PSYC 106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Epigenetics, Attachment Theory, Prairie Vole
Document Summary
Sexually dimorphic behaviors produced by sexual differentiation of nervous system: gender differences in aggression, sexual, parenting behaviors, etc, these may not have equal distributions (like height) Used to believe that there were separate male and female circuits, but this has not been supported by evidence. Old view of sexual differentiation was linear- presence of xx or xy signaled development of ovaries which led to feminization or testes which led to masculinization/defeminization. It allows for greater adaptation in response to environmental pressures. Sex determination pathway induces differentiation of gonads during gestation (won"t be expected to know details of this for test) *this is one way hormones can affect the nervous system. Testosterone- male sex hormone; binds to androgen receptors: is a prohormone for estrogen, meaning that estrogen is made from testosterone in the male brain, masculinization of brain is largely mediated by estrogen. *testosterone alone doesn"t masculinize the nervous system, the product it is broken down into (estrogen) does.
