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Allen LS, Gorski RA. Sex difference in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis of the human brain. J Comp Neurol 1990; 302:697-706. [PMID: 1707064 DOI: 10.1002/cne.903020402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
A quantitative analysis of the volume of the darkly staining region of the posteromedial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis was performed on the brains of 26 age-matched male and female human subjects. We suggest the term "darkly staining posteromedial" component of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST-dspm) to describe this sexually dimorphic region of the human brain. The volume of the BNST-dspm was 2.47 times greater in males than in females. This region in humans appears to correspond to an area of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in laboratory animals that exhibits volumetric and neurochemical sexual dimorphisms, concentrates gonadal steroids, and is anatomically connected to several other sexually dimorphic nuclei. Furthermore, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis is involved in sexually dimorphic functions, including aggressive behavior, sexual behavior, and gonadotropin secretion, which are also influenced by gonadal steroids. Therefore, it is possible that in human beings as well, gonadal hormones influence the sexual dimorphism in the BNST-dspm and that this morphological difference, in part, underlies sexually dimorphic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- L S Allen
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, UCLA School of Medicine 90024
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52
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Clark MM, Malenfant SA, Winter DA, Galef BG. Fetal uterine position affects copulation and scent marking by adult male gerbils. Physiol Behav 1990; 47:301-5. [PMID: 2333346 DOI: 10.1016/0031-9384(90)90146-u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Those male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) that as fetuses resided in uterine locations adjacent to no females, when adult, scent marked more frequently, mounted estrous females with shorter latencies, and ejaculated after fewer intromissions than did those male gerbils that as fetuses resided in uterine locations adjacent to two females. Both the scent-marking frequencies and copulatory patterns of adult males were positively correlated with three indices of their circulating levels of testosterone: ventral gland size, anogenital distance, and relative testes weights. Also, those males that scent marked relatively frequently copulated more reliably than did those males that scent marked relatively infrequently.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Clark
- Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Gibson MJ, Silverman AJ, Rosenthal MF, Morrell JI. Estradiol-concentrating cells in the brains of hypogonadal female mice and in their intraventricular preoptic area implants. Exp Neurol 1989; 105:127-34. [PMID: 2666148 DOI: 10.1016/0014-4886(89)90112-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Estradiol-concentrating cells were evaluated in the brains of hypogonadal female mice and in their intraventricular preoptic area brain grafts using autoradiography for [3H]estradiol. Normal distribution of estradiol-concentrating cells was observed in the brains of the hypogonadal mice with dense collections of these cells in the lateral septum; the medial preoptic area; the medial anterior hypothalamus; the ventromedial, arcuate, and periventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus; and the medial and cortical nuclei of the amygdala. In addition, estradiol-concentrating cells were present in all the transplants, with the estimated number of such cells in the transplants ranging from 390 to 2600. There was no correlation between numbers of estradiol-concentrating cells within the transplants and degree of reproductive recovery in the hypogonadal mice. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) immunocytochemistry of alternate sections revealed GnRH-immunoreactive material within the grafts and immunoreactive fibers exiting the grafts and entering the hosts' median eminence. No specific relationship between GnRH cells and estradiol-concentrating cells was evident within the grafts, nor was there any indication of identity of estrogen-concentrating cells with GnRH cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Gibson
- Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029
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Bonsall RW, Rees HD, Michael RP. Identification of radioactivity in cell nuclei from brain, pituitary gland and genital tract of male rhesus monkeys after the administration of [3H]testosterone. JOURNAL OF STEROID BIOCHEMISTRY 1989; 32:599-608. [PMID: 2724964 DOI: 10.1016/0022-4731(89)90395-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Enzymes are present in the primate brain that convert testosterone into 17 beta-hydroxy-5 alpha-androstan-3-one (dihydrotestosterone), estradiol-17 beta and 4-androstene-3,17-dione. To identify the metabolites of testosterone that accumulate in cell nuclei obtained from different regions of the brain, 9 adult castrated male rhesus monkeys were injected with 5 mCi [3H]testosterone as an intravenous bolus. After 1 h, brains were rapidly removed and the left halves were used for autoradiography while the right halves were dissected to provide 14 samples. Radioactive metabolites in cell nuclei were identified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and by repeated recrystallization. In autoradiograms of brain, most of the labeled neurons were in the hypothalamus, preoptic area and amygdala. These three regions also had the highest levels of radioactivity. The major form of this radioactivity was [3H]estradiol-17 beta (Type I tissues) and the major radioactive androgen present was [3H]testosterone. In all other brain regions and pituitary gland, the major form of radioactivity was unchanged [3H]testosterone (Type II tissues). In genital tract structures, [3H]dihydrotestosterone predominated (Type III tissues). These results suggested that, in contrast to its actions on genital tract structures, testosterone acts on neuronal nuclei mainly in unmetabolized form or after conversion to estradiol-17 beta.
