Neuronal Activity of Aromatase Enzyme in Non‐Copulating Male Rats

Portillo, Wendy; Castillo, Claudia G.; Retana‐Márquez, Socorro; Roselli, Charles E.; Paredes, Raúl G.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2826.2006.01513.x

Cited by 26 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Increased aromatase activity with subsequent alterations in testosterone metabolism, shifts in central estrogen levels, and possibly ER function, have been proposed to be associated with augmented male sexual interest (Bakker et al, 2002;Balthazar et al, 2005;Taziaux et al, 2007). This is further supported by the findings that non-copulating rats, while having similar testosterone levels as copulating rats, display reduced neuronal aromatase activity and levels of ERα (Portillo et al, 2006(Portillo et al, , 2007.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Estrogen receptors α and β mediate different aspects of the facilitatory effects of female cues on male risk taking

Kavaliers

Devidze

Choleris

et al. 2008

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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SummaryMale risk taking and decision making are affected by sex-related cues, with men making poorer and riskier decisions in the presence of females and, or their cues. In non-human species, female cues can also increase male risk taking, reducing their responses to predator threat. As estrogen receptors α and β (ERα and ERβ) are involved in the mediation of social and sexual responses, we investigated their roles in determining the effects of female-associated cues on male risk taking. We examined the effects of brief pre-exposure to the odors of either a novel or familiar estrous female on the avoidance of, and aversive responses to, predator threat (cat odor) in ERα and ERβ wild type (αERWT, βERWT) and gene-deleted (knockout, αERKO, βERKO) male mice. Exposure of αERWT and βERWT males to the odors of a novel, but not a familiar, estrous female mouse resulted in enhanced risk taking with the males displaying reduced avoidance of, and analgesic responses to, cat odor. In contrast, αERKO male mice failed to show any changes in risk taking, while βERKO males, although displaying greater risk taking, did not distinguish between novel and familiar females, displaying similarly reduced avoidance responses to cat odor after exposure to either a novel or familiar female odor. These findings indicate that the gene for ERα is associated with the sexual mechanisms (response to estrous female) and the genes for ERβ and ERα with the social (recognition of novel female) mechanisms underlying the effects of female cues on male risk taking. *Corresponding author. kavalier@uwo.ca (M. Kavaliers).

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Estrogen receptors α and β mediate different aspects of the facilitatory effects of female cues on male risk taking

Kavaliers

Devidze

Choleris

et al. 2008

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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“…Increased aromatase activity with subsequent alterations in testosterone metabolism, shifts in central estrogen levels, and possibly ER function, have been proposed to be associated with augmented male sexual interest [128–130]. This is in agreement with the findings that non-copulating rats, while having similar testosterone levels as copulating rats, display reduced neuronal aromatase (Ar) activity and levels of ERα [131,132]. ArKO mice have a similar social and sexual phenotype as the ERαKO [128,133] further supporting the idea of aromatase and ERα dependent responses.…”

Section: Estrogen Receptors and Male Risk Takingsupporting

confidence: 75%

Male risk taking, female odors, and the role of estrogen receptors

Kavaliers

Clipperton-Allen

Cragg

et al. 2012

Physiology & Behavior

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Male risk-taking and decision making are affected by sex-related cues, with men making riskier choices and decisions after exposure to either women or stimuli associated with women. In non-human species females and, or their cues can also increase male risk taking. Under the ecologically relevant condition of predation threat, brief exposure of male mice to the odors of a sexually receptive novel female reduces the avoidance of, and aversive responses to, a predator. We briefly review evidence showing that estrogen receptors (ERs), ERα and ERβ, are associated with the mediation of these risk taking responses. We show that ERs influence the production of the female odors that affect male risk taking, with the odors of wild type (ERαWT, ERβWT), oxytocin (OT) wildtype (OTWT), gene-deleted ‘knock-out’ ERβ (ERβKO), but not ERαKO or oxytocin (OT) OTKO or ovariectomized (OVX) female mice reducing the avoidance responses of male mice to cat odor. We further show that administration of specific ERα and ERβ agonists to OVX females results in their odors increasing male risk taking and boldness towards a predator. We also review evidence that ERs are involved in the mediation of the responses of males to female cues, with ERα being associated with the sexual and both ERβ and ERα with the sexual and social mechanisms underlying the effects of female cues on male risk taking. The implications and relations of these findings with rodents to ERs and the regulation of human risk taking are briefly considered.

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“…Support for the interpretation of a ‘prior condition’ of brain aromatase activity comes from two previous observations. In rats, medial preoptic aromatase activity levels are higher in copulating versus noncopulating males (10) and these differences are also region‐specific (i.e. no differences were reported for the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial amygdala and ventral medial nucleus of the hypothalamus).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevated Aromatase Activity in Forebrain Synaptic Terminals During Song

Remage‐Healey

Oyama

Schlinger

2009

J Neuroendocrinology

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The enzyme aromatase (which converts androgens into oestrogens) is expressed throughout the brain in zebra finches. Aromatase is enzymatically active in both cell bodies and synaptic terminals of neurones of the songbird brain, particularly within forebrain motor and auditory networks. Aromatisation within synaptic terminals could thus provide localised and acute modulatory oestrogens within the forebrain during singing and/or audition. In male zebra finches, we tested the hypothesis that forebrain aromatase activity is elevated during singing behaviour and/or hearing male song. This study reports that aromatase activity is elevated in males that were singing for 30 min as compared to non-singing males, and that this elevation occurs only within the cellular compartment that contains synaptic terminals. In a separate experiment, males that heard acoustic playback of song for 30 min exhibited no differences in aromatase activity or in aromatase mRNA levels as revealed by quantitative PCR analysis. Therefore, these results indicate that activation of the motor pathway for song production is linked to local elevations in synaptic aromatase activity within the forebrain of male zebra finches. Future experiments could assess whether elevated synaptic aromatase activity during song is dependent on acute regulation of the aromatase protein.

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Neuronal Activity of Aromatase Enzyme in Non‐Copulating Male Rats

Cited by 26 publications

References 24 publications

Estrogen receptors α and β mediate different aspects of the facilitatory effects of female cues on male risk taking

Estrogen receptors α and β mediate different aspects of the facilitatory effects of female cues on male risk taking

Male risk taking, female odors, and the role of estrogen receptors

Elevated Aromatase Activity in Forebrain Synaptic Terminals During Song

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