Takayuki Kinugasa

Afferent fiber connections from lower brain stem to hypothalamus studied by the horseradish peroxidase method with special reference to noradrenaline innervation

SummaryAttempts were made to determine the afferent projections to the anterior hypothalamus including the preoptic area from the lower brain stem by means of the horseradish peroxidase method combined with monoamine oxidase staining to identify noradrenaline (NA) neurons. In addition to this technique, a histofluorescence analysis was performed. NA fibers in the medial part of the anterior hypothalamus were mainly supplied by A1 and A2 NA neuron groups, while the lateral part and periventricular zone received NA terminals from both pontine and medulla oblongata NA neuron groups. Furthermore, the present study indicated that there were direct projections to the anterior hypothalamus from non-noradrenergic neurons in the lower brain stem: nuclei raphe dorsalis, centralis superior, cells in the mesencephalic and pontine central gray matter, nuclei parabrachialis lateralis and medialis, cells around fasciculus longitudinalis medialis.

The diagnostic significance of LH-releasing hormone test in patients with amenorrhea

Abstract Serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) following intravenous injection of 100 μg of synthetic LH-releasing hormone (LH-RH) in 10 normal women in the follicular phase and in 80 amenorrheic women were determined by radioimmunoassay. The low or normal basal levels of LH and FSH with good response to LH-RH were observed in patients with galactorrhea, secondary amenorrhea responding to progestin with bleeding, and in some of the patients with anorexia nervosa. Low resting levels with little or no increase of LH and FSH following LH-RH were experienced in patients with Sheehans syndrome, postoperative patients with chromophobe pituitary adenoma, and in some of the patients with amenorrhea responding to progestin plus estrogen with bleeding. Elevated basal LH and FSH levels with further increase following LH-RH were seen in patients with Turners syndrome and in some of the patients with amenorrhea responding to progestin plus estrogen with bleeding. The three typical patterns stated above may indicate that the cause of anovulation lies in the hypothalamus, pituitary, or ovaries. It is concluded that the LH-RH test is useful in clarifying the pathophysiology of anovulatory conditions.

Response of pituitary LH and FSH to synthetic LH-releasing hormone in normal subjects and patients with Sheehan's syndrome.

Abstract Serum levels of LH and FSH were determined by radioimmunoassay in seven patients with Sheehans syndrome, eight women with normal menstrual cycles, and five normal men following intravenous injection of synthetic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) in a dose of 100 μg. The mean maximum increases of LH (M. ± S.E. mI.U./ml.) were in the following order: 279.4 ± 87.6 at the preovulatory phase, 69.2 ± 12.6 in normal males, 48.2 ± 3.5 at the midluteal phase, and 29.9 ± 4.9 at the early follicular phase. The response of serum levels of FSH was found to parallel the change in the levels of LH, but these changes were less pronounced. No response of LH and FSH to LH-RH was observed in five patients with Sheehans syndrome while the remaining two patients showed an increase of LH around normal lower limits. These findings seem to indicate that LH-RH test is useful for the evaluation of pituitary reserve function of gonadotropin secretion.