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Affiliation(s)
- R W Bonsall
- Department of Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
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55
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Guillamón A, Segovia S, del Abril A. Early effects of gonadal steroids on the neuron number in the medial posterior region and the lateral division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the rat. BRAIN RESEARCH. DEVELOPMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH 1988; 44:281-90. [PMID: 3224428 DOI: 10.1016/0165-3806(88)90226-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
This work investigates the possible existence of sex differences in the number of neurons in the medial posterior region (BNSTMp) and the lateral division (BNSTL) of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the rat. These two zones of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis belong, respectively, to the vomeronasal system (VNS), and to the main olfactory system (MOS). In the BNSTMp, males showed a greater number of neurons than females. Early postnatal (Day 1 after birth) orchidectomy in males, and androgenization in females, eliminated and reversed these differences. In the BNSTL, sexual dimorphism was restricted to its anterior region (BNSTLa). Females showed there a greater number of neurons than males. Male orchidectomy on Day 1 after birth increased the number of neurons, while female androgenization produced the opposite effect. The results obtained in this study support the hypothesis that the VNS is sexodimorphic, and suggest that sex differences exist in MOS, and that these differences are controlled by gonadal steroids during the perinatal period.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Guillamón
- Departamento de Psicobiología, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain
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56
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Turkenburg JL, Swaab DF, Endert E, Louwerse AL, van de Poll NE. Effects of lesions of the sexually dimorphic nucleus on sexual behavior of testosterone-treated female Wistar rats. Brain Res Bull 1988; 21:215-24. [PMID: 3191408 DOI: 10.1016/0361-9230(88)90234-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Discrete bilateral lesions were placed into the sexually dimorphic nucleus (SDN) of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of ovariectomized female Wistar rats, chronically treated with testosterone (T). Effects of these lesions upon masculine and feminine sexual behavior were studied by comparing the results of pre- and postoperative tests, using sham-operated and unoperated females as controls. Bilaterally-lesioned and, to a lesser extent, unilaterally-lesioned females, showed a marked and significant reduction of masculine sexual behavior (i.e., mounting), especially in the first postoperative tests. Feminine sexual responses, i.e., receptive and proceptive behavior, although slightly lower in bilaterally-lesioned females, did not change significantly. Sexual partner preference, operationalized as the choice between a receptive female and a sexually active male, remained unaffected by the lesions. Plasma levels of testosterone were similar in the various groups. It is concluded that the SDN may be functionally implicated in the control of masculine sexual behavior in T-treated females.
