Estrogen receptor‐α distribution in male rodents is associated with social organization
Abstract
It has been hypothesized that site-specific reduction of estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) is associated with the expression of male prosocial behaviors. Specifically, highly social males are predicted to express significantly lower levels of ERalpha than females and less social males in brain regions associated with prosocial behavior including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and the medial amygdala (MeA). This hypothesis was tested by comparing ERalpha immunoreactivity (IR) in three species of microtines, the polygynous montane (Microtus montanus) and meadow (M. pennsylvanicus) voles and the monogamous pine vole (M. pinetorum), and two species of cricetines that differ in the extent of social pair-bond formation, Siberian (Phodopus sungorus) and Djungarian (P. campbelli) hamsters. As predicted, ERalpha-IR was sexually dimorphic in the BST and MeA of the highly social species, with females expressing more ERalpha-IR cells than males. Male and female montane voles did not differ. Male and female meadow voles differed in the ventromedial hypothalamus, with females expressing more ERalpha-IR cells. Male pine voles expressed lower levels of ERalpha-IR in the MeA than male montane and meadow voles and in the BST relative to montane males. Male Djungarian hamsters, which show higher levels of parental care, had fewer ERalpha-IR cells in the BST than male Siberian hamsters. Results indicate that the distribution of ERalpha differs relative to the continuum of species-…
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The density of ERα markedly differs across prosocial and asocial species and is directly related to the degree to which individuals and species are prosocial.
“This view is consistent with the observation that the density of ERα markedly differs across prosocial and asocial species and is directly related to the degree to which individuals and species are prosocial (3, 137, 138).”
From Endocrine Disruption of Vasopressin Systems and Related Behaviors (2017) · cites this paper as [137]
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- Authors
- Cushing, B. S., & Wynne‐Edwards, K. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- Queen's University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Cushing, Bruce S.
- Venue
- Journal of Comparative Neurology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-12-22
- Volume
- 494
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 595-605
- ISSN
- 0021-9967 (ISSN-L)
- 1096-9861
- OpenAlex
- W2091535265
- Cited by
- 101
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 7 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 5.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Comparative Neurology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH 01992, K01MH001992)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD 384490)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Keywords
- estrogen receptor alpha, social organization, prosocial behavior, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial amygdala, ventromedial hypothalamus, sexual dimorphism, microtines, voles, hamster, pair bonding, parental care, affiliative behavior, species-typical behavior
- MeSH terms
- Amygdala, Animals, Arvicolinae, Female, Cricetinae, Hierarchy, Social, Male, Septal Nuclei, Sex Characteristics, Social Behavior, Species Specificity, Phodopus, Estrogen Receptor alpha
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