Steroid Control of Brain Peptide Pathways

有强有力的证据表明，在中枢神经系统以及大多数脊椎动物的生理和行为中存在性别差异。来自雄性和雌性性腺的类固醇激素是产生和维持这些差异所必需的。然而，它们并不是造成这些差异的唯一原因，大脑中的其他化学介质，特别是神经肽，在解剖差异的表现中起着至关重要的作用。因此，一个中心问题是类固醇激素和大脑中神经肽之间相互关系的定义。本实验解决了这一问题，并将重点放在垂体后神经肽系统上，该系统与体液平衡、哺乳、学习和记忆、生殖行为和亲代行为有关。Boyd博士将确定类固醇激素和含有精氨酸缩宫素的神经肽系统之间是否存在直接的神经化学联系，以及类固醇如何调节已识别神经元产生缩宫素的能力。她还将建立大脑中这些含有神经肽的神经元之间的联系。这些结果对于理解大脑中化学信使相互作用的基本机制至关重要。此外，它们将产生关于神经解剖结构中性别差异起源的重要信息，并为大多数物种普遍存在的行为性别差异提供基础。

9514305 Boyd There is strong evidence for sexual differences in the central nervous system, and in the physiology and behavior of most vertebrates. The steroid hormones derived from the gonads of males and females are necessary for the generation and maintenance of these differences. However, they are not solely responsible for these differences and other chemical mediators in the brain, notably neuropeptides, subserve critical functions in the manifestation of the anatomical differences. Therefore, a central issue is the definition of the interrelationship between steroid hormones and neuropeptides in the brain. The present experiments address this issue and focus on the posterior pituitary neuropeptide system, which has been implicated in fluid balance, lactation, learning and memory, reproductive behaviors, and parental behaviors. Dr. Boyd will determine whether a direct neurochemical link is possible between the steroid hormones and neuropeptide system containing arginine vasotocin and how the steroids modulate the ability of identified neurons to produce vasotocin. She will also establish the connections of these neuropeptide-containing neurons in the brain. These results are crucial to understanding the basic mechanisms underlying chemical messenger interactions in the brain. Furthermore, they will generate important information about the origin of sex differences in neuroanatomical structures and provide a basis for gender differences in behavior, prevalent in most species.