EFFECTS OF SEX AND ANDROGEN TREATMENT ON DENDRITIC DIMENSIONS OF NEURONS IN THE SEXUALLY DIMORPHIC PREOPTIC ANTERIOR HYPOTHALAMIC AREA OF MALE AND FEMALE FERRETS

A sexually dimorphic group of cells at the dorsal border of the preoptic/anterior hypothalamic area (POA/AH) of ferrets has been previously identified in Nissl-stained tissue. In this study, Golgi-stained tissue was examined in order 1) to determine whether sex differences exist in dendritic dimensions of neurons from this region, and 2) to assess the effects of adult androgen treatment on dendritic morphology in ferrets of both sexes. Brains from adult ferrets given daily injections of testosterone propionate (5 mg/kg body weight) or oil vehicle for 5 weeks after gonadectomy were impregnated by Golgi-Cox procedures. After sectioning at 120-mu-m, 78 multipolar neurons were selected from the sexually dimorphic POA/AH of 12 ferrets and reconstructed in three dimensions with the aid of a computer-assisted neuron tracing system. Large sex differences were observed in somal area and most aspects of dendritic morphology, including total length, number of branches, and total dendritic surface area. Androgen also appeared to accentuate dendritic arborization in both sexes, but this effect was weaker than the sex effect, more apparent in males than females, and restricted to fewer variables. The most statistically significant effects of adult androgen treatment in males were found for total dendritic surface area and percentage of fourth order dendrites, and in females, average dendritic thickness. These data show that strong sex differences exist in dendritic structure of neurons in the POA/AH, and suggest that alterations in levels of gonadal steroids in adulthood may promote synaptic remodeling in a region of the brain involved in the control of sexually dimorphic behaviors.