In vivo magnetic resonance imaging reveals the effect of gonadal hormones on morphological and functional brain sexual dimorphisms in adult sheep

David André Barrière, Arsène Ella, Hans Adriaensen, Charles E. Roselli, Philippe Chemineau, Matthieu Keller

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sex differences in the brain and behavior are produced by the perinatal action of testosterone, which is converted into estradiol by the enzyme aromatase in the brain. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been widely used in humans to study these differences, the use of animal models, where hormonal status can be properly manipulated, is necessary to explore the mechanisms involved. We used sheep, a recognized model in the field of neuroendocrinology, to assess brain morphological and functional sex differences and their regulation by adult gonadal hormones. To this end, we performed voxel-based morphometry and a resting-state functional MRI approach to assess sex differences in gonadally intact animals. We demonstrated significant sex differences in gray matter concentration (GMC) at the level of the gonadotropic axis, i.e., not only within the hypothalamus and pituitary but also within the hippocampus and the amygdala of intact animals. We then performed the same analysis one month after gonadectomy and found that some of these differences were reduced, especially in the hypothalamus and amygdala. By contrast, we found few differences in the organization of the functional connectome between males and females either before or after gonadectomy. As a whole, our study identifies brain regions that are sexually dimorphic in the sheep brain at the resolution of the MRI and highlights the role of gonadal hormones in the maintenance of these differences.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number104387
JournalPsychoneuroendocrinology
Volume109
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2019

Keywords

  • Gonadectomy
  • Resting state fMRI
  • Sex differences
  • Sheep
  • Voxel-based morphometry

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Endocrinology
  • Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Biological Psychiatry

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