Sexual differentiation and hormonal control of the sexually dimorphic medial preoptic nucleus in the quail

Panzica, Giancarlo; Viglietti‐Panzica, C.; Calacagni, M.; Anselmetti, G; Schumacher, Michaël; Balthazart, Jacques

doi:10.1016/0006-8993(87)91496-x

Cited by 154 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In the telencephalon, castration of adult male rats led to regression of volume and neuronal somatic area of the posterodorsal medial amygdala (26). In adult male gerbils, rats, and Japanese quail, castration induced regression of the volume of sexually dimorphic nuclei within the preoptic area (27)(28)(29) and, in the case of Japanese quail, a decrease in somatic area and axosomatic synapses of preoptic area neurons (30,31). In the spinal cord, castration of adult male rats, mice, and gerbils led to decreased motoneuron size in the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus, a sexually dimorphic nucleus (32-34).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid seasonal-like regression of the adult avian song control system

Thompson

Bentley²,

Brenowitz

2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

101

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We analyzed how rapidly avian song control nuclei regress after testosterone (T) withdrawal. Regression of neuronal attributes resulting from T withdrawal has been observed in several animal models. The time course over which regression occurs is not known, however. To address this issue, we castrated adult male white-crowned sparrows and rapidly shifted them to short-day photoperiods after being held under breeding conditions (longday photoperiod and systemic T exposure) for 3 weeks. We found that the volume of one song nucleus, HVC, regressed 22% within 12 h after T withdrawal. Changes in HVC neuron density after T withdrawal were dynamic; density increased at 12 h and then decreased by 4 days. HVC neuron number was reduced by 26% by 4 days. The volumes of Area X and the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) were significantly regressed by 7 and 20 days, respectively. RA somatic area and neuronal spacing were significantly reduced by 2 days. The rapidity of HVC regression is unprecedented among vertebrate models of hormone-sensitive neural circuits. These results reveal that the rapid regression of the song control system provides a model for the important role sex steroid hormones play in mediating adult neural plasticity and in neuroprotection.birdsong ͉ neurodegeneration ͉ neuroprotection ͉ plasticity ͉ testosterone

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid seasonal-like regression of the adult avian song control system

Thompson

Bentley²,

Brenowitz

2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

101

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“…Quail display several features that facilitate the identification of the neural circuitry controlling copulation. The volume of the medial preoptic nucleus (POM; illustrated in Fig.1 and 2A) in this species is larger in males than in females [146] and interestingly co-varies with circulating levels of testosterone: it is reduced by castration or exposure to short daylengths (simulating winter conditions of low testosterone concentrations) and increases following treatment with exogenous testosterone or exposure to long days which increase testicular activity [101,139].…”

Section: The Preoptic Neuronal Circuit Controlling Male Sexual Behavimentioning

confidence: 91%

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

Balthazart

Ball

2007

Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology

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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“…Another group reported that SDN-POA lesions in male rats decreased the percentage of animals that ejaculated in a mating test, and increased latencies to mount, intromit, or ejaculate [41]. Although an exact homolog of the SDN-POA may not exist in other species, there is evidence for sexual dimorphism of the anterior hypothalamus and preoptic area in other species that have been studied [152,22,111,2], making the SDN-POA of the rat a valuable comparative model.…”

Section: Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus Of the Preoptic Area (Sdn-poa)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental programming and endocrine disruptor effects on reproductive neuroendocrine systems

Gore¹

2008

Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology

231

122

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The ability of a species to reproduce successfully requires the careful orchestration of developmental processes during critical time points, particularly the late embryonic and early postnatal periods. This article begins with a brief presentation of the evidence for how gonadal steroid hormones exert these imprinting effects upon the morphology of sexually differentiated hypothalamic brain regions, the mechanisms underlying these effects, and their implications in adulthood. Then, I review the evidence that aberrant exposure to hormonally-active substances such as exogenous endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), may result in improper hypothalamic programming, thereby decreasing reproductive success in adulthood. The field of endocrine disruption has shed new light on the discipline of basic reproductive neuroendocrinology through studies on how early life exposures to EDCs may alter gene expression via non-genomic, epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone acetylation. Importantly, these effects may be transmitted to future generations if the germline is affected via transgenerational, epigenetic actions. By understanding the mechanisms by which natural hormones and xenobiotics affect reproductive neuroendocrine systems, we will gain a better understanding of normal developmental processes, as well as to develop the potential ability to intervene when development is disrupted.

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Sexual differentiation and hormonal control of the sexually dimorphic medial preoptic nucleus in the quail

Cited by 154 publications

References 27 publications

Rapid seasonal-like regression of the adult avian song control system

Rapid seasonal-like regression of the adult avian song control system

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

Developmental programming and endocrine disruptor effects on reproductive neuroendocrine systems

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