Pattern of [–1–4C]2-deoxyglucose concentration associated with potentiation of reproductive behavior by prostaglandin E?.

One indication of receptive behavior of the female leopard frog, Rana pipiens, is absence of a release call during tactile stimulation of the trunk. Prostaglandin E? (PGE?) inhibits this call. This experiment demonstrates a different pattern of [–1–4C]2-deoxyglucose concentration in brains of 5 receptive females silenced by 1 μg/g PGE? compared with that in 3 unreceptive, vocalizing controls injected with deionized water. –1–4C concentrations were measured in areas important for vocalization in frogs, in limbic system structures and in parts of the brain that receive somatosensory input. There was high activity relative to the rest of the brain in the receptive, silent PGE?-treated females in the caudal part of the anterior preoptic nucleus, in the dorsal habenula, and in the dorsal tegmental area of the medulla lateral to the pretrigeminal nucleus. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

X-ray cinematographic analysis of lordosis in female rats.

X-ray movies were used to analyze skeletal movements of 10 hormone-primed female Sprague-Dawley rats during the onset of lordosis. The pattern of movements of the vertebral column and rear legs during lordosis indicates that this behavior is caused mainly by muscles acting to dorsiflex the vertebral column. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motion picture analysis of rat mating behavior.

Studied the interaction and coordination of male and female rats during mounting and lordosis, using 12 primiparous female and 4 male Sprague-Dawley rats. Head, body, and limb movements of the female are described in relation to forelimb and pelvic movements of the male during mounting. Data show that (a) mounts with ejaculation were longer than mounts without ejaculation; (b) during mounts with ejaculation or intromission, the elevation of the female's head was maintained after perineal contact was lost; whereas when there was no deep vaginal penetration, the head began lowering before loss of perineal contact; and (c) lordosis persisted longest after dismount when intromission accompanied mounts. The following objective definition of lordosis is provided: Onset is the beginning of head elevation; termination is the raising of a paw from the floor of the cage after dorsiflexion of the vertebral column. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)