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EDRI Federal Project Inventory:
Cellular Components of Androgen's Action in Brain
- Sponsor Organization: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
- Project Title: CELLULAR COMPONENTS OF ANDROGEN'S ACTION IN BRAIN
- Project Focus: HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS
- Description: Gonadal steroids have profound sex-specific effects on reproductive
function andbehavior. For instance, testosterone, which stimulates a
repertoire of masculine sexualbehaviors in males, is much less
effective in eliciting these behaviors in females. Thissex difference
in androgen responsiveness is established during early life and
isbelieved to be related to sex differences in brain structure as well
as the concentrationsof neural androgen receptors. Less attention has
been paid to the possible contributionof sex differences in neural
androgen metabolism. Aromatization of testosterone toestradiol by the
brain is required to activate male copulatory behaviors. The levels
ofaromatase activity are sexually dimorphic in medial preoptic area
of the brain which isessential for the display of male sexual
behaviors. Dr. Roselli proposes a model toexplain the role of
aromatization in the development of sex difference in behavior.
Themodel predicts that the aromatization pathway of androgen
metabolism is more activein the male than in the female brain because
of increased capacity to up-regulatearomatase activity. Thus, when
adult males and females are given identical stimulationwith
testosterone, more estrogen is produced in the male medial preoptic
region whichcontributes the greater behavioral response in males. Dr.
Roselli will investigatewhether perinatal androgen exposure increases
aromatase activity and androgenreceptor binding in the brain of
females, establish whether testosterone increasesneural estrogen
receptor binding more in males than females, determine if
androgensincrease brain aromatase synthesis and activity more in
males than females, andexamine if estradiol stimulates male behavior
in females to the same level as malestreated with testosterone alone.
The proposed studies have the potential to further ourunderstanding of
brain-related sex differences in behavior in mammals, including man.
- References:
- Category: MODELS
- Subcategory: BASIC RESEARCH
- Keywords for Experimental System/Species: RODENT, MAMMAL, IN VITRO, IN VIVO, LABORATORY STUDY
- Keywords for Experimental Endpoints: NEUROLOGICAL, REPRODUCTIVE, HORMONE MEASURES, SEX STEROIDS,
PHYSIOLOGY, BREEDINGBEHAVIOR, MOLECULAR, GENE EXPRESSION, HORMONE
RECEPTOR
- Chemical Agents: Sex Steroids
- Performing Institution: Oregon Health Sciences University
- Contact: Charles E Roselli, 3181 S W Sam Jackson Rd, Portland, OR 97201-3011
503 225-8311
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