Influence of maternal grooming, sex and age on Fos immunoreactivity in the preoptic area of neonatal rats: implications for sexual differentiation

Developmental Neuroscience
M M McCarthyR B Gibbs

Abstract

The medial preoptic area (mPOA) of the hypothalamus contains a sexually dimorphic nucleus (SDN-POA) that is 5-7 times larger in males than females and which contributes to the development and expression of male-specific sex behaviors in adulthood. Aside from a critical role for estrogen, the mechanisms that establish and maintain this sex difference are largely unknown. Differences in the size of the SDN-POA are thought to be related to estrogen-associated effects on programmed cell death (apoptosis) during early neonatal development. The expression of male sex behavior is also influenced by maternal behavior during development. During the postnatal period, the dam grooms the anogenital region of the pups to stimulate urination and defecation; however, male pups are groomed significantly more often than females and this maternal attention influences the expression of normal male sexual behavior in adulthood. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that different amounts of anogenital sensory stimulation might contribute to the sexually dimorphic development of the SDN-POA, specifically by providing for different levels of neuronal activation in the SDN-POA resulting in different degrees of cell death. Two experiments were ...Continue Reading

Citations

Sep 2, 2008·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Hiroko MoriMitsuhiro Kawata
Jan 16, 2008·Physiological Reviews·Margaret M McCarthy
Sep 10, 2014·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Gregory F BallMargaret M McCarthy
Apr 5, 2011·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Annaliese K Beery, Darlene D Francis
May 9, 2008·Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology·Frances A Champagne
Mar 13, 2008·The European Journal of Neuroscience·Jian-Min ZhangMargaret M McCarthy
Dec 6, 2014·Addiction Biology·Emil EgeciogluElisabet Jerlhag
Nov 4, 2008·Brain Research·Tatiane S C CamozzatoAldo B Lucion
Apr 22, 2005·Journal of Neuroendocrinology·K M Olesen, A P Auger
Sep 17, 2005·Journal of Applied Toxicology : JAT·Rieko HojoBernard Weiss
Feb 17, 2000·Current Opinion in Neurology·S A LaessigE K Silbergeld
Jul 12, 2019·Frontiers in Pediatrics·Ted S RosenkrantzRoslyn Holly Fitch
Nov 10, 2000·Methods : a Companion to Methods in Enzymology·M M McCarthyA M Davis

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Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a specific process that leads to programmed cell death through the activation of an evolutionary conserved intracellular pathway leading to pathognomic cellular changes distinct from cellular necrosis