Abstract
In order to put our more recent work in proper perspective, I would like first to review briefly the concept of sexual differentiation of the rat brain (for a more complete review see Gorski 1971a, b). Reproductive activity of the intact male rat is markedly different from that of the female. The adult male secretes androgen and forms mature spermatozoa essentially continuously. In addition, the male rat will display sexual behavior whenever presented with a receptive female. Although male sexual behavior is inhibited by a novel environment, once the experienced male adapts to the new environment of the testing cage, he will mate with the receptive female.
Original research by the author supported by Grant HD-01182 from the National Institute of Health and by the Ford Foundation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Anderson, O. H. and Greenwald, G. S. (1969): Autoradiographic analysis of estradiol uptake in the brain and pituitary of the female rat. Endocrinology85, 1160–1165.
Arai, Y. (1971): Some aspects of the mechanisms involved in steroid-induced sterility. In: Steroid Hormones and Brain Function. Ed. by C. H. Sawyer and R. A. Gorski. University of California Press, Los Angeles.
Arai, Y. and Gorski, R. A. (1968a): Protection against the neural organizing effect of exogenous androgen in the neonatal female rat. Endocrinology82, 1005–1009.
Arai, Y. and Gorski, R. A. (1968b): The critical exposure time for androgenization of the developing hypothalamus in the female rat. Endocrinology82, 1010–1014.
Arai, Y. and Gorski, R. A. (1968c): Critical exposure time for androgenization of the rat hypothalamus determined by anti-androgen injection. Proc. Soc. exp. Biol. (N.Y.)127, 590–593.
Barraclough, C. A. and Gorski, R. A. (1961): Evidence that the hypothalamus is responsible for androgen-induced sterility in the female rat. Endocrinology68, 68–79.
Baserga, R. and Weiss, L. (1967): Inhibition of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis by pentobarbital. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.)145, 361–367.
Beach, F. A. and Holz, A. M. (1946): Mating behavior in male rats castrated at various ages and injected with androgen. J. exp. Zool.101, 91–142.
Clayton, R. B., Kogura, J. and Kraemer, H. C. (1970): Sexual differentiation of the brain: effects of testosterone on brain RNA metabolism in newborn female rats. Nature (London)226, 810–812.
Clemens, L. G., Hiroi, M. and Gorski, R. A. (1969): Induction and facilitation of female mating behavior in rats treated neonatally with low doses of testosterone propionate. Endocrinology84, 1430–1438.
Clemens, L. G., Shryne, J. and Gorski, R. A. (1970): Androgen and development of progesterone responsiveness in male and female rats. Physiol. Behav. 5, 673–678.
Davidson, J. M. (1969): Effects of estrogen on the sexual behavior of male rats. Endocrinology84, 1365–1372.
Dorner, G. and Staudt, J. (1969): Perinatal structural sex differentiation of the hypothalamus in rats. Neuroendocrinology5, 103–106.
Everett, J. W. (1969): Neuroendocrine aspects of mammalian reproduction. Ann. Rev. Physiol.31, 383–416.
Field, P. M. and Raisman, G. (1971): Differences between amygdaloid projections to the hypothalamus and preoptic area. Anat. Rec.169, 315.
Flerkó, B. (1966): Control of gonadotropin secretion in the female. In: Neuroendocrinology. Vol. I. Ed. by L. Martini and W. P. Ganong. Academic Press, New York. pp. 613–668.
Flerkó, B. and Mess, B. (1968): Reduced oestradiol-binding capacity of androgen sterilized rats. Acta physiol. Acad. Sci. hung.33, 111–113.
Goldman, B. D. and Mahesh, V. B. (1970): Induction of infertility in male rats by treatment with gonadotropin antiserum during neonatal life. Biol. Reprod.2, 444–451.
Gorski, R. A. (1968): Influence of age on the response to paranatal administration of a low dose of androgen. Endocrinology82, 1001–1004.
Gorski, R. A. (1970): Localization of hypothalamic regulation of pituitary function. Amer. J. Anat.129, 219–222.
Gorski, R. A. (1971a): Sexual differentiation of the hypothalamus. In: The Neuro-endocrinology of Human Reproduction. Ed. by H. C. Mack and A. I. Sherman. C. Thomas, Springfield. (In press.)
Gorski, R. A. (1971b): Gonadal hormones and the perinatal development of neuroendocrine function. In: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 1971. Ed. by L. Martini and W. F. Ganong. Oxford University Press, London. (In press.)
Gorski, R. A. (1971c): Steroid hormones and brain function: Progress, principles and problems. In: Steroid Hormones and Brain Function. Ed. by C. H. Sawyer and R. A. Gorski. UCLA Forum in Medical Sciences, No. 15, University of California Press, Los Angeles. (In press.)
Gorski, R. A. and Shryne, J. (1971): Intracerebral antibiotics and androgenization of the neonatal female rat. Anat. Rec.169, 327.
