Biological Sex, Estradiol and Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Physiology: A Mini-Review
The caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens core and shell are important striatal brain regions for premotor, limbic, habit formation, reward, and other critical cognitive functions. Striatal-relevant behaviors such as anxiety, motor coordination, locomotion, and sensitivity to reward, all change with fl...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-12-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fncel.2018.00492/full |
| _version_ | 1818061845050687488 |
|---|---|
| author | Amanda A. Krentzel Amanda A. Krentzel John Meitzen John Meitzen John Meitzen John Meitzen |
| author_facet | Amanda A. Krentzel Amanda A. Krentzel John Meitzen John Meitzen John Meitzen John Meitzen |
| author_sort | Amanda A. Krentzel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens core and shell are important striatal brain regions for premotor, limbic, habit formation, reward, and other critical cognitive functions. Striatal-relevant behaviors such as anxiety, motor coordination, locomotion, and sensitivity to reward, all change with fluctuations of the menstrual cycle in humans and the estrous cycle in rodents. These fluctuations implicate sex steroid hormones, such as 17β-estradiol, as potent neuromodulatory signals for striatal neuron activity. The medium spiny neuron (MSN), the primary neuron subtype of the striatal regions, expresses membrane estrogen receptors and exhibits sex differences both in intrinsic and synaptic electrophysiological properties. In this mini-review, we first describe sex differences in the electrophysiological properties of the MSNs in prepubertal rats. We then discuss specific examples of how the human menstrual and rat estrous cycles induce differences in striatal-relevant behaviors and neural substrate, including how female rat MSN electrophysiology is influenced by the estrous cycle. We then conclude the mini-review by discussing avenues for future investigation, including possible roles of striatal-localized membrane estrogen receptors and estradiol. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T13:54:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0d8a9c66911148748a7c03a8aa7afaf4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T13:54:47Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-0d8a9c66911148748a7c03a8aa7afaf42022-12-22T01:46:00ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience1662-51022018-12-011210.3389/fncel.2018.00492424391Biological Sex, Estradiol and Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Physiology: A Mini-ReviewAmanda A. Krentzel0Amanda A. Krentzel1John Meitzen2John Meitzen3John Meitzen4John Meitzen5Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United StatesW. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United StatesDepartment of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United StatesW. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United StatesCenter for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United StatesComparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United StatesThe caudate-putamen, nucleus accumbens core and shell are important striatal brain regions for premotor, limbic, habit formation, reward, and other critical cognitive functions. Striatal-relevant behaviors such as anxiety, motor coordination, locomotion, and sensitivity to reward, all change with fluctuations of the menstrual cycle in humans and the estrous cycle in rodents. These fluctuations implicate sex steroid hormones, such as 17β-estradiol, as potent neuromodulatory signals for striatal neuron activity. The medium spiny neuron (MSN), the primary neuron subtype of the striatal regions, expresses membrane estrogen receptors and exhibits sex differences both in intrinsic and synaptic electrophysiological properties. In this mini-review, we first describe sex differences in the electrophysiological properties of the MSNs in prepubertal rats. We then discuss specific examples of how the human menstrual and rat estrous cycles induce differences in striatal-relevant behaviors and neural substrate, including how female rat MSN electrophysiology is influenced by the estrous cycle. We then conclude the mini-review by discussing avenues for future investigation, including possible roles of striatal-localized membrane estrogen receptors and estradiol.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fncel.2018.00492/fullfemaleestradiolestrous cyclespiny projection neuronscaudate-putamendorsal striatum |
| spellingShingle | Amanda A. Krentzel Amanda A. Krentzel John Meitzen John Meitzen John Meitzen John Meitzen Biological Sex, Estradiol and Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Physiology: A Mini-Review Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience female estradiol estrous cycle spiny projection neurons caudate-putamen dorsal striatum |
| title | Biological Sex, Estradiol and Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Physiology: A Mini-Review |
| title_full | Biological Sex, Estradiol and Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Physiology: A Mini-Review |
| title_fullStr | Biological Sex, Estradiol and Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Physiology: A Mini-Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Biological Sex, Estradiol and Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Physiology: A Mini-Review |
| title_short | Biological Sex, Estradiol and Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Physiology: A Mini-Review |
| title_sort | biological sex estradiol and striatal medium spiny neuron physiology a mini review |
| topic | female estradiol estrous cycle spiny projection neurons caudate-putamen dorsal striatum |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fncel.2018.00492/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amandaakrentzel biologicalsexestradiolandstriatalmediumspinyneuronphysiologyaminireview AT amandaakrentzel biologicalsexestradiolandstriatalmediumspinyneuronphysiologyaminireview AT johnmeitzen biologicalsexestradiolandstriatalmediumspinyneuronphysiologyaminireview AT johnmeitzen biologicalsexestradiolandstriatalmediumspinyneuronphysiologyaminireview AT johnmeitzen biologicalsexestradiolandstriatalmediumspinyneuronphysiologyaminireview AT johnmeitzen biologicalsexestradiolandstriatalmediumspinyneuronphysiologyaminireview |