Sex-specific development of spatial orientation is independent of peripubertal gonadal steroids.
Sex-specific development of spatial orientation is independent of peripubertal gonadal steroids.
复制标题
性别特异性空间定向的发育与青春期前性腺类固醇无关。
DOI：
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.02.005
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发表时间：
2013
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Wojniusz S
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Wojniusz S
产前暴露于雄激素已被证明可以调节大脑发育，导致行为态度，性取向和认知功能的改变，包括空间信息的处理。青春期促性腺激素的后期变化是否会引起大脑内进一步的组织效应，目前还不清楚。本研究的目的是评估正常青春期发育前后的空间定向能力的发展，在一个绵羊模型中，由于促性腺激素释放激素受体（GnRHR）信号的药理学阻断，一半的动物没有经历典型的生殖成熟。该研究是一个更大试验的一部分，使用了46对同性别的苏格兰骡子Texel杂交双胞胎（22名女性和24名男性）。一对双胞胎始终未接受治疗（对照组），而另一对双胞胎每四周接受一次皮下GnRH激动剂（GnRHa：醋酸戈舍瑞林）植入。GnRHa治疗开始于8周龄和28周龄，分别在男性和女性，因为青春期过渡的时间在绵羊中是性分化的，就像在人类中一样。在三个不同的时间点评估空间定向：8周龄，青春期和治疗前（两种性别）; 28周龄，雄性GnRHa治疗20周后和青春期和GnRHa治疗前（雌性）; 48周龄，这是两种性别青春期过渡的正常时间之后。在空间迷宫中以穿越时间作为主要结果测量来测试空间定向。GnRHa处理不影响空间迷宫性能，因为在任何时间点都没有观察到处理和未处理动物之间的穿越时间的显著差异。青少年女性（48周龄）穿越迷宫的速度显着快于青少年男性，而没有性别差异的穿越时间被认为是在早期的发展阶段（8和28周）。发展的性别差异的空间取向是独立的暴露于青春期激素，因为青春期阻断和对照组动物都表现出相同的模式的空间迷宫性能。这一结果表明，产前性质的空间取向发展。此外，意外的发现，雌性动物在空间定向任务中表现优于雄性动物，强调了测试环境在空间定向实验中的重要性。
Prenatal exposure to androgens has been shown to modulate brain development, resulting in changed behavioral attitudes, sexual orientation and cognitive functions, including processing of spatial information. Whether later changes in gonadotropic hormones during puberty induce further organizational effects within the brain is still insufficiently understood. The purpose of this study was to assess development of spatial orientation before and after the time of normal pubertal development, in an ovine model where half of the animals did not undergo typical reproductive maturation due to the pharmacological blockade of gonadotropin releasing hormone receptor (GnRHR) signaling.The study formed part of a larger trial and utilized 46 pairs of same sex Scottish Mule Texel Cross twins (22 female and 24 male). One twin remained untreated throughout (control) while the other received a subcutaneous GnRH agonist (GnRHa: Goserelin-Acetate) implant every fourth week. GnRHa treatment began at eight and 28 weeks of age, in males and females respectively, because the timing of the pubertal transition is sexually differentiated in sheep as it is in humans. Spatial orientation was assessed at three different time points: eight weeks of age, before puberty and treatment in both sexes; 28 weeks of age, after 20 weeks GnRHa treatment in males and before puberty and GnRHa treatment in females; and at 48 weeks of age, which is after the normal time of the pubertal transition in both sexes. Spatial orientation was tested in a spatial maze with traverse time as the main outcome measure.GnRHa treatment did not affect spatial maze performance as no significant differences in traverse time between treated and untreated animals were observed at any time-point. Adolescent females (48 weeks of age) traversed the maze significantly faster than adolescent males, whereas no sex differences in traverse time were seen at earlier developmental stages (eight and 28 weeks). Development of sex differences in spatial orientation was independent of exposure to pubertal hormones since puberty-blocked and control animals both showed the same pattern of spatial maze performance. This result demonstrates the prenatal nature of spatial orientation development. Furthermore, the unexpected finding that female animals outperformed males in the spatial orientation task, underscores the importance of the testing context in spatial orientation experiments.