Otago neuroscientists reveal mechanism crucial to moulding male brain’s Clocktower
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 · Posted by University of Otago
Otago researchers have discovered that neural circuitry they previously showed was vital to triggering ovulation and maintaining fertility also plays a key role in moulding the male brain.
In new research appearing in the Journal of Neuroscience, a team led by Professor Allan Herbison shows that male-specific signalling in the Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons of new-born mice is crucial to generating a testosterone surge that occurs up to five hours after birth.
Prenatal testosterone levels influence later response to reward
Monday, November 5, 2012 · Posted by Elsevier
Increased fetal testosterone predicted more sensitivity in the brain’s reward system to positively, compared to negatively, valenced facial cues. This means that reward-related brain regions of boys with higher fetal testosterone levels respond more to positive facial emotion compared to negative facial emotion than boys who with smaller levels of fetal testosterone.