Importance of Testosterone, Estradiol, and Dihydrotestosterone in Neurogenesis
Start Date
15-4-2021 3:30 PM
End Date
15-4-2021 4:30 PM
Student's Major
Biological Sciences
Student's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Mentor's Name
Rachel Cohen
Mentor's Department
Biological Sciences
Mentor's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Description
Neural plasticity, or changes to the brain over time, is an important area of study that may yield better treatment options for various neurodegenerative diseases. One aspect of neural plasticity is the addition of new neurons from neural progenitor cells, called neurogenesis. Brain regions such as the hippocampus, the olfactory bulb, and the amygdala are known to add new neurons in adults. It is also established that the structure and function of many brain areas depends on the levels of circulating hormones, such as testosterone, estradiol, and dihydrotestosterone. The present study aims to analyze the overall effects that these steroid hormones have on the birth of new neurons in the amygdala. We are studying the seasonally breeding green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) because they exhibit seasonally dimorphic steroid hormone levels. There are fewer amygdala neurons in breeding compared to non-breeding lizards and we hypothesize that lizards treated with steroid hormones will have a lower number of new neurons in the amygdala. To address this, breeding male lizards were treated with hormones and injected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), a compound that labels dividing cells. The brain was collected, and an immunohistochemistry was performed on brain sections. The sections were double-labeled using antibodies for BrdU and NeuN (a neuronal maker), and DAPI as a cell nuclei marker. Currently, we are imaging tissue sections using a Zeiss LSM880 confocal microscope and examining images for double-labeled neurons in the amygdala. Examining how steroid hormones impact neurogenesis will help increase understanding of plasticity in the brain.
Importance of Testosterone, Estradiol, and Dihydrotestosterone in Neurogenesis
Neural plasticity, or changes to the brain over time, is an important area of study that may yield better treatment options for various neurodegenerative diseases. One aspect of neural plasticity is the addition of new neurons from neural progenitor cells, called neurogenesis. Brain regions such as the hippocampus, the olfactory bulb, and the amygdala are known to add new neurons in adults. It is also established that the structure and function of many brain areas depends on the levels of circulating hormones, such as testosterone, estradiol, and dihydrotestosterone. The present study aims to analyze the overall effects that these steroid hormones have on the birth of new neurons in the amygdala. We are studying the seasonally breeding green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis) because they exhibit seasonally dimorphic steroid hormone levels. There are fewer amygdala neurons in breeding compared to non-breeding lizards and we hypothesize that lizards treated with steroid hormones will have a lower number of new neurons in the amygdala. To address this, breeding male lizards were treated with hormones and injected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), a compound that labels dividing cells. The brain was collected, and an immunohistochemistry was performed on brain sections. The sections were double-labeled using antibodies for BrdU and NeuN (a neuronal maker), and DAPI as a cell nuclei marker. Currently, we are imaging tissue sections using a Zeiss LSM880 confocal microscope and examining images for double-labeled neurons in the amygdala. Examining how steroid hormones impact neurogenesis will help increase understanding of plasticity in the brain.
