PSYCH 212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex, Periaqueductal Gray, Sex Steroid
10 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
The regulation of hormones a negative feedback circuit anterior pituitary gland - front division of pituitary gland. Neuroendocrine cell bodies in hypothalamus produce releasing hormones. Releasing hormones traverse hypothalamic-pituitary portal system to control pituitary release of tropic hormones. Cells in anterior pituitary respond to releasing hormones by releasing/inhibiting release of their hormones, known as tropic hormones tropic hormones - travel through bloodstream to regulate endocrine glands throughout body. Sex steroids in men are testosterone (androgens) and gametes are sperm. Sex steroids in women are progestins and estrogens and gametes are ova (eggs) Androgens act on hypothalamic medial amygdala in male rats. Estrogens affect neurons in ventromedial hypothalamus and periaqueductal gray in female rats. Periaqueductal gray site of endogenous opioids lordosis - female receptive posture in four legged animals. In addition to areas activated in rodents, areas activate in humans include much of the cortex including the orbitofrontal ventromedial prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, insular cortex.
