Effects of testosterone on a selected neuronal population within the preoptic sexually dimorphic nucleus of the Japanese quail

Panzica, Giancarlo; Viglietti‐Panzica, C.; Sánchez, Francisco Javier Sierro; Sante, P.; Balthazart, Jacques

doi:10.1002/cne.903030310

Cited by 141 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…The volume of the entire POM and the size of neurons in the lateral part of this nucleus thus provide a clear morphological signature of testosterone action in the brain contrary to what is observed for sexually dimorphic brain areas in the preoptic region in other species such as the SDN-POA of rats [11,73,143] but similar to observations reported concerning the gerbil SDA [52,53,55] or the rat MPN [41,42]. Interestingly, the effects of testosterone on the neuronal size are more pronounced in the lateral part of the POM than in the medial part of the nucleus adjacent to the third ventricle [102]. This anatomical specificity of testosterone effects correlates with functional properties of these sub-regions of the POM (see below).…”

Section: The Preoptic Neuronal Circuit Controlling Male Sexual Behavisupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Theses lateral cells therefore tend to be larger in males than in females [102] since males on average have higher circulating concentrations of testosterone in the blood [18]. The volume of the entire POM and the size of neurons in the lateral part of this nucleus thus provide a clear morphological signature of testosterone action in the brain contrary to what is observed for sexually dimorphic brain areas in the preoptic region in other species such as the SDN-POA of rats [11,73,143] but similar to observations reported concerning the gerbil SDA [52,53,55] or the rat MPN [41,42].…”

Section: The Preoptic Neuronal Circuit Controlling Male Sexual Behavimentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The size of neurons in the lateral part of the POM is similarly controlled by plasma testosterone concentrations [102] being larger in the presence than in the absence of testosterone. Theses lateral cells therefore tend to be larger in males than in females [102] since males on average have higher circulating concentrations of testosterone in the blood [18].…”

Section: The Preoptic Neuronal Circuit Controlling Male Sexual Behavimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Topography in the preoptic region: Differential regulation of appetitive and consummatory male sexual behaviors

Balthazart

Ball

2007

Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology

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193

168

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Several studies have suggested dissociations between neural circuits underlying the expression of appetitive (i.e. sexual motivation) and consummatory components (i.e., copulatory behavior) of vertebrate male sexual behavior. The medial preoptic area (mPOA) clearly controls the expression of male copulation but, according to a number of experiments, is not necessarily implicated in the expression of appetitive sexual behavior. In rats for example, lesions to the mPOA eliminate maletypical copulatory behavior but have more subtle or no obvious effects on measures of sexual motivation. Rats with such lesions still pursue and attempt to mount females. They also acquire and perform learned instrumental responses to gain access to females. However, recent lesions studies and measures of the expression of the immediate early gene c-fos demonstrate that, in quail, subregions of the mPOA, in particular of its sexually dimorphic component the medial preoptic nucleus, can be specifically linked with either the expression of appetitive or consummatory sexual behavior. In particular more rostral regions can be linked to appetitive components while more caudal regions are involved in consummatory behavior. This functional sub-region variation is associated with neurochemical and hodological specializations (i.e. differences in chemical phenotype of the cells or in their connectivity), especially those related to the actions of androgens in relation to the activation of male sexual behavior, that are also present in rodents and other species. It could thus reflect general principles about POA organization and function in the vertebrate brain.

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Section: The Preoptic Neuronal Circuit Controlling Male Sexual Behavisupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: The Preoptic Neuronal Circuit Controlling Male Sexual Behavimentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: The Preoptic Neuronal Circuit Controlling Male Sexual Behavimentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Topography in the preoptic region: Differential regulation of appetitive and consummatory male sexual behaviors

Balthazart

Ball

2007

Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology

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193

168

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“…Nomenclature used in this paper is based on the atlas of the chicken 64 or quail 26 brain with minor modifications for the preoptic area and anterior hypothalamus as described in Panzica et al 71 …”

Section: -Deoxyglucose Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of appetitive or consummatory components of male sexual behavior is mediated by different brain areas: a 2-deoxyglucose autoradiographic study

Dermon¹,

Stamatakis²,

Tlemçani³

et al. 1999

Neuroscience

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Abstract-The in vivo autoradiographic deoxyglucose method was used to identify the functional brain circuits that are involved in the performance of appetitive and consummatory components of male sexual behavior in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Two groups of castrated, testosterone-treated male quail were trained during 12 sessions to associate the view of a female behind a window with the opportunity to interact freely and to copulate with her. They developed, as a consequence, a social proximity response (staying close and looking through the window providing a view of the female) that has been used in previous experiments to measure appetitive sexual behavior. A third control group (also castrated and treated with testosterone) was allowed to view the female but not to copulate with her and therefore did not develop this proximity response. 2-14 C-deoxyglucose was then injected i.p. to these birds and they were allowed to either copulate freely with a female (consummatory sexual behavior group) or express the social proximity response (appetitive sexual behavior group). The control group was provided a view of the female but these birds, although they were exposed to the same stimuli as birds in the appetitive group, did not express the social proximity response because they had never learned the association with the opportunity to copulate. Birds were killed 45 min after the deoxyglucose injection and their brains were processed for autoradiography. Densitometric analyses of the autoradiograms revealed that the expression of appetitive or consummatory aspects of male sexual behavior was associated with significant increases by comparison with the control group in the deoxyglucose incorporation in the nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis, pars dorsalis and in the nucleus leminsci lateralis. In addition, an increase in the deoxyglucose incorporation was specifically observed in the paleostriatum primitivum, rostral preoptic area, nucleus intercollicularis, nucleus interpeduncularis and third nerve but a decrease was observed in the dorsomedial part of the hippocampus and in the nucleus nervi oculomotori in birds of the consummatory sexual behavior group by comparison with controls. By contrast, in the appetitive sexual behavior group, significant increases in deoxyglucose incorporation were observed in two telencephalic areas, the intermediate hyperstriatum ventrale and neostriatum caudolaterale by comparison with the controls, but decreases were detected in the stratum griseum et fibrosum superficiale of optic tectum by comparison with the consummatory behavior group.These studies demonstrate that the performance of appetitive or consummatory components of male sexual behavior affects in a specific manner the deoxyglucose uptake and accumulation in specific regions of the quail brain. Changes in metabolic activity were observed in steroid-sensitive areas, in auditory, visual and vocal brain regions, and in brain nuclei related to motor behavior but also in association telencephalic and limbic structures. T...

