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University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Articles 31 - 34 of 34

Full-Text Articles in Psychology

The Role Of Septal Vasopressin Innervation In Paternal Behavior In Prairie Voles (Microtus Ochrogaster), Geert De Vries, Z. X. Wang, C. F. Ferris Jan 1994

The Role Of Septal Vasopressin Innervation In Paternal Behavior In Prairie Voles (Microtus Ochrogaster), Geert De Vries, Z. X. Wang, C. F. Ferris

Geert De Vries

After being paired with females, male prairie voles show major changes in their social behaviors among which is an increase in paternal responsiveness. These changes are accompanied by fluctuations in the density of the [Arg8]vasopressin-immunoreactive (AVP-ir) fibers in the lateral septum, suggesting that septal AVP might be involved in these changes. To explore a possible involvement of septal AVP in paternal responsiveness, we tested whether injections of saline, AVP, or the V1a receptor antagonist [1-(beta-mercapto-beta, beta-cyclopentamethylenepropionic acid),2-(O-methyltyrosine]AVP [d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)AVP] into the lateral septum influenced the four most prominent paternal activities displayed by male prairie voles; grooming, crouching over, contacting, and retrieving …


Sex Differences In The Effects Of Testosterone And Its Metabolites On Vasopressin Messenger Rna Levels In The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis Of Rats, Geert De Vries, Z. X. Wang, N. A. Bullock, S. Numan Jan 1994

Sex Differences In The Effects Of Testosterone And Its Metabolites On Vasopressin Messenger Rna Levels In The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis Of Rats, Geert De Vries, Z. X. Wang, N. A. Bullock, S. Numan

Geert De Vries

Male rats have about two times as many steroid-responsive vasopressin- immunoreactive (AVP-ir) neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) as female rats. This sex difference does not depend on differences in circulating hormone levels, since it persists in males and females that are treated with similar levels of testosterone. To analyze the cellular basis of this sex difference, we compared the effects of testosterone and its metabolites on AVP mRNA expression in the BST of males and females that were gonadectomized at 3 months of age. When rats received implants of Silastic tubing filled with testosterone, males …


Distribution Of Androgen Receptor Immunoreactivity In Vasopressin- Immunoreactive And Oxytocin-Immunoreactive Neurons In The Male Rat Brain, Geert De Vries, L Zhou, J. D. Blaustein Jan 1994

Distribution Of Androgen Receptor Immunoreactivity In Vasopressin- Immunoreactive And Oxytocin-Immunoreactive Neurons In The Male Rat Brain, Geert De Vries, L Zhou, J. D. Blaustein

Geert De Vries

Arginine vasopressin-immunoreactive (AVP-ir) neurons in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BST) and medial amygdaloid nucleus are very responsive to gonadal hormones. After gonadectomy, these neurons lose their AVP immunoreactivity and stop expressing AVP mRNA. Testosterone treatment reverses these changes, acting via androgen as well as estrogen receptor-mediated mechanisms. Although AVP-ir neurons contain estrogen receptor immunoreactivity, it is not known whether they also contain androgen receptor immunoreactivity. To answer this question, brains of male rats were stained immunocytochemically for AVP as well as for androgen receptors. In the BST and medial amygdaloid nucleus, respectively, 90.5% and 91.2% of the AVP-ir …


Sexual Differentiation Of Vasopressin Projections Of The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis And Medial Amygdaloid Nucleus In Rats, Geert De Vries, Z. X. Wang, N. A. Bullock Jun 1993

Sexual Differentiation Of Vasopressin Projections Of The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis And Medial Amygdaloid Nucleus In Rats, Geert De Vries, Z. X. Wang, N. A. Bullock

Geert De Vries

The vasopressin-immunoreactive (AVP-ir) projections of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and medial amygdaloid nucleus (MA) are much denser in males than in females even if males and females are treated with similar amounts of testosterone. Previous studies have established that testosterone influences AVP-ir projections during development, but not whether these effects of testosterone were permanent. This study tested the effects of various hormonal manipulations during development on the ability of testosterone to influence the AVP immunostaining in cells of the BST and MA and of fibers in the lateral septum of adult rats. In the first experiment, …