Sex differences and effects of prenatal exposure to excess testosterone on ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons in adult sheep

The European Journal of Neuroscience
Erinna C Z BrownLique M Coolen

Abstract

Prenatal testosterone (T) excess in sheep results in a wide array of reproductive neuroendocrine deficits and alterations in motivated behavior. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays a critical role in reward and motivated behaviors and is hypothesised to be targeted by prenatal T. Here we report a sex difference in the number VTA dopamine cells in the adult sheep, with higher numbers of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive (-ir) cells in males than females. Moreover, prenatal exposure to excess T during either gestational days 30-90 or 60-90 resulted in increased numbers of VTA TH-ir cells in adult ewes compared to control females. Stereological analysis confirmed significantly greater numbers of neurons in the VTA of males and prenatal T-treated ewes, which was primarily accounted for by greater numbers of TH-ir cells. In addition, immunoreactivity for TH in the cells was denser in males and prenatal T-treated females, suggesting that sex differences and prenatal exposure to excess T affects both numbers of cells expressing TH and the protein levels within dopamine cells. Sex differences were also noted in numbers of TH-ir cells in the substantia nigra, with more cells in males than females. However, prenatal exposure to...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 27, 2016·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·GianCarlo Panzica, Roberto C Melcangi
Apr 7, 2017·Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica·B LenzJ Kornhuber
Apr 28, 2019·Journal of Neural Transmission·Eva-Maria SiegmannJohannes Kornhuber
Mar 3, 2018·Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry·Bernd LenzJohannes Kornhuber

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