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“…AC-nucleus accumbens; AV-archistriatum ventrale; CA--commissura anterior; C h e r e b e l l u m ; CG-substantia grisea centralis; CPA--commissura pallialis; DMA-nucleus dorsomedialis anterior thalami; DSAecussatio supraoptica; E-xostriatum; FPL-fasciculus prosencephali lateralis; GLv-nucleus geniculatus lateralis pars ventralis; HA-hyperstriatum accessorium; HV-hyperstriatum ventrale; IC+nucleus intercollicularis; Imc-nucleus isthmi pars magnocellularis; LFS-lamina frontalis superior; LH-lamina hyperstriatica; LHy-area lateralis hypothalami; LMD-lamina medularis dorsalis; MLD-nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis pars dorsalis; N-neostriatum; OV-nucleus ovoidalis; PA-paleostriatum augmentatum; PD-nucleus preopticus dorsolateralis; POA-preoptic area; POM-nucleus preopticus medialis; PP-paleostriatum primitivum; PVN-nucleus periventricularis magnocellularis; RT-nucleus rotundus; RU-nucleus ruber; SL-nucleus septalis lateralis; SM-nucleus septalis medialis; SMD-supramamillary decussatio; TSM-tractus septomesencephalicus; TN-nucleus taeniae; TU-tuber; V-ventriculus; VMN-nucleus ventromedialis hypothalami. Nomenclature is based on previous publications on the quail and chicken brain (37)(38)(39)(40)43). sections were collected until the level of the occulomotor nerves.…”

Section: Brain Dissectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex Differences and Steroid Control of Testosterone‐Metabolizing Enzyme Activity in the Quail Brain

Balthazart

Schumacher

Evrard

1990

J Neuroendocrinology

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The activity of three testosterone-metabolizing enzymes (aromatase, 5a-reductase and 5B-reductase) was determined in the quail brain using the Palkovits punch technique combined with a very sensitive radioenzyme assay. Sex differences and the effects of gonadectomy and testosterone treatment on the activity of the three enzymes were quantified in eight brain nuclei which are implicated in the control of various aspects of reproductive behavior and physiology. The aromatase was only present in a few brain areas in which its activity was strongly controlled by testosterone. In two brain regions (medial preoptic nucleus and preoptic area in general) the activity of the enzyme was higher in males than in females. These sex differences disappeared in gonadectomized birds and in gonadectomized birds treated with testosterone, suggesting that they might only result from different circulating steroids in both sexes. However, in the posterior part of the medial preoptic nucleus, there was a strong tendency for the induction of aromatase by testosterone to be larger in males than in females. This supports our earlier finding that in the preoptic area, the aromatase activity is sexually differentiated. This difference probably has a restricted neuroanatomical localization and could only be demonstrated by more precise anatomical methods such as immunocytochemistry. The two testosterone reductases (5a and 58)showed a more homogeneous distribution in the brain. They were not affected by the hormonal treatments or the sex of the birds except for the 5P-reductase which was significantly more active in three brain nuclei of the females (ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, area hypothalamica lateralis and tuber) by comparison with the males. These sex differences were maintained irrespective of the hormonal status of the birds suggesting that they might be organizational in nature. The relation of these enzymes and their regulation to the control of reproduction is discussed and the usefulness of this approach combining punch technique and radioenzyme assay is evaluated.The metabolism of testosterone (T) in the brain plays a critical role in the control of many aspects of reproduction including male sexual behavior and gonadotrophin secretion (1, 2). In the quail hypothalamus, T can be transformed into estradiol (E2; aromatization) and 5a-dihydrotestosterone (5a-DHT; Sa-reduction), two metabolites which alone or in combination mimic most effects of T on reproduction (I, 3-5). In addition, the brain of all avian species studied so far contains a very active 5b-reductase which converts T into 5P-dihydrotestosterone (5b-DHT) (6-8) which appears to be devoid of any behavioral or physiological effects, at least as far as reproduction is concerned (1, 6, 9). The 5P-reductase therefore appears as a metabolic pathway which inactivates part of the T in the brain. By producing different amounts of active and inactive metabolites, the metabolism of T is one of the factors which determines the sensitivity of the brain to the s...

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Effects of testosterone on a selected neuronal population within the preoptic sexually dimorphic nucleus of the Japanese quail

Cited by 141 publications

References 68 publications

Topography in the preoptic region: Differential regulation of appetitive and consummatory male sexual behaviors

Topography in the preoptic region: Differential regulation of appetitive and consummatory male sexual behaviors

Performance of appetitive or consummatory components of male sexual behavior is mediated by different brain areas: a 2-deoxyglucose autoradiographic study

Sex Differences and Steroid Control of Testosterone‐Metabolizing Enzyme Activity in the Quail Brain

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