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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences

1991

Illinois Wesleyan University

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Effects Of Bilateral Injections Of Neuropeptide K Into The Medial Preoptic Area On Male Rat Copulatory Behavior, Peter Malen '91 May 1991

The Effects Of Bilateral Injections Of Neuropeptide K Into The Medial Preoptic Area On Male Rat Copulatory Behavior, Peter Malen '91

Honors Projects

The first mammalian neuropeptide to be characterized was substance P (sP) , and it is now recognized that sP is a member of a structurally related family of peptides, the tachykinins. Extensive studies have demonstrated. that sP and some related tachykinin peptides play key roles as neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. The synthesis of different members of the tachykinin family is in part due to the modifications' of three sP-encoding preprotachykinin (PPT) mRNA's that are derived from a single sP gene. At least four tachykinin peptides can be synthesized as a result of these differential modifications including sP, neurokinin A, neuropeptide and …


Intracerebral Injections Of Substance P Fragments (5-11) And (1-7) Into The Dorsal Midbrain Central Gray Have No Effects On Lordosis Behavior In The Female Rat, Jodi K. Block '91 May 1991

Intracerebral Injections Of Substance P Fragments (5-11) And (1-7) Into The Dorsal Midbrain Central Gray Have No Effects On Lordosis Behavior In The Female Rat, Jodi K. Block '91

Honors Projects

Substance P (sP), a neuroactive peptide, has now been implicated in a wide range of behaviors. One in particular is female rat sexual behavior. Recently, it has been shown that bilateral injections of sP into the dorsal midbrain central gray (dMCG) of estrogen-primed female rats facilitate sexual behavior (lordosis). Uncertainty remains, however, concerning the mode of action of synaptically released sP. Indeed, most of our understanding of sP activity has revealed that its full structural sequence is not needed for biological activity. This has led to speculation that sP may be processed into one or more types of fragments before …