Sexual Differentiation of the Brain

by Goy, Robert W.; McEwen, Bruce S.

• ISBN13: 9780262572071
• ISBN10: 0262572079
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1980-01-28
• Publisher: Mit Pr

Summary

This book, based on a Work Session of MIT's Neurosciences Research Program, presents a balanced account of a controversial topic-the relative importance of genes, hormones, and environment in the formation of sexual behavior. Research on rodents, birds, and primates, including humans, is reviewed, and the authors conclude that "the biological substrate seems important in humans as in other mammals." The information in this volume will help lay the foundation for an improved understanding of the physical bases of human sexual psychopathology. A major goal of the Work Session was to investigate the sequence of events in the developing brain that gives rise to sexually dimorphic behaviors. In birds and mammals, the organization of such behaviors is shown to occur during a critical period in development and appears to involve permanent changes in brain structure and function. These changes are attributable, for the most part, to the action of gonadal steroids. An introductory chapter defines sexually dimorphic behavior and presents a central hypothesis about its organization. A general review of sex differences in heavior in rodents, birds, and primates is then presented, discussing among other topics the issue of a possible endocrine basis for homosexuality among human males. Two chapters are devoted to an examination of genetic and biochemical aspects of sexual differentiation, and a concluding chapter discusses cellular bases of sexual dimorphisms of brain structure and function. A major bibliographic review of the relevant literature is included.

Table of Contents

Participants	p. viii
Sexually Dimorphic Behavior: Definition and the Organizational Hypothesis
Introduction	p. 1
Sex Differences in Behavior: Rodents, Birds, and Primates
Differentiation of Sexual Behavior in Rodents	p. 13
Sex Differences in Nonreproductive Behaviors in Rodents	p. 19
Sexually Dimorphic Behavior in Birds	p. 36
Sexual Dimorphisms in Nonhuman Primates	p. 44
Biological and Environmental Determinants of Sex Differences in Behavior of Humans	p. 54
Sexual Dimorphism in Human Parenting	p. 58
Is There an Endocrine Basis for Homosexuality among Human Males?	p. 64
Genetic Aspects of Sex Differences in Behavior and Sexual Differentiation
General Considerations	p. 74
Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome: Behavioral Aspects	p. 77
Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Sexual Differentiation
Introduction	p. 81
Sexual Differentiation of Gonads and Reproductive Tract of Birds in Relation to Genetic Sex	p. 81
Sexual Differentiation of Gonads and Reproductive Tract in Mammals	p. 83
Testicular Development and Circulating Testosterone Levels in Relation to the Critical Period of Sexual Differentiation of the Mammalian CNS	p. 89
Androgens in Mammalian Fetal Circulation	p. 92
Reproductive Tract Differentiation in Mammals	p. 96
Reproductive Tract Development in the Human: Genetically Based Defects and Aspects of Mechanism	p. 98
Morphological Sex Differences in Mammalian Brain and Their Possible Origins	p. 102
Sexual Dimorphism in the Size of Rat Medial Preoptic Nucleus	p. 109
Sex Differences in Avian Brain Structure and Their Possible Origins	p. 115
Neurite Outgrowth in Cultured Mouse Hypothalamus: A Possible Model System?	p. 119
Inhibitors of Androgenization in Rodents: Psychotropic Drugs and Antibiotics	p. 124
Brain Sites of Androgen Action	p. 129
Alterations in the Length of the Critical Period	p. 130
Metabolism of Steroid Hormones by Brain Tissue	p. 131
Role of Dihydrotestosterone and Estradiol as Mediators of Testosterone Action	p. 137
Role of Aromatization in Rat Brain Sexual Differentiation	p. 139
Fetoneonatal Estrogen-Binding Protein and Its Possible Protective Role in the Rat and Mouse	p. 144
Estrogens, Aromatization, and Feminization of Bird Sexual Behavior	p. 146
Gonadal Steroid Receptors in the Developing Mouse and Rat Brain	p. 147
Cellular Bases of Sexual Dimorphisms of Brain Structure and Function
Abbreviations	p. 157
Bibliography	p. 158
Index	p. 212
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