title: Sexual metabolic differences in the rat limbic brain.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is actually limited evidence about the influence of estrogens on neuronal energy metabolism or functional cerebral asymmetry. In order to evaluate this relationship, eight male and sixteen female adult Wistar rats, divided into estrus and diestrus phase, were used to measure basal neuronal metabolic activity in some of the structures involved in the Papez circuit, using cytochrome c oxidase (C.O.) histochemistry.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used C.O. histochemistry because cytochrome oxidase activity can be considered as a reliable endogenous marker of neuronal activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found higher C.O. activity levels in diestrus as compared to estrus and male groups in the prefrontal cortex and thalamus. Conversely, neuronal oxidative metabolism was significantly higher in estrus than in diestrus and male groups in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus (CA1 and CA3) and in the mammillary bodies. However, no hemispheric functional lateralization was found in estrus, diestrus or male groups by C.O. activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest a modulatory effect of estrogens on neuronal oxidative metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Oviedo.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morán
authors.forename: Nélida
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Conejo
authors.forename: Jorge L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Arias
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004031:Diestrus / Q000502:physiology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000032:analysis*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000502:physiology; D004971:Estrus / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008032:Limbic System / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D008326:Mammillary Bodies / Q000201:enzymology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000201:enzymology; D051381:Rats / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013788:Thalamus / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV