The Role of Progesterone Receptor in Neural Development

Suny At Albany, Albany NY

Investigators

Abstract

Steroid hormones exert dramatic effects on fundamental processes of neural development, particularly the development of sex differences in brain function and behavior. Rodent models suggest that regions of the male brain may be more sensitive to progesterone (i.e., express higher levels of progesterone receptor (PR)) during critical periods of neural development compared to females, suggesting that progesterone and PR may play an important role in the differential development of brain and behavior in males and females. Using traditional rat models in tandem with transgenic mice that lack expression of functional PR, the current proposal tests the hypothesis that sex differences in PR during perinatal life are required for the sexual differentiation of the brain, specifically the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) which mediates sexually differentiated reproductive and aggressive behaviors in adulthood. The Aims combine genetic and pharmacological approaches to examine changes in cellular and behavioral endpoints. Results from these studies will vastly increase our understanding of the processes underlying sexual differentiation of neural development and the developmental mechanisms involved in male- and female-typical behavioral phenotypes in adulthood. This research project will lend itself well to the integration of research and education with a highly diverse student population who will participate in all aspects of these studies. In addition, the development of an interactive web-based resource will be developed, in which published literature on the role of nuclear hormone receptors in developing tissues will be compiled and organized, and investigators studying a variety of receptors and tissues can share information and establish otherwise unlikely collaborations.