Pubertal hormones modulate the addition of new cells to sexually dimorphic brain regions.
New cells, including neurons, arise in several brain regions during puberty in rats. Sex differences in pubertal addition of cells coincide with adult sexual dimorphisms: for each region, the sex that gains more cells during puberty has a larger volume in adulthood. Removing gonadal hormones before puberty eliminates these sex differences, indicating that gonadal steroids direct the addition of new cells during puberty to maintain and accentuate sexual dimorphisms in the adult brain.
Ahmed
Eman I
EI
Neuroscience Program, 108 Giltner Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
Zehr
Julia L
JL
Schulz
Kalynn M
KM
Lorenz
Betty H
BH
DonCarlos
Lydia L
LL
Sisk
Cheryl L
CL
D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D002369:Castration; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012727:Sex Characteristics
D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine