PSY 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus, Luteinizing Hormone, Central Nervous System
6 Sep 2018
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Document Summary
We can affect sex-typical behavior by changing the "hard-wiring" of the hypothalamus. The presence or absence of sex hormones determines the male/female nature of the hypothalamus. There is a "sensitive period" during which changes are most likely to be made. Whatever hormone is present in the first 10 days of life, the animal will adopt those sex behaviors. Luteinizing hormone controls ovulation in females and sperm production in males. Its secretion is a function of the hypothalamus. Sexually-dimorphic nucleus is a group of cells in the hypothalamus that is different in size between males and females of most mammalian species. Homosexual male sexually dimorphic nucleus is about half the size of a heterosexual male. Cells bodies of the sympathetic regions originate from the middle regions of spinal cord. Cell bodies of the parasympathetic regions originate from the brainstem and lower spinal cord (a pair of origins) Send nerves to the same organs and have roughly opposite effects on them.
