Genesis and Migration of Sexually Dimorphic Vocal Neurons

本研究的总体目标是了解 性腺类固醇激素通过其影响发育， 参与行为的神经元的成年功能。 的 类固醇对行为的影响被认为是由 作用于中枢神经系统。 存在明显 男性和女性中枢神经系统的差异。 其中最引人注目的例子是， 神经支配效应肌肉的运动神经元的数量 行为表达 这些差异与 行为上的差异，但目前尚不清楚如何性 二型形态有助于性二型功能。 相当有趣的是， 导致形态上的差异。 我们还不知道 性别差异出现在神经效应系统， 性差异行为 这项研究包含 实验方法来确定何时以及如何 运动神经元的差异， 爪蟾的行为发展。

The overall goal of this research is to understand the mechanisms by which gonadal steroid hormones influence the development and adult function of neurons that participate in behavior. The effects of steroids on behavior are believed to be exerted by action on the central nervous system. There are marked differences in the central nervous system of males and females. Among the most striking of these are examples of differences in the number of motor neurons that innervate effector muscles for behavioral expression. These differences correlate with behavioral differences, but it is not clear how sexually dimorphic morphology contributes to sexually dimorphic function. Of considerable interest are the developmental processes that give rise to morphological differences. We do not yet know how sex differences arise in the neuroeffector systems that produce sexually differentiated behavior. This research contains experimental approaches to determine when and how sex differences in the motor neurons that produce sexually dimorphic behavior develop in the clawed frog, Xenopus laevis.