Effects of habenular lesions upon the responsiveness of ovariectomized female rats to estrogen and progesterone

Abstract

The purposes of the present studies were to determine whether the effects of habenular lesions upon feminine sexual behavior are the manifestation of diminished responsiveness to estrogen or progesterone, to determine whether the various aspects of feminine sexual behavior are related to hormone dosages employed, and to determine whether the various aspects of feminine behavior are correlated with one another. In Experiment 1, estradiol benzoate dosage was varied while progesterone dosage was held constant. In Experiment 2, estradiol benzoate dosage was held constant while progesterone dosage was varied. Experiment 3 investigated the effects of habenular lesions upon feminine sexual behavior as a function of time since progesterone injection. The results of the first two experiments suggested that the effects of habenular lesions are the manifestation of a diminished responsiveness to the synergistic effects of estrogen and progesterone. Results also demonstrated that lesions have pronounced effects upon soliciting behaviors and lordosis, while there were no demonstrable effects of lesions upon the holding of lordotic postures. Correlational analyses suggested that while soliciting, holding, and lordosis are correlated with hormone dosage, the various aspects of feminine behaviors are not necessarily correlated with one another. Experiment 3 suggested that the deleterious effects of habenular lesions persist over time.