Androgens Prevent Normally Occurring Cell Death in a Sexually Dimorphic Spinal Nucleus

The spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) contains many more motoneurons in adult male rats than in females. Androgens establish this sex difference during a critical perinatal period, which coincides with normally occurring cell death in the SNB region. Sex differences in SNB motoneuron numbe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1985-08, Vol.229 (4714), p.671-673
Main Authors: Nordeen, E. J., Nordeen, K. W., Sengelaub, D. R., Arnold, A. P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adulthood
Androgens
Androgens - pharmacology
Animals
Axons
Cell death
Cell Survival - drug effects
Critical periods
development
Female
Male
Mating behavior
Motor neurons
Motor Neurons - physiology
Neuroendocrinology
Neurons
Penis - innervation
Physiological aspects
Physiological regulation
Rats
Rattus
Reproduction
Sex Characteristics
sex differences
Sex linked differences
spinal cord
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Summary:The spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) contains many more motoneurons in adult male rats than in females. Androgens establish this sex difference during a critical perinatal period, which coincides with normally occurring cell death in the SNB region. Sex differences in SNB motoneuron number arise primarily because motoneuron loss is greater in females than in males during the early postnatal period. Perinatal androgen treatment in females attenuates cell death in the SNB region, reducing motoneuron loss to levels typical of males. The results suggest that steroid hormones determine sex differences in neuron number by regulating normally occurring cell death and that the timing of this cell death may therefore define critical periods for steroid effects on neuron number.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.4023706