Hypothalamic distribution of astrocytes is gender-related in Mongolian gerbils

Hypothalamic neuroglial ontogeny was examined during neonatal development of two hormone-sensitive, sex-specific nuclei, the pars compacta of the sexually dimorphic area (SDApc) and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the gerbil. Specific antibodies against vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic proteins (GFAP) identified neuroglia. Unbiased measures of labelled cell anatomical parameters were taken using stereomorphometric techniques. High numbers of cells in the female and male SCN immunoreacted with vimentin in neonates and GFAP in adults. Astrocytes containing vimentin or GFAP were few in number in the SDApc and surrounding areas in neonates and adults, respectively. There was a sex difference in the numerical density of both vimentin and GFAP-positive cells in the SCN. We suggest that (a) pre-astroglia are involved in gender-related organization of the SCN but not in SDApc, and (b) neuroglia have a sex-related, functional role in the mature SCN.