Evidence for reciprocal connections between the dorsochiasmatic area and the hypothalamo neurohypophyseal system and some related extrahypothalamic structures.

In the preceding article, a dorsochiasmatic area (DCh) was described that projects to both paraventricular (PVN) and supraoptic (SON) nuclei. The main afferents of the DCh, revealed by local injections of retrograde tracers, are the hypothalamic PVN and SON, lateral septal nuclei (LSV and SHy), bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST), anteroventral third ventricle region, particularly the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO), the subfornical organ, medial preoptic areas, arcuate hypothalamic nucleus, ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei, paraventricular thalamic nucleus, and, more caudally, several structures of the posterior hypothalamus and mesencephalon. The relations between DCh and BST, LSV, SHy, or MnPO appeared reciprocal. In view of their reciprocal relationships with the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system and some of their related extrahypothalamic structures, the DCh might be involved in the regulation of the vasopressin (AVP) and/or oxytocin (OT) systems, or in reproductive behavior.