Premium
Castration alters the number and structure of dendritic spines in the male posterodorsal medial amygdala
Author(s) -
Zancan Mariana,
Dall'Oglio Aline,
Quagliotto Edson,
RasiaFilho Alberto A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/ejn.13460
Subject(s) - dendritic spine , vomeronasal organ , anatomy , amygdala , spine (molecular biology) , neuroscience , biology , olfactory system , hippocampal formation , microbiology and biotechnology
The posterodorsal medial amygdala (Me PD ) is responsive to androgens and participates in the integration of olfactory/vomeronasal stimuli for the display of sexual behavior in rats. Adult gonadectomy ( GDX ) affects the Me PD structural integrity at the same time that impairs male mating behavior. At the cellular level, dendritic spines modulate excitatory synaptic transmission, strength, and plasticity. Here, we describe the effect of GDX on the number and shape of dendritic spines in the right and left Me PD using confocal microscopy and 3D image reconstruction. Age‐matched adult rats were intact ( n = 6), submitted to a sham procedure ( n = 4) or castrated and studied 90 days after GDX ( n = 5). The Me PD neurons have a density of 1.1 spines/dendritic μm composed of thin, mushroom‐like, stubby/wide, and few ramified or atypical spines. Irrespective of brain hemisphere, GDX decreased the dendritic spine density in the Me PD , but induced different effects on each spine type. That is, compared to control groups, GDX reduced (i) the number (up to 50%) of thin, mushroom‐like, and ramified spines, and (ii) the size and the neck length of thin spines as well as the head diameter of ramified spines. Besides, GDX increased the number of stubby/wide and atypical spines (up to 140% and 400%, respectively). These data show that GDX promotes a cellular and synaptic reorganization in a spine‐specific manner in the Me PD . By altering the number and shape of these connectional elements, GDX can affect the neural transmission and hinder the function of integrated brain circuitries in the male brain.