Glutamate released in the preoptic area during sexual behavior controls local estrogen synthesis in male quail.

[en] strogens are known to act rapidly, probably via membrane estrogen receptors, to induce fast effects on physiological and behavioral processes. Engaging in some of these behaviors, such as sexual behavior, results in an acute modulation of the production of estrogens in the brain by regulating the efficiency of the estrogen synthase enzyme, aromatase. We recently demonstrated that aromatase activity (AA) in the male quail brain is rapidly inhibited in discrete brain regions including the medial preoptic nucleus (POM) following exposure to a female. Evidence from in vitro studies point to glutamate release as one of the mechanisms controlling these rapid regulations of the aromatase enzyme. Here, we show that (a) the acute injection of the glutamatergic agonist kainate into the POM of anesthetized male quail inhibits AA and (b) glutamate is released in the POM during copulation. These results provide the first set of in vivo data demonstrating a role for glutamate release in the rapid control of AA in the context of sexual behavior

Research Center/Unit :

Giga-Neurosciences - ULiège

Disciplines :

Neurosciences & behavior

Author, co-author :

de Bournonville, Catherine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Doct. sc. bioméd. & pharma. (Bologne)

Smolders, I

Van Eeckhaut, A

Ball, G

Balthazart, Jacques ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques

Cornil, Charlotte ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques > Biologie de la différenciation sexuelle du cerveau

Language :

English

Title :

Glutamate released in the preoptic area during sexual behavior controls local estrogen synthesis in male quail.

Publication date :

2017

Journal title :

Psychoneuroendocrinology

ISSN :

0306-4530

eISSN :

1873-3360

Publisher :

Elsevier, United Kingdom

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Funders :

NIH - National Institutes of Health
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique
ULg FSR - Université de Liège. Fonds spéciaux pour la recherche

Available on ORBi :

since 04 January 2019

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