Grady, K. L., Phoenix, C. H. and Young, W. C. (1965): Role of the developing rat testis in differentiation of the neural tissues mediating mating behavior. J. comp. physiol. Psychol.59, 176–182.
Green, R., Luttge, W. G. and Whalen, R. E. (1969): Uptake and retention of tritiated estradiol in brain and peripheral tissues of male, female and neonatally androgenized female rats. Endocrinology85, 373–378.
Hagino, N., Wagner, J. W. and Gorski, R. A.: (1964): Ovulation induced by hypothalamic lesioning in the rat. Anat. Rec.148, 288.
Halász, B. (1969): The endocrine effects of isolation of the hypothalamus from the rest of the brain. In: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 1969. Ed. by L. Martini and W. F. Ganong. Oxford University Press, New York. pp. 307–342.
Halász, B. and Gorski, R. A. (1967): Gonadotropine hormone secretion in female rats after partial or total interruption of neural afferents to the medial basal hypothalamus. Endocrinology80, 608–622.
Illei-Donhoffer, A., Tima, L. and Flerkó, B. (1970): Ovulation induced by hypothalamic lesions in persistent oestrous rats. Acta bicl. Acad. Sci. hung.21, 197–206.
Kikuyama, S. and Kawashima, S. (1966): Formation of corpora lutea in ovarian grafts in ovariectomized adult rats subjected to early postnatal treatment with androgen. Sci. Papers Coll. Gen. Educ. (Tokyo)16, 69–74.
Kobayashi, F. and Gorski, R. A. (1970): Effects of antibiotics on androgenization of the neonatal female rat. Endocrinology86, 285–289.
Kordon, C. (1967): Contrôle nerveux du cycle ovarien. Arch. Anat. micr. Morph. exp.56, 458–474.
Köves, K. and Halász, B. (1970): Location of the neural structures triggering ovulation in the rat. Neuroendocrinology6, 180–193.
Ladosky, W. and Gaziri, L. C. J. (1970): Brain serotonin and sexual differentiation of the nervous system. Neuroendocrinology6, 168–174.
Ladosky, W., Kesikowski, W. M. and Gaziri, I. F. (1970): Effect of a single injection of chlorpromazine into infant male rats on subsequent gonadotrophin secretion. J. Endocr.48, 151–156.
Lobl, R. T. and Gorski, R. A. (1969): Influence of age on the response to neonatal intrahypothalamic androgen administration. Anat. Rec.163, 219.
McGuire, J. L. and Lisk, R. D. (1969): Oestrogen receptors in androgen or oestrogen sterilized female rats. Nature (London)221, 1068–1069.
Nadler, R. D. (1968): Masculinization of female rats by intracranial implantation of androgen in infancy. J. comp. physiol. Psychol.66, 157–167.
Pfaff, D. W. (1968): Uptake of 3H-estradiol by the female rat brain. An autoradiographic study. Endocrinology82, 1149–1155.
Ross, J., Claybaugh, C., Clemens, L. G. and Gorski, R. A. (1971): Short latency induction of estrous behavior with intracerebral progesterone in ovariectomized rats. Endocrinology. (In press.)
Shimada, H. and Gorbman, A. (1970): Long lasting changes in RNA synthesis in the forebrains of female rats treated with testosterone soon after birth. Biochem. biophys. Bes. Comm.38, 423–430.
Stumpf, W. E. (1970): Estrogen-neurons and estrogen-neuron systems in the periventricular brain. Amer. J. Anat.129, 207–218.
Sutherland, S. D. and Gorski, R. A. (1970): Intrahypothalamic interaction of steroids and pentobarbital in the neonatal rat. Anat. Rec.166, 386.
Taleisnik, S. (1966): Influence of the cerebral cortex on the release of gonadotropin. In: Brain and Behavior. Vol. 3. The Brain and Gonadal Function. Ed. by R. A. Gorski and R. E. Whalen. UCLA Forum in Medical Sciences, University of California Press, Los Angeles. pp. 170–179.
Wagner, J. W., Erwin, W. and Critchlow, V. (1966): Androgen sterilization produced by intracerebral implants of testosterone in neonatal female rats. Endo-crinology79, 1135–1142.
Whalen, R. E. (1968): Differentiation of the neural mechanisms which control gonadotropin secretion and sexual behavior. In: Perspectives in Reproduction and Sexual Behavior. Ed. by M. Diamond. Indiana University Press, Bloomington. pp. 303–340.
Whalen, R. E., Luttge, W. G. and Gorzalka, B. B. (1971): Neonatal androgenization and the development of estrogen responsivity in male and female rats. Horm. Behav.2, 83–90.
Zigmond, R. E. and McEwen, B. S. (1970): Selective retention of estradiol by cell nuclei in specific brain regions of the ovariectomized rat. J Neurochem.17, 889–899.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1973 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gorski, K.A. (1973). Mechanisms of Androgen Induced Masculine Differentiation of the Rat Brain. In: Lissák, K. (eds) Hormones and Brain Function. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2007-4_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-2007-4_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-2009-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-2007-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive