Electrolytic lesions to the ventromedial hypothalamus abolish receptivity in female whiptail lizards, Cnemidophorus uniparens.

ABSTRACT

Lesions to the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) inhibit receptive sexual behavior in the whiptail lizard, Cnemidophorus uniparens, an all-female species. All lesions to the VMH that effectively abolished receptivity specifically damaged the dorsal lateral VMH, an area containing high concentrations of estrogen receptor in this species. These data further emphasize conservation of the VMH as a brain area critical to the expression of female sexual behavior in vertebrates.