Sex differences and asymmetries of catecholamines: relation to turning preferences.
Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were tested for turning preferences in a multiple alley maze. The left and right caudate-putamen were dissected and assayed for norepinephrine and dopamine. Dopamine was not found to be lateralized contralateral to turning preference for females as a group. However, dopamine was significantly lateralized contralateral to the females turning preference if a strong turning bias was present. No relationship between dopamine asymmetry and turning preference was evident for males. Females were found to have norepinephrine significantly lateralized to the left caudate-putamen; in males greater striatal norepinephrine levels were equally distributed between left and right sides. This sexual dimorphism in norepinephrine lateralization was not related to turning preference.
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology; D011699:Putamen / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012737:Sex Factors
D002395:Catecholamines; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine