aggressive defense behavior across three social contexts representing different motivational states: a reproductive opportunity, a f...

Paternal behavior is not innate but arises through social experience. After mating and becoming fathers, male mice change their behavior toward pups from infanticide to paternal care. However, the precise brain areas and circuit mechanisms connecting these social behaviors are largely unknown. Here we demonstrated that the c-Fos expression pattern in the four nuclei of the preoptic-bed nuclei o...

Williamson M, Viau V. Selective contributions of the medial preoptic nucleus to testosterone-dependant regulation of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and the HPA axis. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 295: R1020–R1030, 2008. First published August 6, 2008; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.90389.2008.—Previous data have consistently demonstrated an inhibitory effect of androgens on stres...