Female Receptivity and the Hypothalamus

Female mice, similar to females in other species, have normal fluctuations in their receptivity towards males, depending on the particular phase of the reproductive cycle. While males can be perceived as threats for a non-receptive female, the same individual will be accepted when the hormonal conditions of the female change. We are exploring, by performing extracellular recordings in the hypothalamus of freely moving females, how the orchestrated activity of neurons in this area can lead to a different behavioral output in response to males depending on the reproductive cycle.