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Yahr P, Kief ML, Commins D. Atropine infusions near the sexually dimorphic area of the gerbil hypothalamus facilitate hormonal induction of scent marking. Behav Brain Res 1988; 29:185-90. [PMID: 3401318 DOI: 10.1016/0166-4328(88)90066-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The sexually dimorphic area (SDA) of the gerbil hypothalamus contains cells in which acetylcholinesterase activity is stimulated by testosterone. These cells are probably cholinoceptive. Because cholinoceptive cells and the SDA are both implicated in hormonal control of gerbil scent marking, marking was studied in castrated males given a low dose of testosterone systemically, and atropine, a cholinergic antagonist, near the SDA. Controls received saline near the SDA or atropine in the thalamus. Subjects were also tested for male sexual behavior, since it is also affected by the SDA. Infusing 25-35 micrograms atropine methyl nitrate near the SDA twice a week facilitated marking but did not affect mating. Experimental males marked more, whereas controls marked less, while receiving infusions, than they did before castration. The two control groups did not differ from each other. After infusions stopped, marking by experimental males decreased, though residual effects were detected in one test setting. The data suggest that a cholinoceptive system in or near the SDA participates in hormonal control of gerbil scent marking.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Yahr
- Department of Psychobiology, University of California, Irvine 92717
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58
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De Vries GJ, Gonzales CL, Yahr P. Afferent connections of the sexually dimorphic area of the hypothalamus of male and female gerbils. J Comp Neurol 1988; 271:91-105. [PMID: 2454962 DOI: 10.1002/cne.902710110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
We studied neural inputs to the sexually dimorphic area (SDA) of the gerbil hypothalamus by injecting wheat-germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase into its medial or lateral components in males and females. To confirm the topography of SDA afferents, we injected Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin into areas where retrograde labeling from the medial and lateral SDA differed. Both methods indicated that the medial SDA received stronger inputs from the medial part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the ventral part of the lateral septal nucleus, the medial amygdaloid nucleus, and the amygdalohippocampal area, than the lateral SDA does. In contrast, the rostrodorsal part of the lateral septum, the lateral part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the anterior and posterior hypothalamic areas, and the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus project more heavily to the lateral than to the medial SDA. In addition, retrograde labeling suggested that the ventral part of the premammillary nucleus projects more strongly to the medial than to the lateral SDA, whereas the infralimbic area of the cortex and the lateral preoptic area project more strongly to the lateral than to the medial SDA. The densities of cells in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial amygdaloid nucleus that could be retrogradely labeled from the medial SDA were greater in males than in females. This was not true of labeling in the arcuate nucleus or in the ventral part of the lateral septal nucleus. Since the medial SDA receives strong inputs from areas with many steroid-accumulating cells, it could respond to steroids directly and via these afferents. In contrast, hormonal effects on the lateral SDA are more likely to occur locally.
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Affiliation(s)
- G J De Vries
- Department of Psychobiology, University of California, Irvine 92717
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59
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Ulibarri C, Yahr P. Role of neonatal androgens in sexual differentiation of brain structure, scent marking, and gonadotropin secretion in gerbils. BEHAVIORAL AND NEURAL BIOLOGY 1988; 49:27-44. [PMID: 3345189 DOI: 10.1016/s0163-1047(88)91192-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Gerbils display a sexually dimorphic scent marking behavior that responds to testosterone (T) in adulthood and develops under the influence of testosterone perinatally. A complex of cell groups between the preoptic area and anterior hypothalamus of the gerbil brain is also sexually dimorphic and responsive to testosterone. One of these cell groups, the sexually dimorphic area pars compacta (SDApc), usually exists only in males. Even when given testosterone, adult female gerbils rarely have an SDApc. To determine if the SDApc develops under the influence of testosterone, male gerbils were castrated or given sham operations on the day they were born or 1 day later, or were not manipulated. Female gerbils were injected subcutaneously with 0, 50, or 100 micrograms testosterone propionate (TP) on the day after birth. When given ovarian transplants as adults, neonatally castrated males scent marked at low levels typical of females. Neonatally androgenized females given testosterone as adults scent marked at high levels typical of males. Neonatal castration did not affect the probability that the SDApc would develop, but neonatal androgenization did. Half the females given either dose of TP as neonates had SDApcs bilaterally. The sizes of the SDApcs present in females depended on the dose of testosterone given neonatally. The larger dose produced larger SDApcs. The 100-micrograms dose of TP also defeminized gonadotropin secretion, but the 50-micrograms dose did not. The castration of males neonatally prevented the defeminization normally caused by endogenous testosterone. Both groups of neonatally castrated males formed corpora lutea in their ovarian transplants, but control males did not.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Ulibarri
