Abstract
SUMMARY Electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus with biphasic pulses was performed in immature female rats. When performed at 27 days of age or later, electrical stimulation in the arcuate nucleus region advanced puberty in all animals, as did stimulation of the anterior hypothalamus at 29 days of age or later. Stimulation in younger rats did not uniformly advance puberty. The responsiveness to electrical stimulation thus seems to develop a few days earlier in the arcuate nucleus region than in the anterior hypothalamus. In a second experiment the possible involvement of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the advancement of puberty was investigated: the simplified augmented ovarian weight assay for endogenous FSH was performed in rats stimulated in the arcuate nucleus region as well as in controls. A marked increase in ovarian weight, indicating increased FSH levels, was demonstrated in all animals stimulated on day 27 or later; at earlier ages only a percentage of the stimulated animals responded. This percentage paralleled the percentage of animals that showed advancement of puberty. It is concluded that electrical stimulation in both the arcuate nucleus region and the anterior hypothalamus advances the onset of puberty. It is suggested that electrical stimulation causes increased plasma FSH levels and, in consequence, precocious puberty.
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