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Functional genomics of sex hormone-dependent neuroendocrine systems: specific and generalized actions in the CNS
Anna W Lee1, Nino Devidze, Donald W Pfaff
1Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, Box 275, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Abstract:
Sex hormone effects on hypothalamic neurons have been worked out to a point where receptor mechanisms are relatively well understood, a neural circuit for a sex steroid-dependent behavior has been determined, and several functional genomic regulations have been discovered and conceptualized. With that knowledge in hand, we approach deeper problems of explaining sexual arousal and generalized CNS arousal. After a brief summary of arousal mechanisms, we focus on three chemical systems which signal generalized arousal and impact hormone-dependent hypothalamic neurons of behavioral importance: histamine, norepinephrine and enkephalin.
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