Organizational Effects
Organizational effects of androgens on aggression:
Example--sex differences have been observed in the ability of testosterone to induce expression of aromatase.
- Aromatase converts testosterone into estrogen.
- Testosterone can increase the expression of aromatase within the brain.
- In adult quail, males have more neurons that express aromatase than females.
- Gonadectomy decreases the level of aromatase in males but has no affect in females.
- Administration of exogenous testosterone to both males and females can stimulate high levels of aromatase expression in males but not females.
- Males are more sensitive to the stimulatory effects of testosterone on aromatase gene expression than females, and presumably this differential sensitivity extends to other processes (e.g., aggressive behavior).