Electrical stimulation was applied to the various sites of hypothalamus and the relationship between the points stimulated and the ovarian changes produced by the hypothalamic stimulation were studied, and the following results were obtained:
(1) The points (11 points) of which stimulation resulted in ruptured follicles were located in the posterior-ventral portion including the mammillary body, and some of them were located in the a'-area (ventrocaudal part of the arcuate nucleus and its vicinity) or in the periventricular layer of the hypothalamus. Stimulation of the lateral hypothalamic area in one case also induced ruptured follicles.
(2) The points of stimulation which produced hemorrhagic follicles (8 points) widely scattered throughout the medial portion of the hypothalamus.
(3) The ovulation produced by the hypothalamic stimulation was prevented by transection of the spinal cord in most of the cases, however, ovulation was elicited in these cases with negative ovulatory response by injection of pregnant woman urine. In 3 cases which received spinal cord transection at levels below twelfth thoracic segment, hemorrhagic follicles were induced by stimulation. It may be considered that the failure of the ovulatory response by spinal cord transection is attributable to the disturbance of ovarian circulation which transports the gonadtrophin released from the adenohypophysis by the stimulation to the ovaries.
(4) Ovulation (bleeding or luteinizing) was not induced by hypothalamic stimulation in ovaries transplanted in the anterior eye chamber, while it was produced by injection of a large amount of pregnant woman urine.
(5) Hypothalamic stimulation of one of a pair of rabbits, in which a cross circulation between jugular veins of two rabbits was made resulted in ovulatory response in both animals.
(6) The results may indicate that the area chiefly participating in the ovulatory function in rabbits is located in rather well defined area of the hypothalamus, mainly in the posterior-ventral part, and that the gonadotrophin released from the adenohypophysis by hypothalamic stimulation acts on the ovary and results in the ovulation.
View full abstract