Sex and intrauterine position influence the size of the gerbil hippocampus

Physiology & Behavior
David F SherryM M Clark

Abstract

Sex differences in home range size and spatial ability are predictive of sex differences in the relative size of the hippocampus in rodents. Such differences in behavior and hippocampal volume are presumed to be, in part, the result of differences in perinatal exposure to hormones. We predicted from differences in the size of home ranges of male and female Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) in the wild that the hippocampus of male gerbils would be relatively larger than that of females. We examined the effect of prenatal hormonal influences on hippocampal size by comparing hippocampal volume of males and females from 2F and 2M intrauterine positions to that of randomly selected males and females. We found that, as predicted, randomly selected males had a significantly larger hippocampus, relative to telencephalon, than did randomly selected females. However, males and females from 2F and 2M intrauterine positions did not differ in relative hippocampal size. Possible explanations for the absence of a sex difference in hippocampal size in male and female gerbils from 2F and 2M intrauterine positions are discussed.

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Citations

Oct 25, 2000·Developmental Psychobiology·M Corsi-CabreraA Fernández-Guasti
Mar 12, 2004·Reproductive Toxicology·Tetsuji NagaoJun Kanno
Dec 14, 2002·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Bryce C Ryan, John G Vandenbergh
Dec 2, 2005·Annual Review of Psychology·David F Sherry
Sep 15, 2012·Behavioural Brain Research·Danielle K BurgerDeborah M Saucier
Nov 4, 1998·Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology·B CookeS M Breedlove
Oct 14, 2016·The New Phytologist·Howard Thomas, Helen Ougham
Aug 1, 2006·Neuroscience·K M KramerB S Cushing
Apr 28, 2018·Behavioural Brain Research·Mélanie F GuiguenoKim J Fernie

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