PSY-3705 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Epididymis, Pituitary Gland, Sexual Differentiation
Document Summary
Brain and body development: amount of male hormone determines male or female brain development. Hormones have prenatal organizational effects on the brain: differences are small between men and women but when reinforced they becoming stronger/more blatant. Typical sexual differentiation: begin undifferentiated with both mullarian (female) and wolf an (male) ducts. Presence or absence of testosterone causes ducts to atrophy or ourish: external genitalia will start with the same tissue and can be driven towards male or female rather than atrophy in the presence or absence of testosterone. Female sexual development: no tdf so primordial gonads become ovaries. Because no amh, mullarian ducts: inner vagina, uterus, fallopian tube. Because there is no testosterone, wuoll an ducts atrophy: external genitalia. Male sexual development: male de ned by any creature (mammal or bird) that has a y chromosome. On the y chromosome there is a gene that codes for the production of testosterone (tdf) In presences of tdf, primordial gonads become testes.