Conference: Workshop on Steroid Hormones and Brain Function; Breckenridge, CO; April 4-8, 1993

为什么两性是不同的？答案很简单，那就是类固醇激素。类固醇激素刺激细胞生长、性分化，也触发性典型行为的表达。他们最重要的目标之一是大脑。直到最近，人们还认为类固醇通过与细胞核中的受体结合而直接影响基因的表达。最近发现，类固醇也通过非基因组机制起作用。这些最新的发现可能需要对生殖研究的方式进行“范式转变”，因为类固醇的作用机制似乎比之前想象的要复杂得多。在大型科学会议上，不同学科的从业人员往往彼此互动，不一定接触到快速突破的发展，尽管这些发展与他们的工作相关，但涉及不熟悉的方法和专业知识。这次会议的目的是将分子研究人员和行为神经学家聚集在一起，促进合作，利用我们对类固醇激素作用机制的最新进展。

Why are the two sexes different? The simple answer is steroid hormones. Steroid hormones stimulate cell growth, sexual differentiation, and also trigger the expression of sex-typical behaviors. One of their most important targets is the brain. Until recently, it was thought that steroids exerted their effects directly on gene expression by binding to receptors in the cell nucleus. It has recently become clear that steroids act through nongenomic mechanisms as well. These recent findings may necessitate a "paradigm shift" in the way research into reproduction is conducted because it seems that the mechanisms of steroid action are much more complicated than previously thought. At large scientific meetings, practitioners of various disciplines tend to interact with each other and do not necessarily become exposed to fast breaking developments that, although relevant to their work, involve unfamiliar methods and expertise. The purpose of this conference is to bring molecular investigators together with behavioral neuroscientists to promote collaborations that can capitalize on recent advances in our understanding of the mechanism of steroid hormone action.