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.
Rand
M S
MS
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