Control of central auditory processing by a brain-generated oestrogen.
Recent discoveries show that behaviourally relevant sensory experience drives the production of oestradiol - the classic sex steroid oestrogen - in auditory neurons in the adult brain of both males and females. This brain-generated oestrogen markedly enhances the efficiency of the neural coding of acoustic cues and shapes auditory-based behaviours on a timescale that is relevant for sensory processing and congruent with the action of rapid neuromodulators. These findings are re-shaping our current understanding of the mechanistic framework that supports sensory processing and the functional roles of hormones in the brain, and have implications for multiple health issues.
Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA. pinaud@northwestern.edu
Raphael
R
Pinaud
Liisa A
LA
Tremere
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
D004967:Estrogens