- Department of Psychobiology, University of California, Irvine 92717
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60
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Yahr P. Pars compacta of the sexually dimorphic area of the gerbil hypothalamus: postnatal ages at which development responds to testosterone. BEHAVIORAL AND NEURAL BIOLOGY 1988; 49:118-24. [PMID: 3345186 DOI: 10.1016/s0163-1047(88)91312-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The sexually dimorphic area (SDA) of the gerbil hypothalamus contains a dense cell group in males, the SDA pars compacta (SDApc), that is absent in females and that develops under the influence of testosterone. To determine how long SDApc development remains sensitive to testosterone and if it can be fully masculinized, female gerbils were injected with testosterone propionate on various days after birth. Control females and males received the vehicle. SDApc development was assessed when subjects were 2 weeks old. Exposing females to testosterone before they were 3 days old increased both the incidence and the size of the SDApc. Delaying exposure until 3 days after birth prevented these effects. In females that received testosterone daily for 5 days, starting on the day they were born, the incidence and size of the SDApc were the same as in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Yahr
- Department of Psychobiology, University of California, Irvine 92717
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Schumacher M, Balthazart J. Neuroanatomical distribution of testosterone-metabolizing enzymes in the Japanese quail. Brain Res 1987; 422:137-48. [PMID: 3676776 DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(87)90548-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
We describe a very sensitive and precise assay which allows one to study the metabolism of testosterone (T) in small brain nuclei dissected out according to the method of Palkovits and Brownstein. With this method, the neuroanatomical distributions of aromatase, and 5 alpha- and 5 beta-reductase activities were studied in adult male quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). The different enzymes show different neuroanatomical distributions. Production of estradiol-17 beta (E2) was highest in the sexually dimorphic nucleus preopticus medialis (POM). We showed previously that the preoptic aromatase activity is higher in male than in female quail. As the POM is a central and very large structure within the preoptic area, the present results suggest a relationship between the neuroanatomical and the biochemical sex differences. By contrast, the production of 5 alpha-DHT was highest in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHY), the bed nucleus of the pallial commissure (BPC) and the lateral septum (SL). The 5 beta-reductase activity was highest in the lateral septum and in the ventral part of the archistriatum (AV). Moreover, there was a rostral to caudal decrease in 5 beta-reductase activity in the hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Schumacher
- Laboratory of General and Comparative Biochemistry, University of Liege, Belgium
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63
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di Meglio M, Morrell JI, Pfaff DW. Localization of steroid-concentrating cells in the central nervous system of the frog Rana esculenta. Gen Comp Endocrinol 1987; 67:149-54. [PMID: 3497838 DOI: 10.1016/0016-6480(87)90142-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Steroid-concentrating cells were localized using steroid hormone autoradiography in the brain of Rana esculenta after systemic administration of tritiated estradiol and testosterone. Highest numbers of labeled cells were found in the anterior preoptic area, in the ventral infundibular nucleus, and in the pituitary. Other sites of tritiated sex steroid uptake were in the striatum, septum, amygdala, thalamus, tectum, torus semicircularis, and dorsal tegmental area of the medulla. No differences were seen between males and females. These results complement the ones obtained in Rana pipiens and confirm that in the genus Rana the distribution of testosterone- and estradiol-concentrating neurons is invariant in many respects.
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64
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Jacobson CD, Arnold AP, Gorski RA. Steroid autoradiography of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area. Brain Res 1987; 414:349-56. [PMID: 3620937 DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(87)90016-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Autoradiography was performed to determine if the neurons of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN-POA) in the adult rat accumulate estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), and/or dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Three days prior to steroid administration, adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were gonadectomized and adrenalectomized. Animals were then given either [3H]T, [3H]E2, or [3H]DHT through an indwelling jugular cannula. One hour later, animals were decapitated and brain sections processed for thaw mount autoradiography. The autoradiograms which contained the SDN-POA and an adjacent area of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) were quantitatively analyzed using the 3 times background, 5 times background, and Poisson criteria for labeled cells. In general, cells in the SDN-POA and the MPOA accumulate T, E2, or DHT. For both sexes, there is a greater percentage of labeled cells in the SDN-POA than in the MPOA, and a greater percentage of labeled cells following E2 exposure than following T or DHT exposure. In addition, there is a sex difference (male greater than female) in the percentage of labeled cells following T exposure. In summary, these data indicate that adult SDN-POA neurons do accumulate gonadal steroids.
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