In humans and other animals, gonadal secretions influence sexual differentiation of brain function and behavior. The research proposed in this application aims to elucidate the neural mechanism underlying this differentiation. The focus will be on the vasopressin projections of the sexually dimorphic bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and the medial amygdaloid nucleus. A prime advantage of studying a particular neurotransmitter system is that one can better estimate whether process involved in sexual differentiation indiscriminately affect developing cells in sexually dimorphic areas, or whether they target specific cells. Furthermore, since one can easier trace connections of cell groups for which the neurotransmitter is known, one can identify brain areas that may be affected by the sexual differentiation of the system under study. Vasopressin projections are a particular case in point. They are very attractive to study, since they are extremely sexually dimorphic: males have many more vasopressin-immunoreactive cells and fibers than females have. Moreover, the effects of hormonal manipulations on these projections are so dramatic, that they can be analyzed reliably. By hormonally manipulating these pathways during development, this research tries to analyze whether and, if so, when gonadal steroids influence the sexual differentiation of the vasopressin pathways. It also tries to reveal which properties of vasopressin projections are sexually differentiated by focusing on the capacity of individual cells to synthesize AVP, on the total number of cells that can synthesize vasopressin, and on the density of the projections. Finally, this research tries to study whether the target tissue influences the differentiation of vasopressin pathways by transplanting neural tissue that contain steroid-sensitive vasopressin neurons into vasopressin-deficient Brattleboro rats. In conclusion, this research will help to identify mechanisms that contribute to sexual differentiation of neurotransmitter systems, and hence to sexual differentiation of brain function and behavior.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH047538-02
Application #
3387358
Study Section
Neurosciences Research Review Committee (BPN)
Project Start
1991-03-01
Project End
1994-02-28
Budget Start
1992-03-01
Budget End
1993-02-28
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
153223151
City
Amherst
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
01003
Paul, Matthew J; Probst, Clemens K; Brown, Lauren M et al. (2018) Dissociation of Puberty and Adolescent Social Development in a Seasonally Breeding Species. Curr Biol 28:1116-1123.e2
Paul, Matthew J; Peters, Nicole V; Holder, Mary K et al. (2016) Atypical Social Development in Vasopressin-Deficient Brattleboro Rats. eNeuro 3:
de Vries, Geert J; Fields, Christopher T; Peters, Nicole V et al. (2014) Sensitive periods for hormonal programming of the brain. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 16:79-108
Veenema, Alexa H; Bredewold, Remco; De Vries, Geert J (2013) Sex-specific modulation of juvenile social play by vasopressin. Psychoneuroendocrinology 38:2554-61
de Vries, G J; Veenema, A H; Brown, C H (2012) Vasopressin and oxytocin: keys to understanding the neural control of physiology and behaviour. J Neuroendocrinol 24:527
Taylor, Patrick V; Veenema, Alexa H; Paul, Matthew J et al. (2012) Sexually dimorphic effects of a prenatal immune challenge on social play and vasopressin expression in juvenile rats. Biol Sex Differ 3:15
Veenema, A H; Bredewold, R; De Vries, G J (2012) Vasopressin regulates social recognition in juvenile and adult rats of both sexes, but in sex- and age-specific ways. Horm Behav 61:50-6
McCarthy, Margaret M; Arnold, Arthur P; Ball, Gregory F et al. (2012) Sex differences in the brain: the not so inconvenient truth. J Neurosci 32:2241-7
Rood, Benjamin D; De Vries, Geert J (2011) Vasopressin innervation of the mouse (Mus musculus) brain and spinal cord. J Comp Neurol 519:2434-74
Forger, Nancy G; de Vries, Geert J (2010) Cell death and sexual differentiation of behavior: worms, flies, and mammals. Curr Opin Neurobiol 20:776-83

Showing the most recent 10 out of 62 publications