| During
development, gonadal hormones determine whether the brain will
function in a typical male or female fashion. The de
Vries lab is investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms
underlying these hormonal actions, particularly by studying
a sexually dimorphic group of forebrain neurons that produce
the neuropeptide vasopressin. The projections of these neurons
are much denser in males than in females, and a drop in the
level of sex hormones in adulthood is followed by a reduction
in vasopressin gene expression and peptide synthesis. In the
figure shown here, it can be seen that the innervation of the
lateral septum (top half) is steroid-sensitive, whereas the
innervation of the preoptic area (bottom half) is not. |
