Prenatal administration of letrozole reduces SDN and SCN volume and cell number independent of partner preference in the male rat

Olvera-Hernández, Sandra; Tapia-Rodríguez, Miguel; Swaab, Dick F.; Fernández‐Guasti, Alonso

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.01.001

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Unexpectedly, such reduction was not linked to a same-sex preference, as males with female or male preference had a similar decrease in the SDN and SCN cell number and volume. 99 The discrepancy between these results and those of other experiments may be attributable to several factors including species, the rat strain, the aromatase inhibitor used and its timing of administration. These findings also stress the importance of measuring the size of these and other brain areas in males treated with aromatase inhibitors that retain female preference.…”

Section: Steroid Hormone Regulation Of Sex Preference Behaviormentioning

confidence: 72%

Neuropeptide and steroid hormone mediators of neuroendocrine regulation

Heck

Crestani

Fernández‐Guasti

et al. 2018

J Neuroendocrinology

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To maintain the health and well-being of all mammals, numerous aspects of physiology are controlled by neuroendocrine mechanisms. These mechanisms ultimately enable communication between neurones and glands throughout the body and are centrally mediated by neuropeptides and/or steroid hormones. A recent session at the International Workshop in Neuroendocrinology highlighted the essential roles of some of these neuropeptide and steroid hormone mediators in the neuroendocrine regulation of stress-, reproduction- and behaviour-related processes. Accordingly, the present review highlights topics presented in this session, including the role of the neuropeptides corticotrophin-releasing factor and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone in stress and reproductive physiology, respectively. Additionally, it details an important role for gonadal sex steroids in the development of behavioural sex preference.

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Section: Steroid Hormone Regulation Of Sex Preference Behaviormentioning

confidence: 72%

Neuropeptide and steroid hormone mediators of neuroendocrine regulation

Heck

Crestani

Fernández‐Guasti

et al. 2018

J Neuroendocrinology

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“…Sexually dimorphic neural groups in the medial preoptic area of rats and ferrets have been associated with sexual partner preferences. In male rats, a positive correlation was demonstrated between the volume of the sexual dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN) and the animal's preference for a receptive female, although this was not replicated in a recent study . Furthermore, in both rats and ferrets, destruction of the SDN caused males to show either neutral or androphilic preferences …”

Section: Sexual Orientationmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…In male rats, a positive correlation was demonstrated between the volume of the sexual dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area (SDN) and the animal's preference for a receptive female, 54 although this was not replicated in a recent study. 55 Furthermore, in both rats and ferrets, destruction of the SDN caused males to show either neutral or androphilic preferences. 56 Naturally occurring same-sex interactions involving genital arousal have been reported in hundreds of animal species; however, they often appear to be motivated by purposes other than sex and may serve to facilitate other social goals.…”

Section: Animal Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurobiology of gender identity and sexual orientation

Roselli

2018

J Neuroendocrinology

107

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Sexual identity and sexual orientation are independent components of a person's sexual identity. These dimensions are most often in harmony with each other and with an individual's genital sex, but not always. This review discusses the relationship of sexual identity and sexual orientation to prenatal factors that act to shape the development of the brain and the expression of sexual behaviors in animals and humans. One major influence discussed relates to organizational effects that the early hormone environment exerts on both gender identity and sexual orientation. Evidence that gender identity and sexual orientation are masculinized by prenatal exposure to testosterone and feminized in it absence is drawn from basic research in animals, correlations of biometric indices of androgen exposure and studies of clinical conditions associated with disorders in sexual development. There are, however, important exceptions to this theory that have yet to be resolved.Family and twin studies indicate that genes play a role, but no specific candidate genes have been identified. Evidence that relates to the number of older brothers implicates maternal immune responses as a contributing factor for male sexual orientation. It remains speculative how these influences might relate to each other and interact with postnatal socialization. Nonetheless, despite the many challenges to research in this area, existing empirical evidence makes it clear that there is a significant biological contribution to the development of an individual's sexual identity and sexual orientation.

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“…In male rat, the prenatal administration of 1,4,6‐androstatriene‐3,17‐dione (ATD), an aromatase inhibitor that precludes the formation of estrogens from testosterone, induced a bisexual partner preference and a greater number of AVP‐positive neurons in the SCN (Swaab et al, ). In addition, a more recent study involving letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, in prenatally treated male rats showed a reduced volume and cell number in the SDN and SCN, independently of sex preference (Olvera‐Hernández, Tapia‐Rodríguez, Swaab, & Fernández‐Guasti, ). The prenatal treatment alone of ATD did not change the partner preference, but the postnatal treatment did not change the AVP neuron number in the SCN.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The bovine anterior hypothalamus: Characterization of the vasopressin–oxytocin containing nucleus and changes in relation to sexual differentiation

Graïc

Corain

Peruffo

et al. 2018

J of Comparative Neurology

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In an effort to systematically describe the neurochemical anatomy of the bovine anterior hypothalamus, we used a series of immunocytochemical markers such as acetylcholine esterase (AChE), arginine-vasopressin (AVP), calbindin (Calb), galanin (Gal), neuropeptide-Y (NPY), oxytocin (OXT), somatostatin (SST), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). We also investigated the potential sex difference present in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and the vasopressin-oxytocin containing nucleus (VON) of six male and six female Bos taurus. Our study revealed that the cytochemical structure of the cattle anterior hypothalamus follows the blueprint of other mammals. The VON, which was never described before in cattle, showed a sex difference with a 33.7% smaller volume and 23.2% fewer magnocellular neurons (approximately 20-30 μm) in the male. The SCN also did show a sex difference in VIP neurons and volume with a 36.1% larger female nucleus with 28.1% more cells. Additionally, we included five heifers with freemartin syndrome as a new animal model relevant to sexual differentiation in the brain. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first freemartin study in relation to the brain. Surprisingly, the SCN of freemartin heifers was 32.5% larger than its control male and female counterparts with 29% more VIP cells. Conversely, the freemartin VON had an intermediary size between male and female. To analyze our data, a classical statistical analysis and a novel multivariate and multi-aspect approach were applied. These findings shed new light on sexual dimorphism in the bovine brain and present this species with freemartins as a valuable animal model in neuroscience.

show abstract

Prenatal administration of letrozole reduces SDN and SCN volume and cell number independent of partner preference in the male rat

Cited by 9 publications

References 69 publications

Neuropeptide and steroid hormone mediators of neuroendocrine regulation

Neuropeptide and steroid hormone mediators of neuroendocrine regulation

Neurobiology of gender identity and sexual orientation

The bovine anterior hypothalamus: Characterization of the vasopressin–oxytocin containing nucleus and changes in relation to sexual differentiation

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