Biol Reprod Lalor Postdoctoral Fellowships -- Application Deadline January 15, 2009
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fukuoka, T.
Right arrow Articles by Nishida, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fukuoka, T.
Right arrow Articles by Nishida, E.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Fukuoka, T.
Right arrow Articles by Nishida, E.

Biology of Reproduction, Vol 30, 74-81, Copyright © 1984 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

ARTICLES

Spinal pathway of the milk-ejection reflex in the rat

T Fukuoka, H Negoro, K Honda, T Higuchi and E Nishida

The effects of lesions of the spinal cord on the milk-ejection reflex evoked by suckling were studied in urethane-anesthetized lactating rats. All lesions were made between C6 and C7 vertebrae and milk ejection was monitored by recording intramammary pressure. In the first experiment on the rats with bilateral lesions, a 3-h suckling test with 5 pups on each side was performed. Eleven (84.6%) of 13 rats with the section of the dorsal funiculus (Group 2), and 12 (85.7%) of 14 rats with the combined section of the dorsal and ventral funiculi (Group 4) displayed regular milk ejection. The incidence of milk ejection in both groups was not significantly different from 81.8% (9 rats) of the 11 sham-operated rats (Group 1). In contrast, none of the 12 rats with bilateral section of the lateral funiculus (Group 3) displayed milk ejection and the incidence of milk ejection was significantly lower than that in Group 1. In the second experiment on the rats with unilateral section of the lateral funiculus, bilateral suckling with 10 pups (5 pups on each side) and unilateral suckling (both ipsilateral and contralateral to the lesion) with 5 pups were consecutively performed in the 10 rats. Milk ejection was induced in 50% by contralateral suckling and in 100% by bilateral suckling, and the incidence was significantly higher than that (0%) observed during ipsilateral suckling. A significant difference in the incidence of milk ejection was also observed between contralateral and bilateral sucklings.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Neurosci.Home page
J. S. Lonstein and J. M. Stern
Role of the Midbrain Periaqueductal Gray in Maternal Nurturance and Aggression: c-fos and Electrolytic Lesion Studies in Lactating Rats
J. Neurosci., May 1, 1997; 17(9): 3364 - 3378.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1984 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.