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Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 3, 424-432, Copyright © 1983 by Society for Neuroscience
Hormonal control of a developing neuromuscular system. II. Sensitive periods for the androgen-induced masculinization of the rat spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus
SM Breedlove and AP Arnold
The spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) and its target muscles are
reduced or absent in normal female rats (Breedlove, S. M., and A. P. Arnold
(1980) Science 210: 564-566). We now report that prenatal treatment of
females with testosterone propionate (TP) significantly increases the
number of SNB neurons found in adulthood. Dihydrotesterone propionate
(DHTP) treatment just after but not before birth also masculinizes the
number of SNB neurons in females. SNB soma size is significantly
masculinized, i.e., enlarged, by administration of androgen prenatally or
as late as 7 to 11 days after birth, even though this late postnatal
treatment has no effect on the number of SNB cells. Following TP treatment
in adulthood, the androgenized females did not display the postural
correlates of male copulatory behavior more often than did control females.
From these results we infer the following. (1) Androgens act both before
and after birth to influence the sexually dimorphic development of the SNB
system. (2) There are different sensitive periods for the masculinization
of SNB neuronal number and neuronal size, indicating that these two
dimorphic characteristics of the SNB are masculinized by somewhat
independent mechanisms. (3) TP and DHTP may act via separate mechanisms to
alter the number of SNB neurons. (4) Aromatized metabolites of testosterone
are not necessary for masculinization of the SNB system. (5) Virilization
of the SNB system does not ensure the masculinization of the traditionally
defined measures of male copulatory behavior in rodents.
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