L33 Psych 321 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus, Development Of The Reproductive System
Document Summary
Is there an area of the human brain that is sexually dimorphic: yes, a nucleus located in the anterior hypothalamus. Peculiar findings: many influences of sex differentiation of brain and behavior in rats occur after testosterone is converted to estradiol (via aromatase) And if you administer estradiol, rather than female behavior increasing, male increases! Hi levels of t or e leads to masculinization. Lo levels of t or e leads to feminization. What other behaviors are affected: rough and tumble play in juvenile rodents (males engage in more than females, aggression (males engage in more than females, maze learning (males outperform females) 0-6 0-1 is heterosexual, 2-6 is homosexual: multiple assessments esp. behavior and fantasy, direction of erotic interest: male/female/both/neither. Orientation is not: core gender identity (male/female/inter/neither, gender role behaviors: differences can exist but there is also clear. Studying effects of prenatal exposure to hormones: cah consistency: fetuses exposed to testosterone prenatally due to congenital adrenal.
