title: Sex and age differences of neurons expressing GABA-immunoreactivity in the rat bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.
abstract: Neurons, containing GABA were visualised immunohistochemically in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Young prepubertal (20 days of age) and postpubertal (3 months and 1 year of age) Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Quantitative studies revealed greater density of GABA-immunoreactive perikarya in female than in male bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. This difference was not due to distribution in different volumes, since the volumes of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the three ages studied did not differ by gender. Castration of new-born male rats caused elevation of the density of GABA-immunoreactive neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to female levels on the third month of life. The percentage of nerve cells, expressing detectable amounts of GABA increased with age in the rat bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. The sexual dimorphism of GABA-immunoreactive neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis may contribute to the formation of reproductive behavior. The elevation of GABA expression with age might reflect change of the cellular activity in this part of the limbic circuitry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stefanova
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bozhilova-Pastirova
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ovtscharoff
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008032:Limbic System / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D009919:Orchiectomy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid