The medial preoptic area has been shown to be intricately involved in many behaviors, including locomotion, sexual behavior, maternal care, and aggression. The gene encoding estrogen receptor-α (ERα) protein is expressed in preoptic area neurons, and a very dense immunoreactive field of ERα is found in the preoptic region. ERα knockout animals show deficits in maternal care and sexual behavior ...

A variety of hypnotic compounds including triazolam (1), pentobarbital (2) and ethanol (3) have been shown to induce sleep when microinjected into the medial preoptic area (MPA) of the anterior hypnothalamus. The mechanism by which they produce this effect, however, is not clear. Lesions of a basal forebrain area including the preoptic area decrease sleep (4), while electrical stimulation of th...

The precise distribution of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) in 23 discrete brain nuclei and areas of Wistar strain male rats was determined by specific radioimmunoassay. TRH was detected in most of these areas. The highest concentration was found in the median eminence (27.52 +/- 2.84 ng/mg protein). The arcuate nucleus (4.92 +/- 0.58 ng/mg protein), dorsomedial nucleus (4.77 +/- 0.59 ng/mg...

Material and methods ................................................ Description of nuclear masses ......................................... The dorsal thalamus .............................................. Anterior nuclear group ....................................... Medial nuclear group ........................................ Midline and commissural iiuclei ..................................

BNST Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis CCK Cholecystokinin cGMP Cyclic guanosine monophosphate DCN Dorsal central autonomic nucleus fMRI Functional magnetic resonance imaging IML Intermediolateral cell column LCTF Lateral central tegmental field LSt cells Lumbar spinothalamic cells MEA Medial amygdala MPOA Medial preoptic area NO Nitric oxide nPGi Nucleus paragigantocellularis NPY Neuropeptid...