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Abstract
The distribution and the amount of [3H]oxytocin binding were studied in the brain
of adult rats of either sex, as well as in male and female castrates, some of which
received injections of estradiol or testosterone. Intact males were treated with an
aromatase inhibitor. Castration and inhibition of aromatase activity reduced, whereas
estradiol and testosterone increased oxytocin binding, particularly in regions of
the brain assumed to be involved in reproductive functions, such as the ventrolateral
part of the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus and the islands of Calleja and neighbouring
cell groups. Binding of oxytocin to the uterus was also estrogen-dependent. In the
same animals, we also studied the distribution of [3H]vasopressin binding sites present
in the brain. It was similar in males and females, and was not affected by experimentally
manipulating gonadal hormone levels. In immunocytochemical studies we noticed, as
others had previously, that the vasopressin content of certain areas of the rat brain
was affected by castration, whereas the oxytocin innervation was not. These results
are discussed in relation to the possible functions of oxytocin in the brain and of
the lack of correspondence between the immunocytochemical and the autoradiographic
data.