Role of Progesterone Receptor in Cortical Development

Suny At Albany, Albany NY

Investigators

Abstract

Steroid hormones have dramatic and permanent effects on the developing brain. This has been best studied in the case of testosterone and the development of sex differences in brain function and adult behavior. However, the mammalian brain is also exposed to progesterone, possibly from the mother, during development and this hormone may have profound effects on brain regions linked to cognition, such as the cortex. The goals of this project are to examine when and where receptor proteins for progesterone are expressed in the cortex of fetal and newborn rats, to determine when the brain might be most sensitive to progesterone's effects. To better understand the function of progesterone on cortical development this project will also examine what specific cell types in the cortex are sensitive to progesterone during development and will assess how the development of these cells is altered, in terms of their structure and function, when the effects of progesterone are blocked during critical developmental periods. Results from this project could dramatically change our thinking about the role of steroid hormones on the development of cortex. This project will facilitate the integration of research and education by allowing undergraduates, particularly minority students, to participate in cutting edge research to determine how steroid hormones remodel the brain.