The bisexual brain: sex behavior differences and sex differences in parthenogenetic and sexual lizards.
The parthenogenetic lizard Cnemidophorus uniparens alternates in the display of male-like and female-like sexual behavior, providing a unique opportunity for determining the neuronal circuits subserving gender-typical sexual behavior within a single sex. Here we report a 6-fold greater [14C]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose uptake in the medial preoptic area of C. uniparens displaying male-like behavior in comparison with C. uniparens displaying female-like receptivity. The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus showed greater 2DG accumulation in receptive C. uniparens than in courting C. uniparens. When a related sexual species (C. inornatus) was compared to the unisexual species, the anterior hypothalamus in C. inornatus males exhibited significantly greater activity.
Department of Zoology, University of Texas at Austin 78712.
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D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001727:Bisexuality; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D008116:Lizards; D008297:Male; D010312:Parthenogenesis; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D014697:Ventromedial Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology
D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003847:Deoxyglucose