NEUR 1201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Sexual Differentiation, Periaqueductal Gray, Y Chromosome

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Neuroscience
• Course: NEUR 1201
• Professor: Kim Hellemans

Document Summary

Sexual behaviour: females and males share almost all of their genes. The only real difference between them, genetically speaking, is that females have two x chromosomes, and males have an. Sex differentiation: the testes and ovaries, respectively the male and female gonads, arise from the same tissue embryonically. Testes develop under the influence of the y chromosome. If no y chromosome is present, ovaries develop by default. Sexual neurodevelopment: while sex is ulti(cid:373)atel(cid:455) a (cid:373)atter of ge(cid:374)eti(cid:272)s, the se(cid:454) (cid:272)hro(cid:373)oso(cid:373)es (cid:373)erel(cid:455) (cid:858)get the (cid:271)all rolli(cid:374)g(cid:859) o(cid:374) se(cid:454)ual differe(cid:374)tiatio(cid:374). This process begins in-utero, and continues through puberty. Sexual dimorphisms are structural or functional features that differ substantially between sexes. Testosterone, produced mainly by the testes, is the primary androgen. Estradiol, produced mainly by the ovaries, is the primary estrogen. However, males produce small amounts of estrogens, and females produce small amounts of androgens: the sex hormones can act in an organizational and an activational capacity.